The Pagosa Springs High School Pirate wrestling team traveled to Grand Junction last week to compete in the annual Warrior Classic tournament held on Dec. 20 and 21 at Central Grand Junction High School.
The Pirates finished in the middle of the 56-team field, according to coach Dan Janowsky.
“We were towards the middle … a little bit below half,” he said.
Anthony Manzanares was the highest-placed Pirate for the second consecutive week, earning second place in the 106-pound weight class.
“He has really started to find himself,” Janowsky said, adding Manzanares has worked to stay in his current weight class.
Manzanares had a first-round bye and was able to pin his opponent in the second-round match in two minutes and 18 seconds. He then won his quarterfinal match by an 8-3 decision and went on to pin his opponent in the semifinal match in 1:50.
“He put in a lot of work this weekend, on and off the mat, to make that happen, ‘cause it’s something he really wants,” Janowsky added, explaining that Manzanares is currently the No. 3 ranked wrestler for the 106-pound weight class in the state.
Janowsky mentioned that Manzanares matched up against the second-ranked wrestler in the state at the tournament and “had quite a tussle.”
Manzanares lost the first-place match by a decision of 4-1.
Janowsky explained that Manzanares missed a few opportunities toward the end of the second and third periods to earn points “that could’ve gone our way and changed the whole thing.”
He added that Manzanares has been working hard on diversifying his attacks “and you can tell … he puts his whole heart into it every time.”
Janowsky also spoke about Colton Lucero’s performance over the weekend, noting that Lucero made it to the semifinal match in the 150-pound weight class.
Lucero pinned his first two opponents, the first in 39 seconds and the second in 4:42. He then won his quarterfinal match by a decision of 7-5.
Lucero lost his semifinal match after getting pinned in 3:13, sending him to the consolation semifinals.
Janowsky explained that Lucero forfeited the semifinal match due to an injury.
“We’re just being cautious,” Janowsky said, explaining there is still a lot of wrestling left in the season.
“We need to get it evaluated before we throw him back out there,” Janowsky added, noting that otherwise Lucero had another quality outing.
“There’s a lot of really good wrestlers” in the 150-pound weight class, Janowsky explained, adding, “He’s one of them.
Janowsky went on to mention that Taylor Hancey was absent due to illness as the Pirates did not fill the 165-pound weight class.
Janowsky added that he is confident Hancey would have been able to earn points for the Pirates.
Eric Smith competed in the 120-pound weight class, losing his opening-round match by an 18-9 major decision. He was then pinned in his second round match in 33 seconds.
Stetson Osborn wrestled in the 132-pound weight class, losing his opening-round and second-round matches by getting pinned in 1:15 and 2:43, respectively.
Devin Gonzales competed in the 157-pound weight class and was pinned in his first-round match in 2:49. He then lost his second-round match by getting pinned in 1:07.
Jesus Serratos competed in the 215-pound weight class and lost his opening-round match by getting pinned in 44 seconds. He then received a second-round bye and went on to lose his third-round match by pin in 1:34.
Antonio Quezada received a first-round bye in the 285-pound weight class, and was pinned in his second-round match in 1:02.
Quezada then lost his third-round match by pin in 52 seconds.
Janowsky explained that Quezada is wrestling underweight and is closer to the 230-pound weight, adding that Quezada is “fighting hard against guys that are clearly bigger than him.”
Janowsky explained that the Pirates were able to score points and win certain stretches of matches, but that the focus now is learning how to feel and wrestle out of danger.
“I’m not in the least bit disappointed,” Janowsky said, noting that it’s tough for the Pirates to have to deal with losing, “but from a coaching stand point, what they’re trying to do and what we’re learning is gonna take some time.”
Janowsky added that this year’s roster has some inexperience at varsity level and that they were “thrown into a really, really tough tournament.”
He also mentioned that, due to the size of the tournament, there were other wrestlers sent to a junior varsity tournament.
“I want them to learn how to score points,” Janowsky said, explaining that the wrestlers are not afraid of a challenge.
“We’ll put together a more solid lineup here down the stretch hopefully,” he added.
The Pirates will not be back in action until after the new year starts, when they will host the Rocky Mountain Duals and Rocky Mountain Invite on Jan. 10 and 11, 2025, at Pagosa Springs High School.
clayton@pagosasun.com
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