The Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirate wrestling team placed third for the second week in a row while competing at the Rob Mickel Invitational in Salida on Saturday, Dec. 13.
The Lady Pirates also saw strong individual performances, with five wrestlers medaling on Saturday.
“The hard work put in by all the girls is evident in the technical skills they demonstrate,” coach Dan Janowsky wrote in an email to The SUN.
The Lady Pirates’ four state qualifiers from last year led the way for the team at the tournament with 11 wins and four medals between them.
Laykyn Baxstrom took first place in the 190-pound bracket,earning 20 team points. She won all her matches in dominant fashion, pinning her first opponent after one minute and 39 seconds, her second opponent after 1:11 and her third opponent after 1:24 to take first place — Baxstrom’s second gold of the season.
Bella Jackson took second place in the 105-pound bracket for the Lady Pirates, earning 17 points for the team. She won her first match by a major decision score of 26-16, pinned her next two opponents, lost her fourth match and bounced back to win her final match by a decision score of 13-7.
Madisen Stretton placed second while wrestling at 110 pounds for the Lady Pirates. After receiving a bye in the first round, she won her second match in convincing style with a 16-0 technical fall after 4:22 to make it to the championship. Stretton lost in the first-place match, but still earned her team 17.5 points with her second-place finish.
Kyley Matyniak, the last of the four state qualifiers from last year, took third place while wrestling at 130 pounds for the Lady Pirates. She started the day off with a loss, but rebounded and won her next three matches. The first win came by a technical fall score of 18-0 after 3:40, the second by pinning her opponent after 1:41 and the third by pinning her opponent after 37 seconds. Matyniak lost her last match, but still took home the bronze and scored 14.5 points for the Lady Pirates.
Audrina Smith took a big jump, placing second in the 140-pound weight class for the Lady Pirates. This was her second straight week medaling after medaling for the first time last week.
Smith won her first four matches by pinning all four of her opponents. She lost in the first-place match, but still took silver and scored 20 points for the Lady Pirates.
Kelsey Matyniak wrestled at 120 pounds and placed sixth, earning six team points. She won her first match by a 16-8 major decision and subsequently lost the next three.
Corrina Galabota placed sixth while wrestling at 125 pounds, pinning her first opponent after 1:25 then losing her to her next three opponents. She earned seven points for the team.
Carli Duncton wrestled at 110 pounds and was pinned by all three of her opponents.
Neveah Castaneda wrestled at 115 pounds, winning her first match by a technical fall and losing the next two. She earned 3.5 points for the team.
Mikayla Beach also wrestled at 115 pounds, losing in the first match by a technical fall and getting pinned in her second match.
The Lady Pirates will travel to Grand Junction for the Warrior Classic this weekend, with action beginning at 9 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 20.
Janowsky notes that the tournament will be a big test for the girls.
This is the last tournament the Lady Pirates will compete in before the winter break.
“This tournament has a large field of Western Slope teams we will face at our regional and state tournaments along with strong programs from Utah, Wyoming, New Mexico, Arizona,” wrote Janowsky. “A great tournament for finding out where you are and what you need to work on.”
jsellner@orourkemediagroup.com
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