{"id":48919,"date":"2021-01-29T15:03:59","date_gmt":"2021-01-29T22:03:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/two-points-separate-bayfield-montezuma-cortez-at-alamosa-owned-tri-meet\/"},"modified":"2021-01-29T22:03:59","modified_gmt":"2021-01-29T22:03:59","slug":"two-points-separate-bayfield-montezuma-cortez-at-alamosa-owned-tri-meet","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/two-points-separate-bayfield-montezuma-cortez-at-alamosa-owned-tri-meet\/","title":{"rendered":"Two points separate Bayfield, Montezuma-Cortez at Alamosa-owned tri-meet"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"Bayfield
Bayfield 160-pounder Kobe Prior scores a second-period pin of Alamosa\u2019s Dante Gonzales during the Wolverines season-opening dual Thursday inside BHS Gymnasium. A state qualifier at the weight last season, Prior would also begin his COVID-abbreviated season picking up a forfeit win against Montezuma-Cortez.<\/span>Joel Priest\/Special to the Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

BAYFIELD \u2013 Gifting the opponents 18 forfeit points while receiving only one-third as many in return during the dual-deciding upper weights ending Thursday\u2019s season-opening 3A\/2A Intermountain League triangular, Montezuma-Cortez head wrestling coach Shad Bellmire knew his crew may have been just one cog from conquest.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe had some mistakes and stuff that you\u2019re going to have,\u201d he said inside a nearly-empty Bayfield High School gymnasium following a 30-28 loss to the meet-hosting Wolverines (whom his Panthers briefly aided in rolling up sections of the mat after Alamosa had already departed, having handled M-CHS 58-12 and BHS 54-20), \u201cbut we\u2019ve got it going.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were missing Abeyta today,\u201d Bellmire noted, referring to 2020 Class 3A State Championships-qualifying 145-pounder Anthony Abeyta, now a senior, \u201cand he\u2019s a horse for us, but it\u2019s given us a target of what we\u2019ve got to go at. I mean, it\u2019s going to be a short season, there\u2019s things we can improve on, so we\u2019ve just got to get back to the drawing board and get at it!\u201d<\/p>\n

M-CHS wrestler Austin Featherman, who rallied out of a 4-0 hole in the first period to earn a second-period pin victory against Bayfield\u2019s James Mars at 138 pounds to give the Panthers a 22-6 lead at the time, said Thursday\u2019s meet was about knocking off rust.<\/p>\n

\"Montezuma-Cortez
Montezuma-Cortez 138-pounder Austin Featherman goes for the pin against Bayfield&#x2019;s James Mars during season-opening action Thursday inside BHS Gymnasium. A state qualifier last year, Featherman would also pin Alamosa&#x2019;s Isaiah Avila at the 3A\/2A triangular for a 2-for-2 start to his COVID-abbreviated senior season.<\/span>Joel Priest\/Special to the Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cHaven\u2019t been able to get back into it for a long time having this COVID and everything,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s weird having a season this short and everything, so we\u2019re just adjusting and trying to make the most of it.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mars jumped up in weight to meet Featherman and was ready for the challenge.<\/p>\n

\u201cFeatherman\u2019s so stinking strong on top that if you get caught underneath him and go to your back it\u2019s tough to fight out of that,\u201d Wolverine coach Todd McMenimen said. \u201cBut James wanted that match; I\u2019m glad to see him jump up and do that. James wanted to bump up a weight to wrestle him \u2013 there\u2019s a little bit of history \u2013 and looked really good that first period.\u201d<\/p>\n

Though there were no spectators for the host Bayfield Wolverines and their proud wrestling program, 145-pounder Dylan Pickering, who racked up a 14-0 lead before earning a pin victory against the Panthers\u2019 Wes Atcitty just 10 seconds into the second period, said he just happy to be back on the mat doing what he loves.<\/p>\n

