The mats have been rolled out, and sweat is pouring out of high school athletes in wrestling rooms across the nation. The four-month march to the state tournament has begun.
La Plata County high school wrestlers will begin the season Saturday in Grand Junction at the Maverick Duals at Colorado Mesa University. Expectations are high for three returning state qualifiers from a year ago, and Bayfield, Durango and Ignacio are all excited about young talent.
The Bayfield wrestlers are also enthused about the return of head coach Todd McMenimen, who last coached the Wolverines during the 2014-15 season. Since then, Bayfield has gone through three other coaches, and McMenimen came out of retirement to try to bring consistency to the program.
“It’s way more focused, way more intense now,” BHS junior John Foutz said of having McMenimen leading the team. “He knows what to do.”
Bayfield’s Daniel Westbrook, who placed fifth in Class 3A’s 220-pound state bracket last year after he won the 3A Region 1 championship, said McMenimen’s return has already helped the team.
“It’s good to be back,” the veteran head coach said. “There just hasn’t been any consistency up there for a while. It really wasn’t my plan to come back and start doing it again, but I helped Roy (Westbrook) last year a bit, and I miss it. It’s a passion, and I thought I’d be able to get away from it and not worry about it, but it’s in your blood and you can’t get rid of it.”
The Wolverines have high hopes this season. Led by Westbrook, who is the top-ranked 220-pound wrestler in the classification going into the season, Bayfield boasts solid depth and some talent across the roster which will help competition within the team. Everyone is following the lead of Westbrook, a senior who went 35-13 last season and 3-2 in five matches at the state tournament.
“He’s a very good leader,” said Foutz, who works with Westbrook every day as a 195-pound wrestler. “I can’t beat him, obviously, but he pushes me to the limit and pushes everyone in the room.”
Foutz, ranked fifth at his weight class, said a drop to 195 pounds will help him learn some discipline, and he is determined to qualify for state out of one of the toughest regions.
“More than anything, it takes discipline (to qualify),” Westbrook said. “We need teamwork and a brotherhood to keep each other going and working hard toward our goals. I respect (Foutz), and he has potential. He’s a good influence for everyone.”
McMenimen and the Wolverines are also excited about the potential of freshman wrestler James Mars as well as now veteran wrestler Jason Schneider.
“We have a great group of kids this year,” McMenimen said. “The intensity in the room and the attitudes are fantastic this year. We’re going to build the numbers back up. It will take a few years, but I’m real excited with what we got, and I have two fantastic assistant coaches with a passion for the sport. I’m very fortunate, and we have some kids that will be real exciting to watch for the next several years.”
The Durango Demons are still hurting for numbers, but the 12 wrestlers on the team have a commitment level that excites head coach Leo Garand.
Durango has only two seniors and two juniors on the team.
“We’re really down in numbers, but the kids we have are real strong and tough,” Garand said. “The kids know we’re working on pushing each other as a team right now. We don’t have what you call any All-Americans, but, together as a team, we can be tough if we push each other.
“I love the attitude of the team. They’re young but a great bunch of guys. All of them will stick it out and get better to the end. I don’t see any quitters in this group.”
Last year, Durango qualified only one boy for state in senior Rashaad Liggins.
This year, Paul Smagacz has emerged as a senior captain. Last year, Smagacz finished 11-19 overall at 126 pounds, and he will wrestle at 132 pounds later this season as he cuts down from 138.
“It’s been fun getting to have more leadership,” Smagacz said. “It’s definitely kind of new with us only having two seniors on the team, and I’m the only returning senior. It’s my last year, so I gotta give it everything.”
Durango’s lone ranked wrestler is freshman Tyler Woodworth. He’s ranked fourth at Class 4A’s 145 pounds. Last year, Woodworth won a middle school state championship.
Garand is also excited about Austin Albrecht, a junior, at 182 pounds. He wrestled the entire offseason, and the work has paid off. Alex Finneseth is the team’s only junior, who will be a key piece when he returns from injury.
Owen Eicher also is back at the lower weight classes. He was only one match away from qualifying for state last year at 106 pounds. Ben Belt, another freshman, will also help the Demons after he was a middle school state qualifier for three years.
“We got young guys getting into the groove of high school,” Garand said. “They’re tougher than nails.”
One of the mightiest teams in the Four Corners hails from Ignacio, as the Bobcats return two state qualifiers from a year ago in Skieler Grooms and Dustin Sanchez.
Sanchez placed sixth in the Class 2A 152-pound bracket a year ago, while Grooms wrestled three matches at 145 pounds before he was eliminated. Both are back as seniors this year.
“It’s good to have their leadership,” IHS head coach Jordan Larsen said. “Both were voted in as captains by the rest of the squad, and they’ve been doing a great job leading practices and pushing the rest of the team with their work ethic more than their words.”
Sanchez will enter the season ranked fourth at 160 pounds, while Grooms is ranked 14th at 138.
Behind the two state returners are Cesar Pedragon at 195 pounds, as he was named an alternate captain along with Hunter Robbins, who returned this year as a senior after a back injury kept him out last year.
Larsen said he has a handful of first-time wrestlers, and he’s hopeful to have as many as 15 boys by the end of the season.
“They’re all showing some good work ethic and motivation, from the little guys up to the experienced guys,” Larsen said.
“If we have 14 or 15 guys, shoot that’s three times what we finished with last year.”
Randy Herrera has impressed Larsen at heavyweight during summer camps. Larsen also likes Sean Campbell at 132 pounds,Tyler Barnes at 145 and Clay Campbell at 170. Brothers Jeremy and Lucas Roderick also are on the roster and could be tough, Larsen said.
“I think we can represent nine weight classes out of 14 at Mesa,” Larsen said. “If we get some guys back around Christmas, I think we can maybe have 11, 12 or 13. I’m really excited about having almost a full squad.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
