One second can change everything at the state wrestling tournament.
With a 5-4 lead in the final moments of a semifinal match at the first-ever Colorado High School Activities Association Girls Wrestling State Championships, Durango senior Samantha Vasquez saw her title hopes taken down when Platte Valley’s Navea Garcia, the eventual state champion, brought her to the mat with one second to go in the third period to claim a 6-5 victory and advance to the 161-pound championship match.
Vasquez, who entered the semifinals undefeated at 12-0 and as the top seed in the bracket, was sent into the consolation semifinals with the chance to place no higher than third.
Still stunned from the semifinal result, Vasquez then lost again, this time when she was pinned 56 seconds into the second period by Bennett’s Alissa Dubois, and that sent Vasquez to the fifth-place match for her last chance to place at her final high school wrestling meet.
In a rematch against her quarterfinal opponent, Kim Carlin of Loveland, Vasquez would rebound with a second-period pin victory to place fifth. She became the first Durango High School girls wrestler to place at an official CHSAA girls wrestling state tournament.
“It meant a lot to me, being my senior year, to be part of the first-ever sanctioned CHSAA state tournament, making that history,” Vasquez said. “Hopefully, we will get more girls in Durango out to wrestle and be part of forming a strong group in the Four Corners.”
Vasquez (13-2) opened the tournament in impressive style, as it took her only 1 minute, 28 seconds to pin Carlin in the quarterfinals. After a quick takedown, Vasquez pinned Carlin only six seconds later.
In the semifinals loss, Vasquez led 2-0 after the first period after a takedown halfway through the opening two minutes. In the second-period and in the down position, Vasquez spinned out of the grasp of Garcia and earned two points for a reversal to go ahead 4-0. Garcia would reverse Vasquez right back to get back within 4-2 going to the third period.
Garcia chose to start the third neutral with both girls standing, as she hoped to rely on takedowns to come back. Garcia scored a takedown 14 seconds into the period to tie the match, but Vasquez would go back ahead 5-4 with an escape point. After being warned for stalling, Vasquez only had to fend off Garcia’s takedown attempts in the final 20 seconds, but Garcia would score her big move with one second to go and steal the 6-5 victory.
Dubois and Vasquez would wrestle a scoreless first period in the consolation semifinals. Vasquez started on top of Dubois in the second, and Dubois earned a reversal before Vasquez escaped. Vasquez then scored the next takedown to go ahead 3-2, but she was quickly reversed and pinned.
In the fifth-place match, Carlin exploded to earn a takedown and a three-point nearfall and lead Vasquez 5-0 after one period. Vasquez would defer to Carlin to start the second period, and Carlin chose the top position. Vasquez was able to reverse her and then secure the pin 42 seconds into the second period to have her hand raised one more time in a Demons singlet.
“I just needed to get back into it, do what I do,” Vasquez said. “I needed to use what I did in my first match into the second one against her. I knew I could do it and got the pin.”
Mead’s Jenna Joseph stood in the way of Platte Valley’s Garcia (13-2) in the championship match. Joseph entered with a perfect 20-0 record. But once more, Garcia would pull off a stunning upset with an 8-5 decision. She did it by securing four takedowns and held off Joseph after she gave up a reversal with nine seconds to go in the third period.
Vasquez plans to continue her wrestling career in college at Colorado Mesa University. She hopes this is only the beginning of a tradition of girls wrestlers from Durango placing at state.
“I had some ups and downs, but it was fun to actually have the chance to be at an all-girls tournament sanctioned by CHSAA,” Vasquez said. “I am thankful for my coach for supporting me and being willing to coach our girls group.”
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