\u201cDylan\u2019s really expanded his arsenal in the wrestling room; he\u2019s not just a one-shot-tilt guy and that\u2019s it,\u201d McMenimen said. \u201cThat last match, he used the tilt a bunch, but he\u2019s actually learned to use a lot of other things to help set up his tilt.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019ve got to have more in your bag than just one thing.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"Bayfield
Bayfield 145-pounder Dylan Pickering utilized his tilt maneuver well against Montezuma-Cortez&#x2019;s Wes Atcitty during Thursday&#x2019;s season-opening action inside BHS Gymnasium. Pickering would win by second-period pin, after having notched a technical-fall win against Alamosa&#x2014;giving him a 2-for-2 start to his COVID-abbreviated senior season.<\/span>Joel Priest\/Special to the Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

Deegan Barnes (152) and Kobe Prior (160) followed Pickering with forfeit wins, putting Bayfield up 24-22 before M-CHS\u2019 Hunter Goodall claimed six free points at 182 following an uncontested 170-pound division. Neither team sent out an entrant at either 195 or 220 pounds, and the Wolverines quietly nabbed the win with newcomer Jordan Sands stepping out unopposed at heavyweight.<\/p>\n

Avery Mitzlaff also booked a forfeit win for BHS at 113 pounds, but early on Montezuma-Cortez had it going on.<\/p>\n

Kael Buffington defeated young Keaton Pickering at 106 by 15-6 major decision, and after the 120-pound division passed by uncontested, Panther Ryan Pipkin, a near-miss state hopeful at 120 last winter, pinned Wolverine rookie Daxson Michaeli 1:06 into the second period at 126 pounds.<\/p>\n

\"Montezuma-Cortez
Montezuma-Cortez 126-pounder Ryan Pipkin works to stay balanced while inverted against Alamosa&#x2019;s Brandon Reveles during season-opening action Thursday inside Bayfield H.S. Gymnasium. Pipkin endured into the third period, but Reveles, a state qualifier last season, would prevail by pin.<\/span>Joel Priest\/Special to the Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

M-CHS\u2019 Jayven Valdez then went up 4-1 on Bayfield\u2019s Hunter Anderson after one period at 132 and polished off a pin with only one second remaining in the second to put M-CHS up 16-6 with Featherman eager to finish the tri 2-for-2, as he\u2019d already pinned Alamosa\u2019s Isaiah Avila 1:22 into the second period, booking M-CHS\u2019 first points against the Mean Moose.<\/p>\n

\u201cPersonally, I\u2019ve still got a lot to work on,\u201d said Featherman. \u201cEspecially with the season being so fast, I need to start off well, get those seeding points for regionals and be able to make it back to state; come home with some hardware this year.\u201d<\/p>\n

Pickering had also fared well against Alamosa, ranked No. 7 in On The Mat\u2019s preseason 3A poll, with a 15-0 tech fall of Kodiak Rockcastle in an elapsed 2:58.<\/p>\n

\u201cI felt great, just doing what I love,\u201d the elder Pickering said. \u201cWhenever you\u2019re wrestling, you just get into the moment, and it\u2019s like nothing else even exists. That\u2019s pretty much how it went.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mars hung on to secure a 9-6 win over Trevor Maestas at 132, getting Bayfield on the scoreboard after Alamosa authoritatively piled up 24 unanswered points out of the gate. Barnes would follow Pickering\u2019s triumph by receiving a forfeit at 152, and Prior pinned Dante Gonzales 1:53 into the second period at 160 to bring BHS back to as close as 30-20 before three upper-weight vacancies and a James Sanchez second-period stick of Sands sewed up the opening dual.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll definitely work on bottom and try to score points from there; we didn\u2019t see a whole lot of that tonight,\u201d Prior said. \u201cBut the night was fun. I\u2019ve been stuck wrestling these same (teammates in practice) and there\u2019s nothing wrong with that, but competition\u2019s just different when it\u2019s against someone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Goodall, a freshman, recorded the Panthers\u2019 only other success against Alamosa, constructing a 7-0 lead through two minutes at 195 pounds and then pinning Benjie Tomas 0:28 into the second period.<\/p>\n

\u201cHunter\u2019s a big kid. Still learning stuff coming up from junior-high, so I think he\u2019ll be someone to reckon with definitely down the road if he sticks with the program,\u201d said Bellmire. \u201cHe\u2019d be a beast by the time he\u2019s a senior, I\u2019m hoping.\u201d<\/p>\n

Or by this Saturday if possible; the Panthers will need all they can muster.<\/p>\n

