It was only proper that the 2018 Butch Melton Memorial's final match would feature an Ignacio Bobcat, heavyweight Randy Herrera, on the red, central mat.
But, representative of the type of competition the tournament tends to attract each winter, Herrera found himself standing in against Cedaredge's Derek Sanchez, Class 2A's third-ranked heavy in the updated On The Mat poll.
Unfortunately, the 'Cat was unable to escape the Bruin. With spectators and athletes already heading for the exits after nearly 10 hours of competition, Sanchez was able to notch a pin just 40 seconds into the first period and shut down the grand Saturday show.
And though Sanchez placed first in the division, his win wasn't enough to secure second-ranked Cedaredge the team championship. Ranked fourth in Class 3A, Pagosa Springs left IHS Gymnasium having won five of the 14 weights and accumulated 212.5 points overall. Cedaredge piled up a second-place 187.5 score, and 5A Aztec took third with 155.5.
Bayfield and Montezuma-Cortez rounded out the standings' top five with 95, and 54.5 points respectively, while Ignacio finished 11th with 17 points.
"All the boys demonstrated their ability to wrestle tough kids at a high level," said IHS head coach Jordan Larsen. "Their work ethic and mindset over the next few weeks will be a huge piece of how well they will perform at regionals, which is our main focus."
Speaking about his own crew, the coach may as well have been describing most of the event's entrants in general, and particularly BHS' John Foutz.
Beginning with a pin of CHS' Pedro Madaleno 33 seconds into the third period, the Wolverine sophomore ended his day turning the Bruin over again and making the stick just before the second period expired, giving the 195-pounder his fifth win in as many tries and the only individual title for BHS or IHS.
Most impressive was that his three victories in between the Madaleno matches also came by pin: Aztec's Zackery Roberts heard the referee's mat slap after 1 minute, 14 seconds, 6A Farmington Piedra Vista JV member Marques Richesin succumbed in only 18 ticks, and 1A Montezuma Creek Marquez Hathale of Utah couldn't raise his shoulders after 49 seconds expired in the third period.
4-1 on the day with three pins, senior Garrett Beebe finished second at 138 pounds after losing to Matthew Broughton of Cortez. Ranked fourth in 3A at 145 going in, senior Jake Sandrey also finished a second-place 4-1 after AHS' Bode Wooley managed to control both Sandrey's arms behind his own back and eventually scored a pin just before the second period ended.
Junior 220-pounder Daniel Westbrook placed third after going 2-2. Freshman Dylan Pickering took fourth at 113 pounds and classmate Trey McKee did likewise at 132, while junior Jason Schneider and senior Lane Grimwood placed sixth at 152, and 160 pounds respectively.
Posting a 3-2 record, Ignacio junior Dustin Sanchez placed fourth at 152 after Cedaredge senior Colton Hoerr pinned him with four seconds left in the third-place test's first period.
Herrera also earned fourth, having battled San Juan Basin League rival Bryan Escarcega of Dolores well for nearly two periods (Escarcega managed a pin after an elapsed 3:34), and went all three against Whitehorse's Vincent Saltclah but lost 6-0.
Bobcat junior Skieler Grooms finished a fifth-place 2-2 at 138, posting victories in over PVHS' Kobie Greenhaus and 4A Durango's Ben Finneseth, the former via pin after 2:38 elapsed, and the latter via 15-0 tech.
Sophomore 182-pounder Cesar Pedregon and freshman 160-pounder Micah Westbrook each finished eighth at their respective weights, while BHS junior Colby Baker did not place at 120 after going 1-2.
IHS will prepare for the 2A-Region I Championships in Delta, to be held Feb. 9-10, while Bayfield will strive for State berths at 3A-Region I in Alamosa.
2018 BUTCH MELTON MEMORIAL STANDINGS: 1.Pagosa Springs 212.5, 2.Cedaredge 187.5, 3.Aztec (N.M.) 155.5, 4.BAYFIELD 95, 5.Montezuma-Cortez 54.5, 6.Durango 47.5, 7.Dolores 35, 8.Mancos 25.5, 9.Montezuma Creek (UT) Whitehorse 20, 10.Dove Creek 19, 11.IGNACIO 17, T-12.Farmington (N.M.) Piedra Vista JV/Rangely 14, 14.Aztec 'B' 10, 15.Newcomb (N.M.) 6, 16.Shiprock (N.M.) 2.
