The Bayfield High School wrestling team saw seven wrestlers place at the Rocky Mountain Wrestling Tournament, but no team at the tournament could match host team Pagosa Springs High School.
The Pirates cruised through their home tournament and piled up 253.5 points to win the event Saturday in Pagosa Springs. Aztec placed second with 195.5 points and Monticello, Utah, rounded out the top three with 165 points. Nineteen teams competed at the tournament.
The Wolverines finished ninth with 79.5 points, followed by Montezuma-Cortez in 10th with 67.5 points, Durango was 11th with 50 points, Ignacio placed 12th with 47.5 points and Mancos finished 13th with 44 points. Dolores ended up 15th with 22 points and Dove Creek was 19th with 3 points.
Bayfield’s Dylan Pickering (113) and Daniel Westbrook (220) placed third, Shane Moore (160) was fourth, Jake Sandrey (145) finished fifth, John Foutz (195) came in seventh, and Trey McKee (132) and Jason Schneider were eighth.
Durango’s Kaleb McMunn (160) placed third, Ben Finneseth (138) finished fourth, Owen Eicher (106) placed fifth and Dominique Maestas (182) was sixth.
Igancio’s Cesar Pedregon (182) and Dustin Sanchez (152) finished fourth, Randy Herrera (285) placed fifth and Skieler Grooms (138) was seventh.
Cortez’s Matthew Broughton (138) and Casen Allmon (138R) placed second, Shawn Higgins (120) placed fifth, Stevie Fuentes (126) finished sixth, and Anthony Abeyta (126), Kael Buffington (106) and Austin Featherman (113), Swayde Noyes (182) and Kerwin Tom (170) were all seventh.
Mancos’ Camern Fury (182) placed second after a 16-4 loss to Pagosa Springs’ Colton Castro. Ty Everett (106) and Kaleb Hargraves (195) were sixth for the Bluejays.
Dolores’ Austin Hackney (126) placed fifth, Bryan Escarcega (285) was sixth, and Zander Eichner (120) and Cael Schmitel (160) were eighth.
No wrestlers from Dove Creek placed. Rhette Quackenbush (120) recorded the only points for the Bulldogs with a pin against Ignacio’s Hunter Robbins.
Girls Basketball
Girls BasketballFreshman Maddy McManus launched the Demons to their best win of the season.
With 4.5 seconds remaining and the Durango High School girls basketball team clinging to a 45-42 lead, McMannus blocked New Mexico’s Grants High School’s would-be buzzer beater to tie the game and sent the Demons to their third win.
“We saw some kids really step up,” DHS head coach Tim Fitzpatrick said. “Emma Hackett stepped up and played some good defense for us, and Brett Rowland played good defense for us all night. We needed a confidence boost that’s for sure.”
The Demons (3-9) trailed 15-5 after the first quarter, but held the Pirates (5-9) to two points in the second quarter and trailed 17-16 at halftime.
Grants pushed its lead to seven points in the third quarter, but Durango rallied back to take a 29-28 lead into the fourth and held on for the win.
Hilda Garcia finished with 12 points for Durango.
The Demons will be off until Jan. 20 when they begin play in 5A/4A Southwestern League play against Fruita Monument (11-1) in Fruita.
kschneider@durangoherald.com
