Nine matches were wrestled, but it wasn’t enough to separate the Bayfield and Durango High School wrestling teams.
The Durango High School Demons won on the scoreboard – 37-28 – thanks to four open weight classes for the Wolverines to only one for the Demons. In the nine matches completed, the two teams tied at 22 in the dual meet at Bayfield.
“When we can go up against Durango and have a score 22-22, I’m pleased with that,” BHS head coach Todd McMenimen said. “They’ve always got a good program over there and have several real tough wrestlers. We wrestled hard all night.”
The match of the night came at 126 pounds, where Bayfield’s Ryan Nava was able to squeeze out a 7-6 minor decision against Durango’s Hunter Hall. Nava had pinned Hall a week earlier at a tournament in Ignacio.
“That was a good rematch, and we knew it would be tougher (Friday),” McMenimen said. “Saturday, Ryan caught Hunter and pinned him. We knew it would be tougher, and it proved to be.”
McMenimen was happy to see that Nava wrestled hard through three periods. Nava missed a good portion of the season and is rounding into form for regionals and the state tournament.
“I was pleased to see his pace he continued with all the way to the end,” McMenimen said. “Conditioning is the one thing I’m worried about with him with the lack of wrestling he’s had going into regionals.”
Gurule said Hall had a chance to win the match and was proud of his effort.
“He was in the running for a win but came up a bit short. It was a really good match,” Gurule said.
Garrett Beebe picked up five points for BHS with a technical fall against Durango’s Cameron Jacobs.
Jake Sandrey followed suit with a technical fall win against Durango’s Tristan Martinez at 113 pounds.
Matthew Lavengood got the Demons on the board with a technical fall win against Bayfield’s Cody Speece. At 132 pounds, Durango’s Austin Counts won via pin against Lane Grimwood. Diego Martinez backed that up with a pin of his own against Jake Jensen for six more DHS points.
The Wolverines’ Colter McMenimen continued his stellar season with a technical fall win against Cole Gustavson.
Durango’s Henry Dorr picked up a technical fall win against Cash Snooks, but Bayfield’s Sam Westbrook won a heavyweight contest against Tony Vasquez with a pin for Bayfield.
DHS will return home to host the Southwestern League Championships at 9 a.m. Saturday, while the Wolverines are off until the regional tournament in Montrose next Saturday.
“We always like going against a lineup like Bayfield, but the league meet was definitely in the back of our minds,” Gurule said. “We can’t wait to get back home and get after it.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
