The battle continues for the Ignacio Bobcat wrestling squad.
Ignacio was one of only two 2A crews present at the 32-team gathering at the Mel Smith Husty Invitational in Florence last weekend.
The going was about as tough as could be expected at a meet considered a CHSAA state championships preview, particularly for 2A and 3A teams. Ignacio, missing a few of its regular wrestlers, finished 31st with 32.5 points. With 34 points, Del Norte High School, the only other 2A team attending, ended up 30th.
"A wrestling season is a long, single battle, and the only part of the battle that matters is the very end," said IHS Head Coach Jordan Larsen. "We are continuing to raise the level of intensity, and the work ethic of the boys is rising to meet the challenge so far. This is the recipe for success in our sport, despite the results on the score board."
Earning the lion's share (24 points) of the Bobcats' collective score, second-ranked 145-pounder Ethan Appenzeller was the only team member to place in the top six at any weight. He was unable to squeak out a third straight close decision and fell 3-2 to Valley High School senior Aaron Trujillo of Gilcrest (#5 in 3A) in the championship.
"Beating some very tough wrestlers in very tight matches and losing to a returning state champion, by a point - very good experiences for Ethan," Larsen said. "Just the type of wrestling we need to continuously revamp and practice skills he will need to have sharpened by the time regionals and state come around."
It was Appenzeller's first loss of the 2016-17 season against 21 victories, while it was Trujillo's 21st win against two defeats.
Appenzeller beat Zac Hanenberg of Cañon City 2-1 in the semifinals, after Appenzeller edged 3A Denver Mullen's Dimitris Flores 3-1 in the quarters.
Appenzeller's first two foes weren't as fortunate; 4A Montrose's Wyatt Hughes and 3A Bennett's Mason Wakeham lost by pin in 1:05 and 4:32, respectively.
Ranked first in 2A at 160 pounds, senior Lorenzo Peña received his second loss this winter as 3A Eaton's Connor Moos held on to win 8-7 in Round 2.
Peña recovered with gusto, pinning Valley's Alex Camacho in 1:31, but then dipped to 19-3 overall after being eliminated by unsportsmanlike-conduct disqualification against 3A Monte Vista's Jacob Chavez.
"As Cody Haga would say, the chips just didn't fall his way," said Larsen. "We talked with him and the rest of the team today about the importance of learning from our mistakes and our shortcomings, and he, along with the rest of the squad, was very receptive and eager to get back to work. Learning to funnel that passion and aggression into the rules of the sport and the nature of the sport is just as important as the sport itself."
Dalton Mickey went 0-2 at 170 (Larsen mentioned he actually weighed about 156) after also receiving a first-round bye. Cesar Pedregon also went 0-2 in Florence at 182.
Hunter Robbins went 1-2 at 113 pounds, as did Dustin Sanchez at 138, with each earning one team point. Pablo Garcia went 0-2 at 145, and Timmy Plehinger-Williams ended up 1-2 with a 16-0 technical-fall rout of 3A Pueblo Central's Miguel Gonzales in the consolation rounds.
"Timmy looked good and lost two tight matches," Larsen noted, "and he looks to be improving and working hard in the room will only raise his level of wrestling." He returned to the mat earlier this year after a practice-room injury in December.
With the road to Denver only getting rougher, IHS will next travel to 2A Paonia's Screaming Eagle Invitational on Saturday, Jan. 21, then dual 3A Bayfield at home on Jan. 27, a preamble to the next day's home meet, the Butch Melton Invitational.
"We will continue to work harder and harder, and this will give us the best opportunity to show what we are capable of in post-season competition," Larsen stated. "Then the chips will fall as they will."
With individual champions at 160, 195 and 220 pounds, as well as the runner-up at 182 and fifth-placer at 220, Colorado Springs Cheyenne Mountain-ranked fifth in OTM's 1/12 Class 4A poll-piled up 177 points to better second-place Canon City's 158 in Florence. Gilcrest-based Valley (#2 in 3A) amassed 156.5 to take third, with La Jara Centauri (#3 in 3A) fourth at 132.5 and La Junta (#4 in 3A) fifth at 125.
