Young ’Cats 14th out of 17 squads
Pit against a man on a mission, eager junior Jeremy Roderick had possibly the most difficult opening draw of any Bobcat competing at the Class 2A-Region I Championships, March 5-6 in Meeker.
Victim of a first-round upset at last year’s State Championships inside Denver’s Pepsi Center, Cedaredge senior Derek Sanchez made virtually no mistakes in pinning Ignacio’s emerging talent in just 31 seconds of heavyweight division action – beginning his run to the tourney title and, ultimately, a long-coveted State return.
Roderick wasn’t about to bow out quietly, however. Paired with San Juan Basin League rival Joe Summers of Dolores in the first consolation round, Roderick outlasted Summers 3-2 to keep alive a chance at third place. Unfortunately, said chance disappeared in the consolation semifinals when Rangely junior Byron MacKay pinned him in an elapsed 4:48 under quickened 1-2-2 regulation timing used in consolation bouts and wrestlebacks (the normal 2-2-2 applied to championship-bracket bouts).
MacKay would then capture third, needing about half as long to stick Lyons senior Garrett Roberts.
Roderick would finish his breakout campaign with a 13-4 record; Sanchez, by comparison, improved to 17-2 after defeating Hotchkiss’ Christian Matus – also State-bound, with only the top two in each weight earning the honor – for first place.
At 106 pounds, IHS freshman Cayle McCoy (4-12) went 0-2, eliminated by Norwood sophomore Aiden Walton by pin in 0:21 – McCoy’s second such loss in fewer than 30 ticks. Devante Montoya (5-12) lost immediately to MHS’ Ty Goeddert at 113 by pin in 57 seconds, then after receiving a bye into the consolation semis, fell 10-6 to HHS senior Anthony Scanlon.
At 152, John Riepel’s first prep wrestling season ended with a loss to Hayden senior Wyatt Murphy by pin in 1:03, leaving him with a 5-10 mark, while at 160 freshman Kaleb Welker (4-8) lost by pin in 0:16 to Mancos junior Chase Moore.
Closest to grabbing a ticket to State was sophomore Keaton McCoy, who placed third at 138 despite winning four of five matches, beginning with a pin 14 seconds into the second period against Olathe junior Trenton Fletcher.
In the quarterfinals, he then stuck Meeker sophomore Kaden Franklin at the second-period buzzer to reach the semis, where he unluckily lost against Mancos senior Ty Everett via pin 1:03 into the second.
Having clinched his State spot, Everett (17-2) would finish in second place after losing 6-0 to unbeaten Hayden junior Dylan Zimmerman (18-0). McCoy, meanwhile, battled back in the consolation semis, pinning CHS junior Lucas Hoerr in the second period to reach the third-place match – where he then flattened LHS freshman Jaden Gardner in the second to end the COVID-abbreviated 2020-21 slate standing 12-5.
All told, Ignacio accumulated 21 team points at the meet and finished in 14th place. Ranked fourth in On The Mat’s Class 2A poll going in, Cedaredge piled up a winning 218.5 – easily bettering the event-hosting, No. 5 Cowboys’ 152.5 and SJBL force Mancos’ impressive third-place 144.
With brackets cut in size from 16 wrestlers per weight to eight in order to accommodate a one-day format, the 2021 Class 2A (as well as 3A) State Championships will be held Friday, March 12, at Southwest Motors Events Center in Pueblo, Colo. All bouts will be streamed online via the NFHS Network (www.NFHSNetwork.com).
CLASS 2A-REGION I TEAM SCORES
- Cedaredge 218.5
- Meeker 152.5
- Mancos 144,
- Lyons 106
- Hayden 87
- Hotchkiss 86
- Paonia 82
- Norwood 38
- Dove Creek & Rangely 35
- Olathe 32
- Oak Creek Soroco 27
- Walden North Park 22
- IGNACIO 21
- Nucla 6
- Dolores & Kremmling West Grand 3