When Bayfield Wrestling last visited Alamosa High School, things didn't work out so well.
But even with the top-ranked Mean Moose expected to shine while hosting this weekend's 3A-Region I Championships, familiarity with the Intermountain League site certainly could work in the Wolverines' favor with berths into the 2018 State Championships (Feb. 15-17) in Denver up for grabs.
"I guess you're never really 'ready' wherever you go; we're walking into probably one of the toughest regions in 3A, in the state, so we're going to have to show up and get after it," head coach Roy Westbrook said. "We're going to have to show up as a team and decide 'We want to go!'"
Alamosa is also a relatively easy trip for the road-tested Wolverines.
"Yeah, it's nice that we don't have to 'travel.' We'll see a lot more fans there, you know; it's a lot easier on the parents, and we'll have a bigger fan base there to kind of push us," Westbrook added.
Senior Jake Sandrey agreed with his coach's assessment. "We're traveling Thursday. Could travel Friday, you know, and get there on time, but we want to travel Thursday so we're not traveling the day of and wrestling. We can get well-rested in a hotel room, kind of sleep in a little bit, and just be not tired getting off a bus!"
Every ounce of shut-eye will be vital.
Ranked seventh in 3A at 145 pounds in the most recent On The Mat poll, Sandrey's road to Pepsi Center could go through #2 Brandon Damian of Gilcrest-based Valley or Alamosa's #6 Kolten Hillis. Sandrey lost 4-1 to Hillis in the teams' Jan. 25 dual at Alamosa, which the Moose won 68-12. Pagosa Springs' Tate Hinger should also be in the hunt for a coveted top-four finish, though Sandrey capped off BHS' regular-season work-last Thursday's IML dual, won 58-12 by the Pirates, inside BHS Gymnasium-with a 7-4 victory.
"He beat me earlier when I popped out my knee in Pagosa," Sandrey recalled, of PSHS' Rocky Mountain Invitational in early January, "and winning was big for regional seeding because it's head-to-head competition."
"It was my last match ever here, last match at a dual, and I knew I had to bring it: Senior Night, in front of everybody," he continued. "I feel great going into regionals, because Pagosa's in our region."
Also victorious in his final home test with a 5-3 win over Springs' Grant Aucoin at 138, fifth-ranked senior Garrett Beebe will join #4 Matthew Broughton of Montezuma-Cortez, AHS' #11 Hunter Smith, and 15th-ranked Aucoin in what should be an even wilder division featuring three additional top-15 individuals.
"Garrett and Jake, they both wrestled really well, their last home dual," Westbrook said. "To come out, get a win, I think it really sets those two up for regionals - gives them the push in the direction they need to be."
"I really don't foresee them not making it to the State tournament."
At 113, freshman Dylan Pickering will also have his hands full as five of the top-ranked 12 will be in attendance, led by Alamosa's third-ranked Elijah De La Cerda. Ditto for junior Colby Baker at 120, where #1 A.J. Serna of Parachute Grand Valley and #2 Owen Berry of Buena Vista will head a division counting two additional top-seven contenders.
At 132, both BVHS' #1 Anthony Quintana and PSHS' #3 Cameron Lucero will compete as Bayfield freshman Trey McKee seeks his first State trip. At 152 pounds, senior Lane Grimwood will really be up against it as not only will PSHS' #5 Trevor Bryant-victorious in last week's dual-again be on the hunt, but also VHS' #1 Jaziah Whaley and Rifle's #4 Brian De La Rosa.
"Lane...missed a month, so we're kind of starting to hit a stride with him," Westbrook said. "I think come regionals, he'll be fine. He'll be right in the mix with everybody else."
At 220, sixth-ranked Daniel Westbrook will compete in a division counting six of the classification's top 15, including #5 Logan Thompson of Alamosa and #4 Nolan Stretton of Pagosa Springs. Stretton has won the last two meetings between himself and the Wolverine junior, including by pin 0:57 into the second period last Thursday.
"We've beat him before.but Stretton has figured out a way to wrestle with Daniel," said Roy Westbrook. "So now we've got to figure out a way to wrestle with Stretton, and we'll work with that this week."
"Honestly, we're going to prepare to be able to beat anybody in front of us. That's the goal."
Interchangeable this season with Grimwood at 152/160, Jason Schneider could see any one of three top-ten grapplers at the latter weight, while rising sophomore John Foutz-up to #7 in the rankings-will look to continue his recent rampage in a 195-pound division featuring four additional top-15 talents.
Last Thursday, PSHS' #5 Connor Aragon became Foutz's seventh straight pin victim, losing after 1 minute, 49 seconds of the first period (AHS' eighth-ranked Zendon Bernal had been stopped in the second during the 1/25 dual).
"Definitely after Christmas break.. He's probably the best kid on the team right now," Sandrey stated. "I'm being honest; I think he's wrestling the best over anyone."
"The last three weeks, Foutz has been amazing," agreed Westbrook. "I mean, he's peaking at the time he needs to be peaking, and I think it's going to show, going into regionals. I think he's setting himself up really nice to make 'The Show.'"
"The kids are going to have to make the decision, whether they want to go or not," he declared. "We've given them the tools, we've given them the conditioning, and we're going to make a nice, hard push - try to fine-tune some stuff - at qualifying as many kids as we can!"
Sandrey summarized the squad's approach:
"One match at a time," he said. "Just focus on the person wrestling and then move on."
