Buckaroos qualify ten wrestlers for state

by Anna Fredericks
Contributing Writer
The Monticello High School wrestling team hosted the 1A Division A Tournament this past Saturday, February 25. At the end of the day the Buckaroos qualified ten of their 12 wrestlers for the state tournament and finished second behind Panguitch.
Seven Monticello wrestlers competed in the championship match of their respective weight classes and two finished the day at the top of the podium crowned as champions.
Leading the way for the Buckaroos were sophomore Arturo Gutierrez and senior Tavon Black. Wrestling at 113 pounds, Gutierrez had a dominating 15-0 technical fall win in the semifinals.
In the finals he was up with a strong 12-2 lead when he turned his opponent from Panguitch to win by fall in the second period.
In the 175-pound class, Black earned a first period fall in the semifinals. In the finals, Black was up 3-1 after the first period but turned his opponent from Wayne quickly in the second period for the win by fall.
Buckaroos earning a spot in the championship finals and taking home second-place medals were Diego Cortez, Miles Coleman, John Leber, Tyson Wheeler, and Cameron Carpenter.
At 120 pounds Cortez earned a 13-0 major decision win in the semifinals. Wrestling at 126 pounds, Coleman had a 12-2 lead in his semifinal match when he turned his opponent for a win by fall in the third period.
Leber earned a dominating 22-2 technical fall win in the semifinals at 132 pounds. Wheeler at 215 pounds wasted no time in the quarterfinal round, winning by fall in just 38 seconds.
In the semifinals Wheeler was down 9-1 with a mountain to climb going into the third period when he dug deep, turned his opponent, and earned a dramatic win by fall with 53 seconds remaining in the match.
Carpenter earned a one-minute win by fall in the 285-pound semifinal round. Noah Dilts earned a third-place medal for the Buckaroos at 190 pounds with an exciting win by fall in the first period of the consolation championship finals.
Ronnie Harris finished with a fourth-place medal at 144 pounds, earning an important first-period win by fall in the wrestle-back round to earn a spot in the consolation finals.
Jarum Robison finished in fifth place for MHS at 215 pounds. Robison had two wins by fall on the day and earned the team’s final spot at the state tournament.
Zamian Lopez got a thrilling win by first-period fall in the 285-pound placement round to earn a fifth-place finish. And Landon Shumway won by a big 25-10 technical fall in round two at 138 pounds and finished sixth.
The Buckaroos will travel to Richfield for the 1A Utah State Wrestling Tournament on Friday and Saturday, February 7-8 at the Sevier Valley Center. Wrestling action begins at 2:30 p.m. on Friday.

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