There was a stark difference between the Aztec and Bayfield high school wrestling teams Thursday night.
The Tigers spent the holiday break at tournaments and refined their skills against live competition, while the Wolverines got a break during the break. And the live action proved to have Aztec’s team better prepared, as the Tigers dominated the Wolverines for a 63-9 victory in a dual at Koogler Middle School in Aztec.
After the dual started at the 120-pound weight class, Aztec won the first 10 matches before Bayfield’s Daniel Westbrook recorded a pin against Jarad O’Toole with 11.3 seconds remaining in the third period. The match was closely contested the whole way, as Westbrook held a 1-0 advantage entering the third period – he scored an escape in the second period to earn the point.
In the final match of the night, Bayfield’s Dylan Pickering earned a 4-0 decision against Dylan St. Vrain for the Wolverines’ second win of the dual.
Bayfield forfeited matches at 106, 126 and 182 pounds. Both teams forfeited the 285-pound weight class.
Girls basketball
Navajo Prep 40, Durango 28
The poor shooting percentages that hurt the Durango High School girls basketball team in the opening weeks of the season continued after the holiday break, as the Demons fell to Navajo Prep (6-3), a small private school in Farmington, in the first round of the Rumble in the Jungle hosted by Aztec High School Thursday in Aztec.
“We just missed some shots,” DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said. “We weren’t really able to put the ball in the hole and (Navajo Prep) sped us up a little bit. But really it just came down to making some shots.”
Fitzpatrick said the long layoff between games – the Demons (1-9) haven’t played since Dec. 19 – played a factor in the game, as the Demons’ conditioning wasn’t where it needed to be.
Maddie McManus led the Demons with eight points and Danielle Lee added six points.
Durango will face the loser of Aztec High School (4-5) and Northwest High School (4-2) of Shiprock at 11 a.m. Friday.
kschneider@durangoherald.com
