The only Lady Bobcat to post a winning record (3-2) Saturday, Jan. 6, in Grand Junction, Ignacio senior Kacey Brown started the individual-style session of G.J. Central’s 2024 Border Battle with a pin of Olathe’s Taylor Armstead, and ended it with a second-period stick of Mead’s Shiloh Smith – earning Brown fifth at 130 pounds and helping IHS earn top-ten status. 

Forced to fight through the consolation side of the weight’s bracket after losing by pin in the quarterfinals to Moffat County’s Kayla Deaton, Brown also notched a pin against Central’s Addison Fox as Ignacio managed to total 41 points and finish tenth out of 14 teams represented. 

GJCHS won the event with a fierce score of 279, with Mead (181.5) a distant second and OHS (144) third. Gunnison placed fourth with 118 points, and MCHS returned to Craig with a fifth-place score of 116. 

Matching Brown’s 15 accumulated team points, sophomore Marlene Martinez-Perez posted a 2-2 record at 135 pounds and ended up in fourth place after losing by pin against Central’s Rya Burke. Also placing fourth was sophomore Larissa Espinosa, who went 2-3 at 235 with one win, unluckily, coming at teammate Soriah Perez’s expense. Finishing 1-4 at the weight, the senior Perez ended up placing fifth via a medical-forfeit victory over Basalt’s Saniyah Culcleasure. 

Junior 125-pounder Audrey Roderick unluckily went two-and-out after losing by first-period pin to Moffat County teammates HayLee Staker and Miriam Jimenez. 

During the previous day’s dual-style action, IHS lost 48-6 to Olathe (Brown’s pin of Azure Wallace the Lady Bobcats’ only points), then 60-15 to Mead (Brown pinned Smith; Roderick edged Addyson Mooradian 5-4). At a disadvantage due to sheer personnel numbers, the Lady ’Cats then fell 78-0 to G.J. Central and 48-12 to Durango (Martinez-Perez earned a first-period pin against Quincy Ellis; Espinosa won by forfeit). 

Ignacio then lost the seventh-place dual to Rifle, but by a more competitive 42-24 margin. Brown pinned Annika Liedke 1:13 into the second period, Roderick and Martinez-Perez each won by forfeit, and Espinosa was credited with a win over Perez – willing to stand in for the Lady Bears, if only to gain another bout – before RHS earned 30 forfeit points in the five lowest weights. 

Aimee Larsen’s Lady ’Cats will next see action Saturday, January 13, at Kirtland (N.M.) Central’s Bronco Invite/Duals.