MEEKER | The Barone Middle School boys and girls wrestling team hit the road last weekend to compete in the Montrose Centennial Middle School tournament. This marked their first tournament of the season after a tri-dual last week against Craig Middle School and Rangely Middle School, where the Cowboys defeated Craig 70-36 and Rangely 66-48.
Head coach Nate Lee shared his expectations heading into the team’s first tournament of the season.
“This was our first tournament of the season, and I expected a lot of nervousness,” Lee said.
The Cowboys finished third overall with 283.5 points, behind North Fork Middle School with 327 and Centennial Middle School with 334.5. Lee noted that most of the team exceeded expectations and highlighted standout performances from the tournament.
“Most of the team exceeded my expectations. Both the boys and girls made several mistakes, but it didn’t matter with the level of intensity they brought to the mat,” Lee said. “The standout performance for the boys was Bryant Turner. He is starting to figure out technical positions and is utilizing his physical attributes to topple his opponents. Adalin Esquivel was the standout for the girls. We were finally able to talk her into coming out for another wrestling season. She is a quick learner and always gives her best effort.”
Leading the way for the Cowboys was Kael Overton, who took first place and scored 29.5 team points. Turner also placed first, contributing 29.0 points. Other top finishers included:
- Second place: Gael Rodriguez (25.5 points), Josh Simmons (24.0), Esquivel (22.0), Dylan Rundberg (22.0)
- Third place: Jordan Simpson (19.0), Midy Camargo (18.0), Dillon Koenig (14.5), Jaxson McPherson (14.0)
- Fourth place: Cash Nay (14.5), Heather Dunton (12.5)
- Fifth place: Corbin Grant (13.0), Preston Amick (13.0)
- Sixth place: Tacey Toon (10.0), Carson Blunt (9.0), Thomas Theos (8.0), Arionah (6.0)
Lee reflected on how his team handled the competition and the pressure of facing larger metro-area schools.
“I knew some of the kids were going to be nervous competing against bigger teams,” he said. “The format of the matches was three one-minute periods. I told the wrestlers to compensate by bringing intensity to the match. We overwhelmed several opponents with multiple offensive attempts in the neutral position.”
The Cowboys will be back on the road this weekend to compete at the Delta Middle School Tournament. Lee emphasized that the team will continue focusing on fundamentals leading up to the competition.
“We will continue to teach the fundamentals to the wrestlers. It is something that will help these kids reach the next level in high school,” he said.
Good luck to the Cowboys as they head to Delta and as always go Cowboys!
By JARED HENDERSON |
