A Junior Bulls entrant in last month’s 2013 American Youth Bull-Riding Finals, held in Ignacio, Stocker Robbins has found a few more beastly opponents recently in 106-pound division wrestling.
One unfortunate biped (from 4A Kirtland, N.M., Central), however—ridden and dragged about one of Dove Creek High School’s three mats to the tune of a 17-0 technical fall—was no match for the Bobcat, as the rapidly-rising Robbins took third (after losses to highly-rated foes from Del Norte and Walsenburg John Mall) place at the weight on Saturday, Dec. 14 at DC’s annual “Dawg Fight.”
Ignacio, as a team, finished no less than first with none of its eight grapplers placing lower than third. Led by 145-pound champ Iaasic Peña, 170-pound winner Blaine Mickey and 182-pound victor Christian Knoll—each a 4-0 unbeaten—the Cats amassed 126.5 points to better the local Bulldogs’ 83.
Farmington, N.M., came in third with 79.5. Norwood (66) was fourth and Dolores (60) fifth.
Lorenzo Peña (also an AYBR Finals Junior Bulls entrant) was third at 138 pounds for IHS, after a semifinals loss to Bayfield’s Colter McMenimen—the weight’s eventual winner, and the meet’s Lower Weight Outstanding Wrestler. Ethan Appenzeller, youngest brother of former Bobcat state champion, now-assistant coach Jacob Appenzeller, took second at 126—helped by a pin of BHS’s Clay Crawford.
Miguel “Mike” Perez, at 152 pounds, placed second for Ignacio and Josh Gallegos did likewise at 220 after a loss to NHS’s Blayde Harrigan, named the 15-team tourney’s Upper Weight O/W.
Cody Haga’s crew then hosted Dolores in San Juan Basin League dual action on Thursday, Dec. 19, and quickly cruised to a 45-18 win inside IHS Gymnasium. The Bears forfeited away 30 points, but received 12 back, duty-free, from Ignacio to at least have some flicker of hope.
But with the Cats again buoyed by Robbins, it was destined to fade out.
The youngster’s rampage continued with a first-period pin of Brandon Ward, and he also picked up an exhibition-grade victory over 113-pound Bear Tristan Medina—himself a “Dawg Fight” champ. Iaasic Peña defeated Guy Wallace 7-3 at 145, but Perez (who had transferred to IHS from DHS) lost by second-period pin to Deano Valdez.
Appenzeller, 132-pounder Charles Rohde, Mickey, Knoll and Gallegos all won by forfeit prior to Ignacio attending the Dec. 21st Piedra Vista Panther Invitational down in Farmington.
‘DAWG FIGHT’ TEAM RESULTS: 1.IGNACIO 126.5, 2.Dove Creek 83, 3.Farmington (N.M.) 79.5, 4.Norwood 66, 5.Dolores 60, 6.Del Norte 55, 7.Bayfield 43.5, 8.Kirtland (N.M.) Central 42.5, 9.Blanding (Utah) San Juan 34, 10.Sargent 30, 11.Walsenburg John Mall 27, 12.Kirtland (N.M.) Central JV 26, 13.Mancos 22, 14.Farmington (N.M.) JV 17.5, 15.Nucla 4.
THE TOP ‘DAWGS’: 106—Jonathan Andreatta, Walsenburg John Mall; 113—Tristan Medina, Dolores; 120—Cobey Hamblin, Farmington (N.M.); 126—Case Baughman, Dove Creek; 132—Chance Randolph, Dove Creek; 138—Colter McMenimen, Bayfield; 145—Iaasic Peña, Ignacio; 152—Luke Haefeli, Del Norte; 160—Jens Grover, Blanding (Utah) San Juan; 170—Blaine Mickey, Ignacio; 182—Christian Knoll, Ignacio; 195—Jason Murphy, Walsenburg John Mall; 220—Blayde Harrigan, Norwood; 285—Damien Nieblas, Norwood.