The Gunnison High School boys wrestling team had a strong showing at the 50th Annual Alameda International Invitational over the weekend, finishing third overall with three individual champions.
“Overall it was good,” said head coach Michael Seijo after the tournament. “We finished third as a team, we had five guys in the finals, three champs and it was good. It’s just a different experience for them.”
Out of the 10 wrestlers that Seijo brought to the tournament, nine placed.
The first of the champs was Zayne Benson wrestling at 106 pounds. Zayne pinned his first opponent after 37 seconds, pinned his second opponent after 1:17, pinned his third opponent after 31 seconds to reach the finals and pinned his final opponent after 3:44 to take first place. His 4-0 weekend moved him to 27-2 overall on the season and he scored 30 points for the Cowboys with his first place finish.
Wrestling at 138 pounds, Julian Patrick also took first place for the Cowboys. Julian, like Zayne, pinned all four of his opponents on the way to his undefeated weekend. He pinned his first opponent after 3:26, his second after 42 seconds, his third after 3:00 and his fourth after 1:56 in the finals. Julian scored 30 points for the Cowboys with his first place finish and now sits at 20-5 overall on the season.
The third and final champion was Zach Benson at 144 pounds. Zach pinned all four of his opponents as well, finishing the tournament 4-0 and moving his overall record to 30-0. Zach pinned his first opponent after 39 seconds, his second after 1:09, his third after 1:29 and his fourth after 38 seconds in the championship match. Zach scored 30 points for the Cowboys.
At 120 pounds, Noah Witzel placed second for the Cowboys. Witzel pinned his first two opponents, the first after 1:06 and the second after 2:36, to reach the semifinals. He won via a 9-3 decision in the semifinals to reach the first place match, but was pinned after 4:40 and took second. Witzel improved to 16-7 on the season with a 3-1 record and scored 22 points for the Cowboys.
Cody Casebolt also placed second for the Cowboys, scoring 24 points while wrestling at 132 pounds. Casebolt pinned his first three opponents, the first after 3:28, the second after 1:06 and the third after 3:05, to reach the first place match. He lost via a 7-1 decision in the first place match, but his 3-1 tournament improved his season record to 21-5.
Braedyn Anderson placed fourth for the Cowboys while wrestling at 113 pounds. Anderson received a bye in the first round and then lost to his first opponent after being pinned in 1:57. He bounced back, winning his next three matches. He pinned his second opponent after 24 seconds, he won via 12-5 decision in his next match and he pinned his fourth opponent in the consolation semifinals after 3:39 to make the third place match. Anderson lost via a 17-12 decision to take fourth place, scoring 14 points for the Cowboys in the process.
“Braedyn Anderson had a really good match,” said Seijo about Anderson’s consolation semifinal match. “It was one of those where he was down a lot, but he kept his composure, stayed in the moment and crawled his way back to a really dramatic finish at the end, getting a pin.”
Wrestling at 126 pounds, Bentley Patrick took fourth place and scored 18 points for the Cowboys at the tournament. Bentley received a bye, then won his first match by pinning his opponent after 2:26. He then fell in the semifinals via a 23-4 technical fall. Bentley won his first match in the consolation bracket by pinning his opponent after 4:58, but lost in his final match after being pinned in 55 seconds. Bentley’s 2-2 record moved his season record to 18-12 on the season.
Owen Smejkal wrestled at 190 pounds and placed sixth, scoring nine points for the Cowboys. After receiving a first-round bye, Smejkal lost his first match after being pinned in 39 seconds. He received another bye and then pinned his second opponent in his next match after 27 seconds. He then lost his next two matches, the first after being pinned in 53 seconds and the second after being pinned in 2:36.
Wrestling 285 pounds, Freddie Bernabe placed sixth and scored four points for the Cowboys. Bernabe lost his first match, getting pinned after 46 seconds, but came back and won his next match via a 5-2 decision. He then lost his next two matches, the first by fall after 2:29 and the second by fall after 24 seconds, to take sixth place.
Gavin Smejkal wrestled at 215 pounds and did not place, scoring 2.5 points for the Cowboys. Smejkal lost his first match, getting pinned after 3:28, but came back and won via a technical fall score of 19-0 in his next match. Smejkal’s tournament ended after losing his next match by fall after 2:38.
The boys will wrestle in Montrose this weekend in a tri-dual against Montrose and Durango, taking the weekend off from a larger tournament. Seijo will also take some boys that wouldn’t get as many matches in the tri-dual to a tournament in Grand Junction.
“I know Montrose and Durango, they’re good teams,” said Seijo. “We’ve wrestled a few Durango kids when we were in Bayfield, so we get to see a few of those kids again. And, I think with the kids that we’re taking, we’re going to do just fine.”
Jack Sellner can be reached at jsellner@orourkemediagroup.com.
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