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Ignacio’s Kodi Mae Rima pins Bayfield’s Delilah Zink during 130-pound action Thursday evening, Jan. 15, on the girls’ side of the BHS-hosted La Plata County Championships. Rima went 1-1 at the event, losing to Durango’s Aleia Fenberg by pin.
Ignacio’s Aven Bourriague tries pulling Durango’s Blaze Aguilar down to the mat during action Thursday evening, Jan. 15, at the Bayfield-hosted La Plata County Championships. Wrestling at 113 pounds, Bourriague won both his bouts at the triangular by first-period pin.
Ignacio's Joshua Kerrigan looks for the best way to tie up Bayfield's Connor Martindale during action Thursday evening, Jan. 15, at the BHS-hosted La Plata County Championships. Wrestling at 126 pounds, Kerrigan lost 9-1 to Martindale but beat Durango's Isiah Aguilar 9-7.
Ignacio's Norman Hackett tries breaking down Durango's Judah Thiessen during 150-pound action Thursday evening, Jan. 15, at the Bayfield-hosted La Plata County Championships. Hackett lost by pin to both Thiessen and BHS' Daemon Christner.
Photo Credit: Joel Priest | Special to the Drum
Photo Credit: Joel Priest | Special to the Drum
Photo Credit: Joel Priest | Special to the Drum
Photo Credit: Joel Priest | Special to the Drum
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IHS wrestlers prep for home meet

Friday - January 23, 2026 by Joel Priest | Special to the Drum

Boys, girls rumble in N.M. at Clash

Gearing up to host its annual Butch Melton Memorial Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 24, Ignacio Wrestling traveled down to Farmington, N.M., on the 16th and 17th to McGee Park for the Aztec, N.M.-hosted 2026 Clash at the Coliseum.

Competing initially at the 32-team spectacle in Pool C, IHS’ boys – who entered the weekend ranked No. 5 in CHSAA’s Class 2A – first defeated Gallup, N.M., 35-24, but then lost 32-24 to Kirtland, N.M., Central. The ’Cats then fell 63-8 to in-state Montrose, and 48-36 to Taos, N.M. Los Lunas, N.M., Valencia then dealt IHS a 48-29 defeat, and southwestern-Colorado familiar Pagosa Springs prevailed 52-16 before Ignacio finished with a 39-18 win over Shiprock, N.M.

In the placing phase, the recharged ’Cats were re-grouped and proceeded to go 3-0 in clinching 21st place overall with a 5-5 duals record. Ignacio first defeated Montezuma-Cortez 40-24, then knocked off Albuquerque, N.M., Legacy Academy 38-12 before nipping Fort Defiance, Ariz., Window Rock via tiebreaker after the dual ended deadlocked at 36.

Going 3-0 in the final 1-4 group, Alamosa – ranked No. 1 in CHSAA Class 3A – completed a dominant 10-0 tourney run by besting 4A Aztec, N.M., 41-29. Montrose then earned third place overall by defeating Farmington, N.M., 51-30.

On the bracket-style girls’ side of things at the Clash, Ignacio’s Larissa Espinosa went 2-1 at 235 pounds, losing only to Bloomfield, New Mexico’s Caylee Miller by third-period pin in the first-place bout. Krysten Neil placed second at 135, posting a 3-1 record including three pins and losing only by pin to KCHS’ Hailey Robinson in the weight’s finale.

140-pounder Ireland Cates lost her first bout by 9-2 decision, but then defeated Farmington’s AvyAnne Gonzalez 6-2 before bowing out of the competition on the short side of a 6-1 verdict against Bloomfield’s Lilyana Scott. Eliska Prokopova went 3-2 at 145, and earned fifth place via a 12-8 win over Monument Valley’s Arianna Maimone.

All told, the Lady ’Cats tallied 59 points and placed 11th out of 23 scoring crews – led by Farmington (205.5), with Bloomfield (180), Farmington Piedra Vista (145), Kirtland Central (122.5) and Durango (105) filling out the top five.

COUNTY ACCOUNT

Prior to the Clash, Ignacio’s boys and girls wrestled in Bayfield the previous evening at the La Plata County Championships. IHS’ ladies lost 36-12 to Durango, but fared better against the hosting Lady Wolverines; Kodi Mae Rima pinned Delilah Zink at 130 pounds, Neil followed with a forfeit win, Prokopova pinned Ashlynn Bravo at 140, and Espinosa won by forfeit as Ignacio won 24-22.

The gents, meanwhile, lost 40-30 to Bayfield, though Aven Bourriague pinned Brody Zieske at 113 and Dillon Brann pinned Tyler Berry at 144. Zane Pontine (157 pounds), Brandon Blevins (165) and Phillip Velasquez (190) received forfeit wins.

Against Durango, the ’Cats led 9-6 early after Bourriague pinned Blaze Aguilar and Joshua Kerrigan edged Isiah Aguilar 9-7. The Demons, however, then claimed a forfeit followed by three pins in building a 30-9 advantage before Pontine – ranked No. 4 in 2A at 157 going in – pinned Dax Kunch in just 24 seconds.

Standing in for the injured Lincoln deKay (2A’s No. 1 at 165), Blevins then pinned Jaylem Wianuka 44 ticks into the third period and brought IHS back to 30-21, but DHS’ McKennon Ingle then defeated Moise Grognard by 11-1 major decision. Velasquez then stepped onto the mat as the dual’s last competitor and claimed six forfeit points, but Durango still ended up ahead 34-27.

Having beaten DHS 45-18, Bayfield ended up earning boys’ bragging rights; the Lady Demons’ 30-18 win over BHS locked up top billing on the girls’ side.

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