MANCOS – Cedaredge defeated Mancos in Friday’s Senior Night duel at the Bluejay Fieldhouse, 64-15.
Seniors Quinton Martinez and Brandon Vannest were honored before the contest, thanking their families, friends and coaches for their support over the past four years.
The Bruins took control early after Mancos’ Colten Vannest topped Cedaredge’s Travis Gill in the 285-pound match in a 4-2 decision.
Cedaredge took control early after Mancos' Colten Vannest defeated Travis Gill 4-2 in the 285-pound match. Cedaredge then went on a 9-0 streak, with four of those wins coming via forfeit, as Mancos did not have enough athletes to compete in the dual.
Cedaredge’s Jared Roberts started the streak with a dominant 11-2 major decision over Mancos' Traycer White in the 106-pound match. They were led by Cash Martinez’s (120) 1:25 fall over Jason Vannest, Ethan Hice’s (138) pin over Quinton Martinez, and Ethan Toothaker’s (144) 1:07 fall over Levi Gardener.
Mancos head coach Travis White said some members of his roster are currently out with colds and added that it hurt their chances against the No. 1-ranked Class 2A team in the state.
“We’re hoping to get healthy before regionals,” White said. “You bring one of the top teams in state to wrestle, it doesn’t matter – you’ve got to have a full squad if you want to compete with them. So, we knew going into this that the team score wasn’t going to be great, but we won a handful of matches and that’s what we’re looking for.”
Mancos did not go home empty-handed. Senior Brandon Vannest and junior Jacob Martin both earned victories by pinfall. Vannest pinned Cedaredge’s Ty O’Connell at 1:03, and Martin finished the night on a high note, pinning Kolter Mann at 0:22.
Mancos had a strong showing at the San Juan Basin League tournament Thursday at Ignacio High School, with five athletes finishing at least in third place. Freshman Traycer White won first in the 106-pound division, while Jacob Martin took first in the 190-pound division.
Coach White said Martin and Brandon Vannest are the team’s leaders and key athletes to watch, while the underclassmen are quickly learning what challenges lie ahead in future seasons.
“We have our upperclassmen,” he said. “Brandon Vannest is a two-time state placer, and Martin was a state qualifier last year. Both are going to be leading the way for us. Half our team is made up of freshmen, and for them, getting over the shock at regionals and state will be the biggest step.”
Mancos has faced a challenging schedule, starting with the Western Slope Showdown and traveling to Rio Rancho, New Mexico, for a tournament hosted by Class 5A state-bound Cleveland High School. Martin placed seventh in a tough 190-pound bracket featuring wrestlers from Arizona, Colorado, Texas, and California. White said their schedule gave the team an advantage heading into state.
“We wrestled a very tough schedule this year. There are a couple tournaments we went to that are comparable, if not tougher, than our state tournament. So, they’re ready for that type of competition,” he said. “Everyone is going to have a little bit of nerves, but as long as they don’t let them take over, they’re going to do great.”
Mancos will compete in the Butch Melton Invitation in Ignacio on Saturday before heading into regionals on Feb. 7.