Four wrestlers on the Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirate wrestling team qualified for the state tournament at the 4A Region 3 tournament last weekend as the team placed eighth.
Bella Jackson, Madisen Stretton, Kyley Matyniak and Laykyn Baxstrom all placed in the top four individually in Hotchkiss on Saturday, Feb. 14, punching their tickets to the state tournament in Denver this week.
Baxstrom and Matyniak both dominated on their way to individual championships in their brackets, stated coach Dan Janowsky.
“[Laykyn] has a really good skill set and a really good mentality and she dominated and won her second regional title,” Janowsky said. “Kyley, we’re excited about her, she stepped up and won a regional title. She’s really starting to feel her confidence and her growth in her skill set and she had a great tournament, and to have two regional champions is really a big plus for us.”
Baxstrom wrestled at 190 pounds for the Lady Pirates. She pinned her first opponent after one minute and four seconds, and her second opponent after 3:17.
Baxstrom finished the regular season with a 25-1 record.
Matyniak wrestled at 130 pounds for the Lady Pirates. She pinned her first opponent after 1:22, her second opponent after 4:42 and won the first-place match by a 8-1 decision.
Matyniak owns a 30-11 record heading into the state tournament.
Both Jackson and Stretton lost matches early in the tournament but were able to fight back and place in the top four in order to qualify.
“They met the challenge and it was tough going for them to overcome that disappointment in the semifinals and come back and secure their spots, but they were able to do that, so that’s a lot of growth for them as well,” Janowsky said.
Jackson placed fourth while wrestling at 105 pounds.
She received a bye in the first round, then won by a 22-6 technical fall, but lost in the semifinal after being pinned after 5:12. She won her next match by a 12-4 major decision, but lost again by fall after 4:06 in the third-place match. She was able to claim her spot in the state tournament with a 17-2 technical fall win in the fourth-place match.
Jackson holds a 25-10 record heading into the state tournament.
Stretton placed third for the Pirates while wrestling at 110 pounds.
She pinned her first opponent after 3:58, but lost in the semifinal by fall after 5:20. She bounced back, winning her next match by fall after 4:08 and taking third place after winning her final match by a 17-1 technical fall.
Stretton heads into the state tournament with a 32-7 record.
Four Lady Pirates competed in the tournament but did not qualify for the state tournament.
Corrina Galabota wrestled at 125 pounds and finished sixth.
She lost her first match by fall after 1:26, but won her next match by a 9-1 major decision. Galabota lost her next match in the consolation semifinal by fall after 2:11 and lost the fifth-place match by a 17-2 technical fall.
She finished the season with a 15-18 record.
Neveah Castaneda wrestled at 115 pounds. She received a bye in the first round and lost by fall after 3:05 in her first match. She then received a bye in the second round of the consolation bracket and lost her next match by a 17-6 major decision.
Castaneda finished the season 11-16.
Kelsey Matyniak wrestled at 120 pounds. She lost her first match by fall after 48 seconds, received a bye in the first round of the consolation bracket and lost her next match by fall after 1:58.
Kelsey Matyniak finished the season with a 7-27 record.
Audrina Smith wrestled at 135 pounds. She lost her first match by fall after 1:47, received a bye and lost her next match of the tournament by fall after 2:39.
Smith finished the season with a 13-24 record.
Janowsky emphasized that after the tournament, those who did not qualify were still able to appreciate the season and how far they’ve come and how much they’ve grown.
“I think wrestling in particular gives you experiences that really challenge you and teach you how to find your best self and move on after disappointments and move on after successes,” said Janowsky.
The four Pirate qualifiers traveled to Denver on Wednesday, Feb. 18, for the state tournament, which will go from Thursday to Saturday, Feb. 19-21, at Ball Arena.
jsellner@orourkemediagroup.com
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