Mancos wrestlers poised to make noise at State

Mancos wrestlers poised to make noise at State

Dec. 2, 2000

BY JIM THOMAS
Sports Editor

Middle weghts are definitely where Mancos High School’s varsity wrestling team will show their stuff and where there is the most depth.

Top wrestlers back in those middle weights include 135-pound two-time state placer junior Scott Kopenhafer; 140-pound state placer senior Mike Montoya; 130-pound state placer senior Jeremiah Muniz; 125-pound state qualifier sophomore Daniel Wilson; and 145-pound junior state qualifier Kelley Mitchell. But there are some good wrestlers backing them up a several of those positions as well.

"That’s where we have the most experience and depth," MHS head coach Travis Bryant said. "We are really strong in the middle weights. We definitely have some depth this year."

Even at the lighter weights Mancos looks strong with three grapplers battling it out at 103 pounds. They include freshman Vince Bazile, sophomore Scott Yost, and freshman Brandon Baumgardner.

"We should have some decent three pounders," Bryant remarked. "Yost will likely start the season at this point."

Anthony Maestas will likely be at 112. He has some experience. But there is a possibility he could move up to 119. Another possibility at 119 is freshman Garrett Barton.

"We seem to be really loaded at 125. I have a lot of people working out at that weight class. Wilson has state experience but Cody Montoya is a good, tough wrestler. There is a battling going on right now for that spot. If Barton doesn’t make 119, he could fit in at that weight as well as Nathan Orona," he noted.

Orona, who is a good wrestler, has done well in the past and could move up to 130. Muniz placed second at state last year while finishing with a sparkling 34-5 mark. Muniz has a shot at winning it all.

Koppenhafer, who placed second last year with a 35-4 mark and finished sixth as a freshman, has a good shot at winning gold at 135. Montoya placed second a year ago with a 12-3 record, looks to be back in the state finals this February at 140. Matt McGuire is another contender at the weight.

Mitchell looks solid at 145. Mitchell had a 13-10 record last year. Junior Jakob Tallent will probably be at 152 with David Malinsky at 160. All-around athlete Philip Wilson, who finished fifth at state last year with a 25-6 mark, will be at 171. He has a shot at making the state finals. Sophomore Jeff Roland will be at 189 while 215 is open at this point. Soph, Kevin Schlemmer is the heavyweight.

The top teams in the San Juan Basin League, according to Bryant, will be Mancos, Nucla, Dolores County, Norwood, and Dolores.

"It seems like every year our league is well represented at Regionals and State. We usually have two or three teams finish among the top five. We have a good league," he said.

And if the moon and stars line up right, how does Bryant see the Class 2A Tournament shake out. If all goes as planned, he thinks Mancos will be right up there as well as Nucla, Wiggins, Straton, Custer County, and Hayden.

The Blue Jays open with the Wolverine Preseason Wrestling Classic this Saturday, Dec. 2, in Bayfield. Wrestling will begin at 10 a.m. They will be joined by San Juan High (Blanding, Utah), Dolores County, and Farmington JVs. Some extra fill-ins will come from Aztec and Bloomfield, N.M., and Durango.