MONTROSE COUNTY—Admittedly having never beaten Dolores’ Nathan Hill prior to the 2026 San Juan Basin League Championships, Ignacio senior Dillon Brann knew he had his work cut out for him.
Even more needed doing Thursday evening after Brann trailed the Bear 6-1 through the first two-minute period inside meet-hosting Nucla’s gymnasium. Having just seen teammate Mason Hill lose 11-7 to Dove Creek’s Cael Beanland with first place at stake in the preceding 138-pound bout, Nathan Hill indeed appeared ready to come out on top at 144.
But Brann wanted to be ‘the man,’ and pulled off an incredible turnaround. Nearly able to pin Hill as the second period expired, Brann began the third period dead-even, 9-9, on the scoreboard, and finally made the stick 52 ticks into the third—becoming the second of head coach’s Jordan Larsen’s gents to earn league-champion status.
Senior 113-pounder Aven Bourriague, via an 18-5 major decision over Norwood’s J.D. Johnson, had preceded Brann, and seniors Zane Pontine (157) and Lincoln deKay (165) would follow. Bumped up to 190 pounds, foreign-exchange student-athlete Moise Grognard became IHS’ fifth SJBL champ as he picked up a forfeit win over Norwood’s Clayton Brack, but the Mavericks ultimately emerged—via Kannon Sherman’s third-period pin of DHS’ Daniel Jacket at 215, then Uriah Cook’s unopposed win at 285—as the winning squad.
Norwood tallied 56.5 points and Dolores 46.5, with Ignacio (44.5) placing third. DCHS ended up with 20.5 points, Mancos 10.5 and the hosting Mustangs, who lacked injured standout Jackson McCabe, five.
Pontine notched his 75th varsity pin when he inverted and stuck down the shoulders of DHS’ River Wickstrom 0:53 into the second period, and deKay, re-wrapped right elbow and all, then pinned Norwood’s Keegan Tackett 0:51 into the second.
Senior Joshua Kerrigan lost first place at 126 to Dove Creek’s Conner Horn-Beanland, junior Brandon Blevins took second at 175 after losing 8-5 to Norwood’s Colton Kepley, freshman Stephen Romero lost the third-place bout at 138 (via 17-1 technical fall) to Norwood’s Owen Tackett.
Only four bouts were held on the girls side of the championships, with Ignacio winning three. Competing at 125, junior Lainee Bradley pinned Nucla’s Cooper Andrews 1:05 into the first period, and after waiting for all the boys action to conclude, pinned Nucla’s Kynnlie McCabe 0:47 into the third.
McCabe had pinned IHS 115-pounder Jada Davis, coming up to McCabe’s 120, in 30 seconds, but Ignacio 130-pounder Kodi Mae Rima shut down the show pinning Andrews in 0:59.
Looking ahead, the Bobcats will next go north to Hotchkiss and vie on Friday and Saturday for state berths at the North Fork-hosted Class 4A-Region III Championships. Ignacio’s boys will also compete in Delta County on the same days, but in Cedaredge at the 2A-Region I Championships.
