Perhaps from a birdie on his shoulder.or chirping through Centauri gymnasium's ventilation ducts.
But the message-soft-spoken and delivered almost subliminally by assistant coach Chris Zoltowski-found its way to the desired corner of junior heavyweight Sam Westbrook's brain before the third period of his exciting rumble with Centauri senior Devon Chacon Dec. 10 in La Jara.
Reversed by the Falcon late in the second period of their 3A/2A Intermountain League dual bout, Westbrook appeared in need of some outside encouragement-and got it-before the third began tied at 9-9:
"You're a state champion.you're the state champion," Zoltowski said. "Your journey starts now."
"We were both way out of gas!" Westbrook recalled, after having ended the crews' matchup with a pin and only three regulation seconds remaining. "But like my coach said, it starts now.my journey to the top, where I want to be-that top podium at state. It starts now, with matches like that all year long."
"I'd like to see the whole team kind of step it up; today we looked a little flat," junior Ryan Nava said, having pinned CHS sophomore Brian Shawcroft at 145 pounds in only 52 seconds for BHS' first six points-and first of just three (McCoy Michaeli's pin of Weston Huffaker at 182 the other) head-to-head wins-in a 48-24 loss. "It's like I said to the team, it's all right to lose when you're trying, but when you lose and you're asleep that's not good. So at least go out and show a little more effort."
And both team captains went on to walk their walks less than 48 hours later in Dove Creek.
Westbrook went 5-for-5 - taking no more than 89 seconds in each match - in conquering his division at last Saturday's "Dawg Fight." Westbrook started with a 64-second pin of 2A Walsenburg John Mall soph Dylan Crump and ended with a 66-second stick of 5A Farmington freshman Dante Norberto.
Helping Bayfield place fifth as a unit, Nava also won his weight class by going 5-0 and pinning 2A Blanding senior Dominick Perkins in just 1:09 to secure first place.
Losing only to Dove Creek's Case Baughman by technical fall in his finale, Bayfield's Garrett Beebe went 4-1 and took second at 132 pounds. One victory, by a 12-9 margin, came at the expense of older relation Tyler Beebe, wrestling for 2A Ignacio.
At 120, Cody Speece went 3-2 and saved fifth place for the Wolverines at the weight with a second-period pin of 2A Mancos' Ricky Lobato. Cordell Ashcraft also went 3-2, in the 126-pound division, pinning SJHS' Josh Lacy for fifth, and Jake Sandrey recovered from being pinned by IHS' Ethan Appenzeller to hit JMHS' Isaiah Sandoval with a 10-0 major in the third-place bout at 138.
Tyler Conner took fifth at 160 pounds, picking up a first-period pin of JMHS' Henry Quintana but then losing in the same manner against Panther Herr Haught (competing for John Mall with nearby La Veta not fielding a squad this season).
Up next, the Wolverines will head south to Farmington to grapple at tomorrow's Piedra Vista Panther Classic, with action scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.
"Should be good competition," said Westbrook, who is off to a 7-0 start with Nava 8-0. "But I think - like Ryan said - if we step up and wrestle like we know how, we'll come out with a win and a bunch of individual victories."
"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
