Ten for 10 on the mat - Lorenzo Pe単a's start to the 2015-16 season seems like something out of a recent series of Geico insurance commercials:
If you're a son of "Mossie" and Shasta, you wrestle. It's what you do.
Sure, there's some football mixed in there. And some baseball, some track-and-field, there's some rodeo happening, definitely some massive mule-deer hunting. The point is, the Ignacio junior's wrestling performance this winter fits perfectly in line with work previously put in by older brothers Alex and Iaasic, and he's been a perfect complement to classmate Stocker Robbins' unbeaten beginning.
Both Class 2A contenders put their skills on display at last Saturday's Dove Creek "Dawg Fight," and put on clinics at their respective weights en route to first-place distinction. Pe単a prevailed at 160 pounds after a 5-0 romp begun with a 17-1 technical fall of 2A Blanding's D.J. Howell and ended by a pin of 2A Del Norte's Luke Haefeli.in only 13 seconds.
With three other pins in between, Pe単a's prowess made him the event's Upper Weight Outstanding Wrestler and helped the Bobcats finish third in team standings. 2A Walsenburg John Mall won the meet, followed by second-place 5A Farmington.
Robbins handled his biz with four wins and a bye at 113 pounds, holding off 2A Dolores' Brandon Ward 6-3 in the first-place match to improve to 9-0 overall. Ethan Appenzeller also captured a 138-pound title eluding him inside DCHS Gymnasium in the past by going 4-0 (with one bye) and ultimately defeating FHS' Traedan Allison by an 11-3 major decision.
Bouncing back from a fourth-round loss to DNHS' Tyler Martinez, 152-pounder Timmy Plehinger took third place by finishing a 4-1 day with a first-period pin of JMHS' Adam Bobian. Senior Tyler Beebe also gained IHS third-place points with his 3-2 work at 132. Freshman Dustin Sanchez brought back fourth after going 2-3 at 145, and teammate Mike Archuleta placed sixth at 152.
Wyatt Mickas went 0-3 at 120 pounds, and did not get to face John Mall junior Jonathan Andreatta-the weight's winner, two-time state champion and a former Robbins rival since their middle-school days.
Results from last night's 2A/1A San Juan Basin League dual versus Dolores were unavailable at press time.
"DAWG FIGHT" CHAMPS: 106-Trevor Schofield (Farmington, N.M.), 113-STOCKER ROBBINS (IGNACIO), 120-Jonathan Andreatta (Walsenburg John Mall), 126-Marshal Ross (John Mall), 132-Case Baughman (Dove Creek), 138-ETHAN APPENZELLER (IGNACIO), 145-Ryan Nava (Bayfield), 152-Tyler Martinez (Del Norte), 160-LORENZO PENA (IGNACIO), 170-Grange Simpson (Blanding, UT, San Juan), 182-Jake Jolly (Del Norte), 195-Jason Murphy (John Mall), 220-Kameron Schrock (Farmington, N.M.), Hwt-Sam Westbrook (Bayfield).
