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Upsets upend Wolverine grapplers in Denver

BHS finishes 23rd in 3A state championships

DENVER - No stranger to carrying the Wolverines' flag - as he'd done in the literal sense throughout the fall season, when leading Bayfield Football onto its home field - Sam Westbrook was hoping to again be his school's most imposing banner-bearer Saturday night, Feb. 18.

Unfortunately, Ricky Ayala of Denver's Sheridan High got in the way the day before.

Facing last season's 220-pound state champion in the 2017 CHSAA Class 3A State Championships' heavyweight semifinals, the Wolverine trailed the Ram 1-0 after two periods. Scoring an escape early in the third, Westbrook tied the match and went ahead, 3-1, with the first (and only) takedown.

On the verge of victory, Westbrook lost control of Ayala with fewer than 30 regulation seconds remaining, the escape trimming Westbrook's lead to 3-2. Simply trying to milk the clock down to zeroes, Westbrook was then incredibly penalized a point for stalling, and the match went into overtime.

Each managed to escape once from the other's grasp, leaving the score tied 4-4 after two one-minute bonus sessions, and Ayala wriggled free once more to win under the "ultimate tiebreaker" format.

But with the weekend inside Pepsi Center being as wild as it usually is, Westbrook's journey took another unusual turn the next morning as he found himself opposing the individual most originally anticipated him to meet in that night's finale: Senior Sam Deseriere of Denver's Mullen High.

Relegated to the bracket's consolation side by Delta junior Logan Church in the quarterfinals (while Westbrook flattened Denver North's Josias Chavez in only 0:40), Deseriere squeaked out a 5-4 win over Westbrook - his third state win over BHS' big in as many years - and went on to place third.

Still in the placing stage, Westbrook (41-2) made sure to go out on a high note with an 8-4 defeat of Greeley University freshman Emanuel Munoz Alcala (34-6) in the fifth-place pairing, helping Bayfield amass 31 points and finish in 23rd place.

Gilcrest-based Valley won the title with 102.5. Edgewater Jefferson followed with 99, Alamosa took home third place with 98, with La Jara Centauri (89) and SHS (81) rounding out the top five.

BHS title contenders Ryan Nava and Macoy Michaeli, also seniors, fell during last Friday's quarter-finals and also found themselves in their respective consolation (certainly a misnomer for some) rounds for the remaining length of their decorated prep careers.

Ridden for much of his 170-pound quarterfinal clash with top-seeded VHS junior Josh Flanagan - the eventual state champion - and in need of an inhaler hit during a pause in the action, Michaeli managed only three points while surrendering 11, the margin making for a major-decision win for the Viking.

After then going 2-1 in his first two survival matches, Michaeli (42-10) lost 3-1 to Sterling senior Dylan Prelle (32-19) to end up in sixth place.

Abruptly pinned in only 65 seconds by Steamboat Springs junior Lance Bryant, Nava (37-3) bounced back into form with a 5-2 defeat of Pueblo Central senior Leonardo Palma, but was then stopped short of placing, 8-5, by Florence junior Ty Addington (41-7).

Juniors Garrett Beebe and Jake Sandrey were also denied an appearance in last Saturday night's awards ceremonies; Beebe finished his season 30-11 after going 1-2 at 126 pounds, and Sandrey an excellent 41-11 after doing likewise at 132.