The Panthers will practice but not compete this weekend and they will have only one more tournament in Meeker before the state-qualifying regional tournament starts Feb. 11.
“The tournament was stout to say the least, with a lot of tough wrestlers,” Rangely head coach Travis Witherell said of the experience in Paonia.
“We wrestled pretty tough, but I thought we could have wrestled better, especially knowing this was pretty much our regional tournament with all of the teams from our region there except one. It was a good test.”
The Panthers wrestled a dual meet with Custer County on Friday and won 36-6.
In the tournament, Rangely’s 152-pounder, Nych Deleon won four matches, including two by pins and finished sixth in his bracket. Caleb Lawson won two matches in the 160-pound bracket but did not place. Neither did Jessy Powell, who won a match in the 145-pound bracket. Grady Nielson (138), Kiki Ruiz (170) and Chance Sheppard (220), also wrestled in the tournament.
“We didn’t place anybody in the top four, but I’m sure we will use this weekend as a motivator to get better,” coach Witherell said. “Our guys have seen the level they will have to match and now we just have to work hard to accomplish our goals.”
