Yuma High School’s boys wrestling team gradually is getting its feet underneath it.
Yuma did not get to have its home debut, a dual against Sterling last Thursday, due to weather conditions canceling school. (It is hoped the dual will be rescheduled next month.)
However, the former Indians did get to finish December on Saturday with a strong showing at the Bob Smith Invitational in Wray.
They finished fifth in the 13-school field with 75 points. Chatfield won the team title with 212, while Wray had 205, Byers 110.5, and St. Francis, Kansas, 109.5.
Kallen Blach led the way for Yuma by winning the 190-pound title. The senior won all his matches by fall, including a 40-second pin in the first round. He pinned his way to the championship, where he pinned Wray’s Grady Linman in 1 minute, 53 seconds.
Zeke Martinez took second at 175 pounds. The senior won his first two matches by fall, reaching the championship, where he ran into Wray’s Caden Bauer, losing 8-0.
Trey Stegman took third at 150. The junior won his quarterfinal match with a pin, but lost a major decision in the semifinals. He came back to get a pin in the consolation semifinals, then earned a hard-fought 3-2 decision over Dayspring Christian’s Logan Clark in the third-place match.
That was it for placers for Yuma wrestlers. However, several still had strong showings. Dallas Brunk had two wins at 132, Daden Beauprez two wins at 165, and Blake Stivers and Jiovani Perez both had one win at 113. Tanner Himes competed at 126, Tyson Hanson at 157, and Brian Coyle at 165.