Slated to travel Jan. 30 to Pagosa Springs, M-CHS will next square off against both the powerhouse Pirates \u2013 ranked No. 1 in the aforementioned 3A poll \u2013 and Centauri (No. 2 in 2A) in an IML tri starting at 10 a.m.<\/p>\n

\"Montezuma-Cortez&#x2019;s
Montezuma-Cortez&#x2019;s Hunter Goodall goes for a pin of Alamosa&#x2019;s Benjie Tomas during season-opening action Thursday inside Bayfield Gymnasium. Goodall would stick Tomas at 195 pounds, and also earn a forfeit win against BHS at 182.<\/span>Joel Priest\/Special to the Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cYeah, we\u2019re taking a big shot right here at the beginning, starting off hard,\u201d Featherman said about facing Alamosa, Pagosa Springs and Centauri plus BHS within three calendar days. \u201cBut you\u2019ve got to wrestle them at some point.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got a tough region, so us coaches have got our drawing boards out for sure,\u201d said Bellmire. \u201cJust the top two (individuals per weight at regionals) go to state, so we\u2019ve got to get to the grindstone and do all we can, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n

Bayfield is also scheduled for action on Jan. 30 with a trip to Dove Creek against the 2A Bulldogs on deck.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve officially been in the room for a week and a half now,\u201d said McMenimen. \u201cWe\u2019re still trying to figure stuff out, got some young ones, and we just finished weight certifications yesterday. We\u2019re still in a big learning curve, but to finally get out on the mat and wrestle true matches that matter and not just beat up on each other in the room is really good to see.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe sit in the middle of the toughest region in 3A this year. We need to figure out how to wrestle with those kind of guys, and that started today.\u201d<\/p>\n

WHERE IS EVERYBODY:<\/em> The Wolverines and Panthers couldn\u2019t help but notice the venue was, save for meet-day personnel, more or less a void because of ongoing COVID-19 precautions. However, nobody really seemed to ponder the emptiness.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I\u2019m on the mat, I feel like there\u2019s no one in the stands either way,\u201d said Prior, another returning state qualifier for BHS. \u201cThat\u2019s my coping mechanism, I guess.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd through headgear, you can\u2019t hear anything anyways,\u201d joked Pickering.<\/p>\n

WELCOME TO THE SHOW:<\/em> McMenimen could only grin when discussing Michaeli\u2019s varsity debut. Not really because of the result (he lost by pin 0:45 into the first period), but the sheer luck of his draw: Alamosa\u2019s Davion Chavez.<\/p>\n

\"Bayfield
Bayfield 113-pounder Avery Mitzlaff prepares to check in for a bout Thursday inside BHS Gymnasium. The Wolverines hosted both Alamosa and Montezuma-Cortez in 3A\/2A Intermountain League action.<\/span>Joel Priest\/Special to the Herald<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

\u201cPoor Daxson. First-ever high-school match and it was like, \u2018Here you go! Throwing you into the fire!\u2019\u201d said McMenimen, alluding to Chavez\u2019s state runner-up finish last season at 113 pounds. \u201cDidn\u2019t tell him beforehand that\u2019s what he was up against, but I let him know afterwards,\u2018Don\u2019t drop your head, don\u2019t get worried about it; that was a big learning experience right there.\u2019 Freshmen at this level, they\u2019re going to have to go through some of that.\u201d<\/p>\n

SCHEDULE UPDATE:<\/em> The Wolverines\u2019 Feb. 2 dual at 2A Mancos \u2013 the third event on BHS\u2019 abbreviated 2020-21 schedule \u2013 has been temporarily scrubbed.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re going to have to postpone that one to another date,\u201d said McMenimen. \u201cI don\u2019t know for sure when, but we\u2019re going to try to catch that one a little later in the season.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Wolverines, Panthers relieved to see action<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":48920,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[1871,36,29,427,346],"naviga_topic":[],"class_list":["post-48919","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","tag-bayfield-high-school","tag-montezuma-cortez-high-school","tag-newsletter","tag-prep-sports","tag-sports"],"acf":[],"author_name":"dh_admin","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48919","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=48919"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/48919\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/48920"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=48919"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=48919"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=48919"},{"taxonomy":"naviga_topic","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/naviga_topic?post=48919"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}