Prep wrestling squads wrap up big weekend at Ignacio
FARMINGTON − As the high school wrestling season begins its push toward district and state championships, local and area teams competed in the Butch Melton Invitational at Ignacio High School last weekend.
The Bloomfield High School boys wrestling squad captured the team championships in the event, while girls wrestling teams captured the top three spots in the tournament as well.
The Bobcats boys team finished ahead of Farmington in the invitational tournament, with Aztec finishing fourth of the 17 teams which competed in the event.
Gunner Samora of Bloomfield took home first place at 106-pounds, defeating Aadin Gonzales of Montrose, Coloraedo by pinfall. Hunter Samora also brought home a first place medal, defeating Durango's Ryan Dugan by decision in the 113-pound division.
Also taking home individual championships for Bloomfield at the event was Elias Johnson, who won the 126-pound weight class, as well as Adan Benavidez, who finished ahead of Piedra Vista's Zander Bahri at the 132-pound weight class. Benavidez also took home the title of outstanding wrestler as he remains unbeaten after 34 matches this season.
Bloomfield is hoping to upend Aztec for the Class 4A state wrestling title this season. The Tigers are four-time defending champions in the state while Bloomfield has loomed as perhaps their biggest challenger this season.
"It was a stellar weekend for our teams," said Bloomfield wrestling coach Jason Luster.
For Aztec, they were represented in the win column by Tony Thompson, who won the 138-pound division by beating Zayden Cundiff of Bayfield. Aztec's Jacob Greyeyes defeated Farmington's Isaac Foutz for the title at the 190-pound weight class while Jaylen Ignacio of Aztec won the 215-pound division earned a pinfall win over Conner Kelly of Pagosa Springs.
Farmington's team, looking to earn another Class 5A state title, scored individual wins from Logan Cambridge, who took home the 144-pound title by beating Samuel Eveland of Bloomfield. Ivan Smith, who has amassed 35 wins and only one loss this season, also scored a first-place medal by beating Aztec's Logan Barboa at 175-pounds.
For more information on the Butch Melton Invitational, including full team results, log on to the event page at Trackwrestling.com.
In the girls wrestling tournament at Ignacio High, the Lady Scorpions took home the team title, beating Bloomfield, Aztec and more than a dozen area and local teams.
Jadyn Begay of Farmington scored a win over Bloomfield's Annette Serrano at the 106-pound weight class, while Katrina Henry continued to excel at the 115-pound division, beating Nadyalina Duran of Aztec via pinfall. Henry has scored more than 30 wins this season as one of the top wrestlers in the region.
Eliana Juarez also earned a win at the 125-pound weight class, scoring a decision over Ignacio's Kacey Brown (Ignacio) while April Archibeque earned a decision win in the championship round over Bloomfield's Maliah Goins at 140-pounds.
Aztec's Makayla Munoz kept her unbeaten season intact, winning the 150-pound division by beating Nadyne Moses of Farmington. Munoz is seeking her fourth straight individual championship this season and has scored more than 33 wins without a loss in her senior campaign.
For a complete listing of matches from the Butch Melton Girls Invitational, check out the tournament's official page at Trackwrestling.com.
This week will be a busy one for local wrestling events, with duals meets scheduled for Wednesday at Miyamura, followed by events at Aztec High on Friday and at Kirtland Central High School on Saturday.
A girls wrestling state qualifier event will take place at Farmington High School at 5:30 p.m. Friday and at 9 a.m. Saturday.
This article originally appeared on Farmington Daily Times: Local and area prep wrestling teams earn high marks in regional event
