The Ignacio wrestling team has talked about peaking during this stretch of the season all year.
Five Bobcats accomplished that by clinching bids to the Class 2A state tournament in Denver next week.
Josh Gallegos, Iaasic Peña and Stocker Robbins will compete at the Pepsi Center as regional champions.
“They all wrestled really tough and definitely set some criteria for their seeding next weekend, which will really help them out for being placed in the bracket,” IHS head coach Cody Haga said.
Robbins won his second consecutive regional title by pinning Paonia’s Clay Campbell with 47 seconds remaining in the third period of the 113-pound title match.
Peña found some measure of redemption after an elbow injury last season prevented him from advancing to state. He took the title after Meeker’s Casey Turner forfeited at 152 pounds.
Gallegos squeezed out a 1-0 victory over Meeker’s Tyler Ilgen in the heavyweight championship match. He’s headed to state for the third year in a row.
Ethan Appenzeller will wrestle at his second consecutive state tournament after a third-place finish at 138 pounds. He won an 8-1 decision over Norwood/Nucla’s Aiden Dabal in the third-place match.
At 182 pounds, Blaine Mickey wrestled for the first time at regionals Saturday after receiving two byes into the semifinals Friday. Meeker’s Devon Pontine beat him 14-4 for a major-decision victory in the third-place match.
State begins Thursday in Denver.
“They’re all pretty focused. The boys that got put out and didn’t make it to state, they were pretty bummed,” Haga said. “I think it’ll fuel their fire fore next year. That’s what they’ll strive for, to become better.
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