RANGELY | The Rangely Panthers competed in the 2A Region 2 wrestling tournament last weekend. At regionals, the top four wrestlers in each weight division qualify for the state tournament in Denver.
Starting out for the Panthers was Aydan Christian. Christian had a very good tournament, pinning his way to the finals, He lost his finals match and placed second which punched his ticket to state.
Kasen LeBleu (left) and Aydan Christian (right) have both qualified for the state tournament and will be representing Rangely at Ball Arena in Denver this weekend. | TIFFANY JEHOREK PHOTO
Wyatt Stevens had a couple tough matches for his first high school regional tournament. Stevens will improve as he gets older and will gain more confidence. His brother Colton Stevens had the best tournament of his high school career, wrestling tough and pinning kids to whom he had previously lost. One win away from qualifying, Colton finished his high school career with a fifth place finish.
Landon Carlson is another wrestler who had two tough matches. “Landon has the ability to wrestle with the best, I think it’s confidence that holds him back,” said coach Jeff LeBleu.
Kobey Chism advanced to the semifinals where he was injured and was unable to continue in the tournament. Chism was ranked No. 3 in the state. “Safety of our kids is our first priority, and pulling Kobey out of the tournament was one of the hardest things I have had to do,” coach LeBleu said. “We wish Kobey well, and for a speedy recovery.” Jaime Sanchez, boxer turned wrestler, is in his first year of wrestling. “Jaime works very hard in the room and is a very quick learner, we just wished we had him as a freshman,” LeBleu commented. Sanchez wrestled tough but lost out in the tournament.
Colin Zadra is also a first year high school wrestler. Colin wrestled hard but his inexperience cost him his matches.
Izaiah Moody also had the best tournament of his high school career. “Izaiah has a lot of heart and determination, he had tough matches all tournament long, and when the day was done Izaiah was on the floor receiving his sixth place medal,” said LeBleu.
Freshman Kolby Olsen wrestled well but ended up being eliminated from the tournament. “KO will be a beast as he gets older and stronger,” LeBleu said.
Kasen LeBleu, Rangely’s other state qualifier, had a good tournament going 3-1 with three pins and a third place finish. This will be his second time qualifying for the state tournament.
Jaxon Torsell was one match away from qualifying with some very close matches where he won one and lost one in the last 10 seconds.
“As coaches we could not have ask for a better effort, they wrestled their tails off for two days. We are very proud of this team,” coach LeBleu added.
State wrestling begins today at noon. Good luck to all Rio Blanco County wrestlers.
Special to the Herald Times
