A year after a reduced qualifying field kept a handful of Bluejays from making debuts at the state tournament, a motivated group of Mancos wrestlers broke through to earn their deserved spots in the 2A state championships with top-four performances in their Region 1 qualifying tournament this weekend in Buena Vista.
Eclipsing last year’s four-man contingent, six Bluejays will be out in full force on the Ball Arena floor in Denver during the championships Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 17-19. A pair of Jays, sophomores Levi Martin and Dillon Eichner, will make return visits – Martin to defend his state title status, and Eichner looking to land on the podium for a second consecutive year.
Martin, however, has had to achieve this feat at a different weight division than the one in which he dominated during his freshman season.
Martin (35-4) moved up from 113 to 126, but has continued his winning ways. The sophomore began his regional path with precise attacks to down the host school’s Nolan Verrier in the semifinals, before pinning North Fork’s Charlie Miller in the title match at 4:38.
Martin was ranked throughout the season by Tim Yount’s On the Mat, and will head to Denver as one of the most feared wrestlers in 2A.
Eichner made his reign over the 106 division look easy, taking less than a period to pick up all three of his pins en route to a regional title. His victory over Chase Preston in the championship match took less than 75 seconds, as Eichner improved to 31-8 on the season. He hope to finish higher than his fourth-place performance in 2021.
Four other Bluejays will make their maiden voyages in the state tournament – led by regional runners-up Lane Greenlee at 195 and Cole Dainty-Guilfoyle at 170. Greenlee (29-14) blitzed his way through the early qualification rounds, topping Arthur Connelly of Nucla in the semifinal to book his spot in the state tournament. Hayden’s Israel Santos toppled Greenlee (28-14) in a hard-fought final, but Greenlee will make his first trip to the state championship.
Dainty-Guilfoyle also enjoyed a strong run through the quarterfinal and semifinal rounds, defeating Justin Mattison of North Fork in the semi with a pin at 3:35. Cody Hawn of Hayden outscored the Bluejay in the final, 4-2, but not before Dainty-Guilfoyle (33-14) had seal a spot in the championships.
Isaiah Martinez had a longer route at 113 pounds but overcame a loss in the semifinal to work his way back into contention through the consolation bracket. Martinez (35-8) scored back-to-back pins over Aydan Christian of Rangely and Hayden’s Joe Harris to punch his ticket and claim third in the region.
Mancos junior Ayden Mathews rounded out the list of Bluejay qualifiers, taking fourth at 160. Like Martinez, Mathews (38-10) dropped his semifinal match, then battled through the consolation bracket with wins over Emmit Houston of North Park and Alex Black of Rangely to take the final qualifying spot.
Trevor Paquin and Brandon Vannest took home fifth-place finishes in the region for the Jays, helping Mancos score 159 team points and earn a fourth-place finish behind host Buena Vista (218), Hayden (193.5) and North Fork (176).
Dolores wrestlers Braden Schmittel (152) and Gabe Allred (182) wrapped up their seasons with valiant performances at the same competition, each claiming sixth place in their respective divisions. The Bears finished 15th as a team with 16 points.
Meanwhile, a trio of Dove Creek wrestlers competed in Buena Vista, with Frankey Montoya (182) and Dustin Glover (132) earning 1-2 records in the meet, but finishing off the podium.
In the 3A Region 1 tournament in Gunnison, Montezuma-Cortez sent four wrestlers, with Ryan Pipkin (132) posting a 1-2 record to headline the Panthers.
The state championships will return to Denver at Ball Arena, after a brief hiatus in Pueblo last year, Each weight division will have 16 competitors – four from each regional – who will compete over the three-day tournament, ending with title bouts Saturday, Feb 19.
