Eight matches, eight wins, eight pins — and two tournament championships.
The 2022-23 high-school wrestling season may still be very young, but Faye Hackett’s proven she can, well, hack it.
Coming in off a first-place 4-0 showing (including a pin of teammate Kacey Brown) at the previous weekend’s season-opening Farmington, N.M., Lady Scorpion Invitational, IHS’ senior 132-pounder repeated the feat Saturday, Dec. 10, by pinning all four of her Bloomfield, N.M., Invitational foes. Succumbing to Hackett in the first-place bout – in just 62 seconds – was Los Alamos, N.M., sophomore Wendy Sheppard.
All told, Hackett’s effort helped the Lady ’Cats score 49 points inside BHS’ Bobcat Gymnasium, and place sixth out of 11 represented schools (totaling 38 points, Ignacio had placed seventh out of 10 at FHS). With 21 individuals entered, Farmington won easily with 204.5. Dressing ten wrestlers, Bloomfield followed with 110 points and LAHS – third place a week earlier at Santa Fe Capital’s Lady Jaguar Tournament – placed third with 102.
Amongst the seven Lady Hilltoppers, however, was Heidi Sheppard. Third place at last season’s NMAA Girls’ State Championships when she competed at 132, the senior wrestled in Bloomfield at 138 pounds – and was the final obstacle between IHS’ Marlene Martinez-Perez and her team’s second individual title on the day.
Martinez-Perez had pinned two Pool ‘B’ opponents and also received a bye en route to the showdown, while Sheppard had stuck all three of her ‘A’ foes. Ultimately, experience won out as Sheppard pinned Ignacio’s freshman in only 24 seconds.
At 100 pounds, IHS freshman Madison Egger went 1-2 with a pin and placed third, while sophomore Audrey Roderick went 0-3 at 126 and finished out of the weight’s top six.
In boys’ action on the 10th, sophomore Asher Gallegos led Ignacio at the Dove Creek Dawg Fight, and did so impressively in its most-contested weight class. With six individuals reportedly entered – equaling the heavyweight division – at 150 pounds, Gallegos posted a 4-0 record.
Freshmen Lincoln deKay and Zane Pontine also fared well, going 3-1 at 144, and 138 respectively. Sophomore 165-pounder Kendrick Nossaman and freshman 113-pounder Joshua Kerrigan each finished 2-2 inside ‘The DawgHouse,’ and freshman Dillon Brann notched one win in four tries at 120.
Also represented at the meet, this year a duals-style event, were fellow 2A San Juan Basin Leaguers Mancos and Dolores, plus Shiprock, N.M., and Utah schools Blanding San Juan, Montezuma Creek Whitehorse, and Monument Valley. All told, IHS defeated DHS 24-21 and Whitehorse 35-18, but lost 56-6 to MHS and 36-21 to the hosting Bulldogs.
The ’Cats had seen the ’Dogs before, at a December 8 triangular where DCHS prevailed 48-12. Competing that same night against 3A Montezuma-Cortez, Ignacio lost 25-24 when Panther 215-pounder Hunter Goodall stepped onto the mat to claim a six-point forfeit win.
Next on Ignacio’s schedule will be a trip to Walsenburg on Saturday, Dec. 17, for John Mall High School’s Pete & Ina Gomez Invitational. The ’Cats will also take part in the previous night’s duals, with Mancos and Rye slated to join.