RANGELY | On Friday, Feb. 3 the Rangely Panthers hosted the Olathe Pirates for their last home dual of the season. Before the wrestling started the team recognized their parents for all their support throughout the season. The team also recognized bus driver Dave Jordan and athletic director Kyle Boydstun; each received a team wrestling hat.
Olathe has a full roster and the Panthers were ready to have a good night of wrestling but because of injuries and illness the Pirates only brought six wrestlers. “We did get four matches that counted in,” said coach Jeff LeBleu. Winning for the Panthers were Colton Stevens and Kolby Olsen. Winning by forfeits were Aydan Christian, Kobey Chism, Izaiah Moody, Kasen LeBleu and Jaxon Torsell. Final score of the dual was 42-21.
On Saturday, the Panthers competed in the Meeker Duals. The Panthers wrestled Meeker JV, Delta, Hayden and Grand Valley. The Panthers have wrestled Grand Valley three times in the last two weeks, with Grand Valley winning two times in a row. This week the Panthers were able to get the dual win 31-30. The last dual of the day was against Basalt. There were eight matches wrestled with the Panthers winning five.
“We gave up 24 points in forfeits and eventually lost the dual 35-31,” LeBleu said. “The coaching staff is very pleased with the team’s effort, every wrestler won at least one match. We still need to get better.”
The Panthers currently have four wrestlers ranked in the state: Christian, Chism, LeBleu and Torsell. This week the team is preparing for the regional tournament in Hayden on Feb. 10-11. The top four in each weight class will qualify for the state tournament in Denver next week. The team would like to give a special thank you to Hailee Russell for taking and posting the wrestling pictures this past weekend.
PHOTOS BY GAYLE ZIMMERMAN/MATT SCOGGINS
