Reese Appenzeller probably wasn’t the Wolverine one might expect to vie for a title at Ignacio’s 2025 Butch Melton Memorial Invitational after he was a roster scratch at Bayfield’s home triangular the previous night versus 3A Intermountain League rival Pagosa Springs and 2A force Walsenburg.
“Came into this really cold, actually; I didn’t even get to warm up for my first match,” he said afterward. “I went into this tournament a little bit drowsy because I was sick all last week, but that just means that I need to work harder for regionals coming up.”
Inside IHS Gymnasium, he certainly took a great first step toward the imminent postseason. Pinning all five of his opponents at 138 pounds, including Dolores’ Kenji Edwards in just 59 seconds with first place at stake, Appenzeller earned one of BHS’ two individual titles at the event and helped Bayfield amass 108 points and place third out of 17 boys’ teams.
“The moves I’m good at, I was able to work them more – the more you work a move the better you get at it,” he said. “And I didn’t really leave the first period once; every single kid I wrestled, I beat them – pinned them – in the first. So overall it was a really good tournament for me.”
Ranked No. 1 in On The Mat’s Class 2A poll, Cedaredge racked up 314.5 points and easily won over runner-up Mancos (108.5). For Bayfield 175-pounder Justin Westbrook, his own title run began with a 13-1 major-decision win over CHS’ Cole Wyatt, then continued with three straight first-period pins, and concluded with an authoritative 19-2 major over Shiprock, New Mexico’s Kameron Simpson.
“My first match against Cedaredge was a tough one; that’s a good kid,” Westbrook said. “But I think it was pretty average, what I did on the day; I could probably place at regionals this year.”
Hudson Taylor placed fourth and Alan Boling sixth at 106 pounds, with the former going 3-2 with three pins and the latter 2-3 with two pins. Max Johnston went 3-2 with three pins but finished fourth at 126 after losing via technical fall against Dove Creek’s Cael Beanland, and then via pin against Mancos’ Tegan Mestas.
Logan Valencia went 3-2 at 144 pounds, winning by pin, technical fall and also a forfeit, but placed fifth after losing to Rangely’s Jordan Irwin by pin with 30 ticks left in the first period. Payson Blouin placed fifth at 132, his 3-2 event record sealed by a loss via pin to Bloomfield, New Mexico’s Jordan Meador. Also going 3-2 at the Melton, Daemon Christner placed fifth at 150 pounds via a 10-0 major over DCHS’ Konner Spigner.
Between their collective effort at the Melton, a 48-35 triumph over PSHS, and a 46-22 defeat of WHS, the Wolverines’ weekend seems to bode well for the remainder of the season.
“Got us ready, physically and mentally,” said Westbrook. “Kind of opened our eyes, to just how hard we have to go.”
BAYFIELD GIRLS PLACE NINTH: On the girls’ side of the tournament, Bayfield totaled 30 team points and placed ninth. Bailey Blouin performed best for BHS, going 3-2 at 125 pounds and placing third via a pin – her third of the day – of Walsenburg’s Angelina Cooper.
At 120, Audrina Velasquez went 1-3 and placed fourth, while 115-pounder Hannah Taylor went 1-4 and placed fifth. Anna Rhodes, unfortunately, was an injury-default casualty in her third and last match at 105 pounds, but she still finished in fourth place.
