MHS wrestlers crown four champions in Kremmling

MEEKER I The Cowboy wrestling team won the West Grand Invitational last Saturday in Kremmling, crowning four champions, including the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler. Meeker finished ahead of second place Basalt and third place Saratoga, Wyo.
“It was really nice having kids win in the consolation rounds and help us earn team points to beat Basalt,” head coach J.C. Watt said. “The kids are wrestling for the team and there was a team feeling, when they received the trophy, everybody felt like they contributed to the team win, even the JV wrestlers, and they did.”
Six Cowboys advanced to the finals and four won individual titles, including Meeker sophomore Anthony Watt, who was named the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler after winning the 138-pound bracket.
Watt pinned all four of his opponents, including former Colorado state runner-up T-Lane Mazzola from Hayden in the finals. Mazzola took Watt down in the first period and according to coach Watt, let Anthony back up to his feet. Mazzola took another shot at Watt’s legs and was put into what some call “the Meeker cradle” and pinned Mazolla with two seconds left in the first period.
“He’s an enigma,” coach Watt said of his son.
Coach Watt said sophomore Tristin Pelloni “continued to dominate.”
Pelloni was in a six-man round robin in the 113-pound bracket and won four matches by pin fall and the other by technical fall (15-0) to win the gold medal.

Freshman T.J. Shelton won the 160-pound bracket and wrestled Rangely’s Colton Coombs for a third time in as many weeks. Coombs won the first match but Shelton won the last two, including last Saturday’s championship match 6-4.
“T.J. beat two really good kids again and the Coombs’ match was really good,” Watt said.
Meeker’s other champion was freshman Cody Purcell who pinned all four of his opponents in an unofficial 100-pound bracket.
“Cody wrestled well,” coach Watt said.
Aaron Cochran (132) and senior J.R. Crawford both made the championship match in their respective weights but both finished second.
Coach Watt appreciated the team points from freshmen Robby Jensen (126), Noah Overton (220) and Devon Pontine (152), who all wrestled back to win the consolation bracket, finishing third in their respective brackets.
Although they did not place, J.C. Henderson and Kylloe Goedert also scored team points for the Cowboys.
Jake Henderson, Jake Nielsen and Dillon Frantz all won JV matches. Lathrop Hughes, Calvin Shepherd and Michaela Kehr all wrestled two matches but did not win.
The Cowboys will continue to practice for the rest of the year and return to the mat for a dual in Eagle Valley Jan. 12, 2013.