Boys’ senior core qualifies in Cedaredge
A weekend in Delta County couldn’t really have gone too much more efficiently for IHS Boys’ Wrestling.
And after all the ‘blood rounds’ at the Cedaredge-hosted Class 2A-Region I Championships played out Saturday afternoon, Feb. 14, an impressive five of six entered individuals had earned the right to represent Ignacio at the 2026 CHSAA State Championships – to be held February 19-21 in Denver at Ball Arena.
“It went great for us,” head coach Jordan Larsen said. “We had a good couple days.”
Senior Lincoln deKay continued his push for a State crown by placing first at 165 pounds. He first dominated Wray’s Osmany Roman by 15-0 technical fall in the bout’s opening two-minute period, then did likewise to Meeker’s Orion Musser in an elapsed 3:44 before clinching the tourney title with a 7-0 victory over WGHS’ Walker Howell.
IHS senior Aven Bourriague established himself as a serious State contender by going 3-0 at 113. Wray’s Isayah Rivera stood no chance and lost via 15-0 tech in just 1:58, and Hayden’s Israel Perez lost via 8-0 major decision before Bourriague completed his first-place work defeating Cedaredge’s Jared Roberts 11-6.
Senior Zane Pontine will also rep Ignacio one last time at State; though denied first place at 157 pounds by WGHS’ Landon Lockhart, who prevailed 11-6, Pontine still went 3-1 in Cedaredge with a first-round 17-0 tech of Olathe’s Bridger Vincent, then first-period pins of Oak Creek Soroco’s Ryder Smith and Hayden’s Noah Weber.
Additionally, senior Joshua Kerrigan will head to the Mile High City after finishing second at 126. Pinned 26 ticks into the second period by CHS’ Liam Martin in the weight’s finale, Kerrigan ended up 3-1 including a 51-second pin of initial opponent Ethan Noll of Hayden, plus a 7-4 triumph over semifinal foe and San Juan Basin League rival Conner Horn-Beanland (who’d beaten Kerrigan on the 5th at the Nucla-hosted 2026 SJBL Championships) of Dove Creek.
Bobcat senior Dillon Brann also will be making the trip after placing fourth at 144 pounds. Able to tech Cedaredge’s Blake Ryan 22-7 in first-round action, Brann then lost 17-12 to SJBL nemesis Nathan Hill – whom he’d defeated for the first time ever at the SJBLs – of Dolores, but then managed to pin West Grand’s Luke Hickam early in the third period after gaining a 16-14 lead.
But after falling behind 3-0 to Hayden’s Danek DeMorat, Brann was pinned at the one-minute mark. Slated to next face, as luck would have it, Ryan, Brann’s season was prolonged via a no-contest result.
In fact, only young Emmanuel Lucero was unable to qualify for State; competing at 132 pounds, he went 0-2 with both losses coming via first-period pin against SJBL familiars Jackson McCabe of Nucla and Tegan Mestas of Mancos.
All told, Ignacio – which entered the event still ranked No. 7 in 2A – scored 109.5 points and, by half a point over Hayden, ultimately stood sixth out of 15 attending teams. Top-ranked Cedaredge, to no surprise, topped the table with 205, while No. 10 Wray racked up a second-place 177. Third-ranked Meeker tallied 163 and came in third, with SJBL kings Norwood (159) fourth and Kremmling West Grand (138) fifth in the standings.
2026 SJBL CHAMPIONSHIPS (2/5), BOYS’ TEAM STANDINGS
- Norwood 56.5, 2.Dolores 46.5, 3. IGNACIO 44.5, 4. Dove Creek 20.5, 5. Mancos 10.5, 6. Nucla 5.
CHAMPIONS: 106 – Keaton Banks, Dove Creek; 113 – AVEN BOURRIAGUE, IGNACIO; 120 – Adam Hicks, Dolores; 126 – Conner Horn-Beanland, Dove Creek; 132 – Kenji Edwards, Dolores; 138 – Cael Beanland, Dove Creek; 144 – DILLON BRANN, IGNACIO; 150 – Jackson Dinsmore, Norwood; 157 – ZANE PONTINE, IGNACIO; 165 – LINCOLN DEKAY, IGNACIO; 175 – Colton Kepley, Norwood; 190 – MOISE GROGNARD, IGNACIO; 215 – Kannon Sherman, Norwood; 285 – Uriah Cook, Norwood.