The Yuma High School boys wrestling team was back in The Pit.
The Indians hosted Lamar and Merino for a triangular on Thursday, January 20, before heading west Saturday for more tournament action in Northglenn.
The Indians pulled out a 36-33 win over Lamar. John Smith won the dual’s last match, a 7-0 decision at 126 pounds, to secure the team win. Yuma won seven of the 10 matches decided on the mat, but three Yuma forfeits kept the team score close.
Trey Stegman won by fall at 138 pounds, Yahir Trejo a 5-2 decision at 152, Zeke Martinez by fall at 160, Kallen Blach by fall at 170, Kevin Hermosillo by fall at 182, and Peyton Wells by fall at 195.
Yuma had most of its wrestlers back for last Saturday’s Frederick Warrior Invitational.
The Indians had multiple placers, led by Yahir Trejo winning his weight, while finishing third in the 15-school field with 151 points.
Coach Kyle Newton said there are two or three more grapplers returning soon from illness or injury, at which point the Indians will be at full strength.
“We are where we need to be right now,” Newton said of his team’s progress.”
The Indians traveled to Greeley last Thursday for a dual against University, pulling out a 36-30 win. Newton said the teams were tied coming down to the last match, the 145-pound showdown with Yuma’s Tayte Smith and Tytan Bentley. Smith was trailing when he rallied for the pin with 46 seconds left in the match, securing the team win for Yuma.
Also winning for Yuma, all by fall, were Zeke Martinez at 160, Kallen Blach at 170, and John Smith at 126. Kevin Hermosillo and Jose Ruiz both won by forfeit. Yahir Trejo, Payton Wells and Trey Stegman lost on the mat.
The Indians then rolled into Frederick on Saturday and racked up 151 points, trailing only Greeley Central with 230.5 points, and Erie with 189.
“We did pretty good,” Newton said. “Everyone wrestled really well.”
All nine Yuma wrestlers placed in the top five. Three Indians reached the finals, winning one and coming in second in the others, along with two third places, one fourth place and three fifth places.
Trejo led the way, earning the Indians’ first tournament championship of the season. The senior opened in the 152-pound quarterfinals, winning by fall (2 minutes, eight seconds) over Kyler Manternach of Horizon. He won by fall (1:55) in the semifinals over Frederick’s Adriane Vigil. That set up a championship match against Erie’s Lukas Booth, with Trejo battling to a 6-0 decision.
Stegman got to the championship match at 138 pounds. He won by fall (5:11) over Ty Bowey of Skyline in the quarterfinals, then won by fall again (4:45) over Horizon’s Julian Marquez. The sophomore gave it a great effort in the championship match, losing a 6-4 decision to Erie’s Carson Hageman.
T. Smith reached the finals at 145. He got a quick pin (55 seconds) in the quarterfinals against Vista peak’s Thade Holmes. He then won a 12-6 decision in the semifinals against Greeley Central’s Guillermo Ramirez. He took on Strasburg’s Zach Marrero in the finals, losing by fall at the 1:58 mark.
J. Smith took third at 126. The senior won his first two matches with quick pins in 26 seconds and 12 seconds, to reach the semifinals. He lost a 7-2 decision, but came back to pull out an 8-6 decision over Skyline’s Tobias Pinson for third place.
Wells took third place at 195. He won his quarterfinal with a pin (1:02), was pinned in the semifinals, then came back to pin Erie’s Kelvin Casasola for third place (3:37).
Ruiz won his first match at 285 to reach the semifinals, but then lost his next two to finish fourth.
Martinez won three straight matches in the consolation bracket, including an 11-2 major decision, to place fifth at 160. Blach also won three straight in consolations, including a 10-2 major decision in the fifth-place match at 170. Hermosillo did the same thing to place fifth 182, getting a 3-0 decision in the fifth-place match.
“We’re just going to keep going at it hard,” Newton said.
