The Pagosa Springs High School Lady Pirate wrestling team hosted the first-ever Rocky Mountain Girls Invitational on Friday, Jan. 9, winning the inaugural tournament to kick off the new year.
“The new year marked a new era for the girls wrestling division, as Pagosa hosted its first Rocky Mountain Invitational Girls Tournament,” coach Dan Janowsky wrote in an email to The SUN. “The Pagosa girls showed their skills and wrestling knowledge throughout the day, taking first place in the team race out of a field of 8 teams.”
Snow accumulations barred several teams from making it to the tournament, but the show went on for the eight teams in attendance, Janowsky notes.
The Lady Pirates had three champions, three wrestlers placed second and one wrestler placed third. Overall, the Lady Pirates had 10 wrestlers place in the tournament.
Janowsky highlights that after the tournament several of the girls are getting recognition in the state’s On the Mat rankings.
Wrestling at 110 pounds, Madisen Stretton took first place after going 4-0, improving her season record to 13-2.
Stretton pinned her first three opponents to reach the first place match, the first after one minute and 37 seconds, the second after 1:22 and the third after 2:39. Stretton won the championship via a 19-2 technical fall after 4:48, scoring 17.5 team points.
Bella Jackson wrestled at 105 pounds and also took first place in her bracket after going 2-0.
Jackson received a bye in the first round, pinned her next opponent in 45 seconds and won her final match by a 9-0 major decision. Jackson scored 19 points for the Lady Pirates and is now 12-3 on the year.
Laykyn Baxstrom also placed first for the Lady Pirates while wrestling at 190 pounds.
Baxstrom placed first without having to wrestle, receiving a bye in both rounds. Baxstrom scored eight points for the Lady Pirates and remained undefeated at 12-0 on the season.
Kyley Matyniak placed second for the Lady Pirates and scored 12 points while wrestling at 130 pounds.
Matyniak won her first three matches of the day, the first by fall after 2:32, the second by fall after 3:28 and the third via a disqualification. Matyniak lost in the first-place match via a 9-5 decision. Matyniak’s 3-1 performance at the tournament moved her season record to 12-5.
Audrina Smith placed second for the Lady Pirates while wrestling at 135 pounds.
Smith won her first match, pinning her first opponent after 2:22, then she received a bye in the second round and was pinned in the third round after 1:54 to take second place. Smith scored 14 points for the Lady Pirates and is now 10-6 on the year.
Wrestling at 125 pounds, Corrina Galabota placed second for the Lady Pirates.
Galabota took an unusual route to her second-place finish, losing to the same opponent twice. She was pinned after 3:04 the first time and after 2:56 the second time.
Neveah Castaneda placed third for the Lady Pirates and scored seven points while wrestling at 115 pounds.
Castaneda was pinned by her first opponent after 3:45, but pinned her next two opponents, the first in 42 seconds and the second in 38 seconds. Castaneda then lost her final match by being pinned in 1:43.
While wrestling at 110 pounds, Carli Duncan placed fourth.
Duncan lost to her first opponent after being pinned in 1:17, was pinned by her second opponent after 3:26 and was pinned by Stretton after 2:39 in her third match. Duncan ended the tournament with a win, defeating her final opponent by pin after 1:08.
While wrestling at 115 pounds, MacKayla Beach placed fourth.
Beach won her first match via a 7-4 decision. She then subsequently lost her next three matches, the first by fall after 42 seconds, the second by fall after 1:41 and the third by fall after 23 seconds.
Kelsey Matyniak wrestled at 120 pounds and placed fifth for the Lady Pirates, scoring eight points.
She received a bye in the quarterfinal, then lost in the semifinal by fall after 1:34 and the consolation semifinal by fall after 49 seconds. She bounced back, though, winning the fifth-place match by a 20-10 major decision.
The Lady Pirates will head to Edwards to compete in the Queens of the Mountain tournament on Saturday, Jan. 17, at Battle Mountain High School, with action beginning at 9 a.m.
jsellner@orourkemediagroup.com
>