BMS wrestlers qualify for state tourney

MEEKER I A dozen members of the Barone Middle School wrestling team competed in the annual regional wrestling tournament on Saturday in Fruita, with eight members qualifying for the state tournament this weekend in Denver.
Seventh-graders Lane Anderson and Daylon Nielsen stayed and wrestled in a tournament hosted by the Cowboys but did not place.
Eighth-graders Sheridan Harvey (95), Casey Turner (135) and Chase Rule (152) each lost one match and finished as consolation champions in their respective brackets. This will be Harvey’s and Rule’s second trip to the state tournament and Turner’s first, as he did not wrestle in the regional tournament as a seventh-grader.
Brett McGruder also made it to the consolation championship match and finished fourth in the 155-pound bracket, while Josh Cochran (110) and Hunter Garcia (125) qualified for the state tournament with fifth place finishes in their respective weights (the top eight in each weight qualified).
“Hunter had a heck of a tournament,” said Coley Turner, who helped coach the young Cowboys. “He had three close matches and showed a lot heart in winning them.”
Caleb Bradford qualified at 145 and logged a sixth-place finish Jared Owens finished seventh in his bracket.
Jake Pelloni, Garrett Frantz, Doak Mantle and Austin Russell all wrestled in the regional tournament but did not qualify for the state meet.
The Colorado Middle School state wrestling tournament will be held in the National Western Stock Show complex in Denver with one round wrestled Friday and the competition wrapping up Saturday.