IHS girls fifth at North Fork regional
When boys’ basketball head coach Trae Seibel, amongst others, advocated for the return of the numerous red and/or white tapestries commemorating titles of various degrees in all sports to IHS Gymnasium’s ceiling, he didn’t get to see all the originals ultimately re-hung over the hardwood floor.
Three of those redesigned, however, detail IHS Wrestling’s placers at State Championships past.
And senior Larissa Espinosa can this year become the first Lady Bobcat to have her name up three times – after clinching yet another State berth by winning the 235-pound division at the Class 4A-Region III Championships, February 13-14 at North Fork High School in Hotchkiss.
Espinosa needed just 1:01 to subdue Olathe’s Zayla Lawrence and earn the title – helping Ignacio’s girls more than hold their own and post a fifth-place score of 94 points. OHS, however, piled up a winning 155, with Meeker (114), NFHS (108.5) and Alamosa (97.5) also finishing above the Lady Bobcats in the meet’s 19-team standings.
IHS’ Krysten Neil continued adding to her own memorable senior season and will also next travel to Ball Arena in Denver for the February 19-21 grand finale after earning the regional’s 135-pound crown. After receiving a first-round bye she then pinned AHS’ Adrianna Griego 53 seconds into the second period, defeated Gunnison’s McKayla Singer by 11-2 major decision and ultimately pinned Gypsum Eagle Valley’s Julia Borejszo – who’d led 3-2 on the scoreboard – with ten ticks left in the first period.
Competing at 125, junior Lainee Bradley reserved herself a State spot by going 2-1 and placing second to Olathe’s Nevaeh Cortez – who’d led 7-0 before pinning Bradley 1:35 into the finale’s second period. Freshman Ireland Cates, however, surprised Ignacio’s staff most by securing fourth place – and thus a State berth – at 140.
Following a first-round forfeit win over OHS’ Tairyn Lowenberg, Cates then lost to EVHS’ Nora Abbott via second-period pin (rather than via technical fall; Abbott was leading 14-0 at the time) but then recomposed herself to not only go up 3-0 on North Fork’s Danika Queen, but pin Queen in an elapsed 2:39 and take the most important bout to date in her young IHS career.
Two more Lady ’Cats nearly qualified for State, but both Kodi Mae Rima and Eliska Prokopova ended up placing fifth in their respective divisions.
Foreign-exchange student-athlete Prokopova actually won her final actual bout in an Ignacio singlet, defeating NFHS’ Kenleigh Keller 12-8 at 145, but upcoming opponent Ellie Ford of Meeker, who’d pinned Prokopova in the weight’s opening round, was then awarded a no-contest victory with fourth place at stake – leaving Prokopova with, effectively, a 2-3 tourney record.
In the mix at 130 pounds, Rima’s first IHS Girls’ Wrestling winter ended in much the same manner; she overcame a one-point deficit against Olathe’s Azure Wallace to pin the Lady Pirate in an elapsed 3:46 and improve her Region III record to 2-2 before a no-contest loss to Gunnison’s Tea Waggoner – who’d pinned Rima in the second period of Rima’s previous bout – left Rima on the proverbial outside looking in.