Dolores entered Thursday’s San Juan Basin League Championships with seven wrestlers in first-place bouts, giving the Bears a strong chance to claim the 2026 boys team title. The Bears’ collective luck, however, did not hold.
Norwood’s Kannon Sherman pinned Daniel Jacket 34 seconds into the third period of the 215-pound final, giving the Mavericks a decisive lead. Norwood had led Dolores 43 to 42.5 entering the final two weights, and Sherman’s pin earned six team points plus 1.5 bonus points. Heavyweight Uriah Cook then went unopposed, adding six more and pushing Norwood’s margin to 56.5-46.5 after Jacket’s four runner-up points were included.
Ignacio (44.5) nearly helped Dolores at 175 pounds, but Brandon Blevins fell 8-5 to Norwood’s Colton Kepley. With Ignacio’s Moise Grognard set to win by default at 190, a Blevins victory would have put Dolores briefly in front before Jacket and Sherman met in a matchup that would decide the title.
Dolores still earned two championships. At 120 pounds, Adam Hicks pinned Nucla’s Jace Bonacquista 31 seconds into the third period. At 132, Kenji Edwards pinned Mancos’ Tegan Mestas in the second.
Four more Bears reached finals and finished second. Mason Hill (138) lost 11-7 to Dove Creek’s Cael Beanland. Nathan Hill (144) lost a 6-1 lead before being pinned 52 seconds into the third by Ignacio’s Dillon Brann. Marshall Wickstrom (150) was pinned at 1:35 of the second by Norwood’s Jackson Dinsmore. River Wickstrom (157) was pinned 53 seconds into the second by Ignacio’s Zane Pontine, who recorded his 75th varsity pin.
Dove Creek (20.5 points) placed fourth with two champions. At 106, Keaton Banks pinned Norwood’s Mace Harris 43 seconds into the second period, and at 126, Conner Horn-Beanland defeated Ignacio’s Joshua Kerrigan.
Mancos (10.5) had one finalist in Mestas and added three third-place finishes. At 120, Traycer White pinned Norwood’s Weston Elwood at 1:42 of the first. At 165, Levi Gardner pinned Dolores’ Tyler Quintana 32 seconds into the first. At 157, Jonah Ritter finished unopposed.
Dolores added three more third-place efforts. J.J. Robson (106), Tanner Trammel (113, unopposed) and Kale Gates (175) all placed, with Gates earning a 16-1 technical fall over Dove Creek’s Josh Kibel. Taylor Carignan (126) finished fourth. Mancos’ Brady Barger also placed fourth after being pinned by Robson 45 seconds into the tournament’s opening match.
Nucla, competing without injured standout Jackson McCabe, scored five points and placed sixth.
Only four girls bouts were contested. Ignacio won three, with 125-pounder Lainee Bradley earning two pins and 130-pounder Kodi Mae Rima pinning Nucla’s Cooper Andrews in 59 seconds. No Montezuma or Dolores County teams fielded girls competitors.
SJBL boys qualifiers will travel to Cedaredge for the Class 2A Region I Championships on Feb. 13-14. The league’s girls will compete the same days in Hotchkiss at the 4A Region III tournament.
