Senior night success

If you haven’t been following the Blackfoot wrestling team this year, you really ought to from here on out. I mean, not only do these guys do a fine job of representing our county, but the matches are all explosive and full of emotion—a real gem in what’s otherwise a long, cold Blackfoot winter.

Here’s what I mean. During the Blackfoot/Poky match, a long-time Pocatello wrestling fan approached me and said, “This atmosphere is incredible. With fans like this, it’s no wonder these guys take so much pride in wrestling for the Blackfoot Broncos.” I acknowledged his read on Blackfoot tradition and the great fans, and enjoyed his disbelief every time another bronco grappler ignited the crowd with a scoring barrage. No matter if you’re familiar with the nuances of collegiate wrestling, watching the Broncos is truly some of the best entertainment in Blackfoot.

Several hometown boys wrestled well on senior night, but nobody compared to senior HWT Roberto Chavez. In one evening he knocked off two of the top ranked 4A wrestlers at heavyweight, Rigby’s Lundquist and Pocatello’s Howard. “This was my third match this year against Howard and every time I’ve lost in overtime. I knew I was going beat him and I think he knew it too.” Chavez’s overtime wrestling was superb, and the Blackfoot faithful rewarded him with a standing O after he denied Howard an escape point the entire overtime period. “There’s my state finals competition,” commented Chavez, which is a probable scenario for the 4A HWT devision.

Two other standouts on the night were 119 Stephen Agee and 130 Koty Cook. Agee is the type of athlete who can rise to whatever level his opponent is on, and compete tooth-and-nail until the very end. Depending on the referee, his match against top-ranked Millward of Poky could have gone either way. He should have a very promising post-seson.

Last year Koty Cook wrestled JV beneath an outstanding 130 lb teammate, and didn’t get much opportunity to show his talent. But this year the story is different. He’s the dark horse no one has ever heard of and he’s beating all the big names. It’s really another treat to being a Blackfoot fan. His loss to Praska of Poky was another questionable officiating call on the night. Let’s hope they meet again at state.

The Broncos are wrestling next at the district tournament at Rigby highschool Feb. 19, and at the Holt Arena for the state tournament Feb. 26-27.

Blackfoot 41 Pocatello 24
103- Juan Navarro (B) dec Taylor Higbee 12-7
112- Kohl Bingham (B) dec Roman Barela 5-1
119- Eddie Millward (P) dec Stephen Agee 8-6
125- Jeremy Robbins (B) pin Nick Anderson 2:40
130- Tyler Praska (P) pin Koty Cook 2:29
135- Stetson Jorgensen (B) dec Sean McClellen 7-2
140- Blake Butler (B) pin Dillon Rice 1:50
145- Dylan Brigham (P) pin Ruben Pulido 1:21
152- Ryan Barrington (B) pin Zak High 4:30
160- Matt Okelberry (P) dec Jon Horak 5-1
171- Dakota Bitton (B) pin Jase Wilson 1:25
189- Zach Reay (B) forfeit
215- Trevor Rupp (P) pin Garrett Buck 3:18
HWT- Roberto Chavez (B) dec Wes Howard 2-1 OT

Blackfoot 43 Rigby 21
103- Juan Navarro (B) tfall Jon Chappell 15-0
112- Kohl Bingham (B) forfeit
119- Matthew Gallegos (B) dec Kienan Kotter 4-0
125- Jeremy Robbins (B) pin Hayden Murdoch 3:22
130- Titus Robinson (B) tfall Colton Kunz 20-5
135- Stetson Jorgensen (B) dec Trent Hale 8-2
140- Blake Butler (B) dec Jacob Passmore 8-2
145- Connor Henderson (B) forfeit
152- Colter Tucker (R) pin Ryan Barrington 5:57
160- Andrew Lords (R) pin Jon Horak 3:04
171- Coltin Hill (B) dec Preston Anderson 5-4
189- Bruce Anderson (R) dec Zach Reay 4-3
215- Drake Peterson (R) pin Garrett Buck 2:26
HWT- Roberto Chavez (B) dec Travis Lundquist 5-4

Blackfoot Grapplers Host Shelley

The Blackfoot Hish School wrestling team won yet another dual last night, this one at home against the Shelley Russets 46-18. They’ve been making a habit of limiting opposing teams to less than 20 points, while they are commonly in the 40 to 60 point range. However the Russets were able to win 5 individual matches—something not many teams do against the Broncos.

Shelley head coach Jon Cook was proud of his team’s effort. “We won our matches in the third period, which speaks well for our conditioning. Any coach is happy to see his wrestlers maintaining their pace until the end.” Chase Call 119 had an especially good third round on the night, where he was able to ride his opponent the full two minutes and deny him of an escape point. Shelley’s Colton Hodges 145 avioded the third round altogether by pinning his opponent mid way through the second round. “He’s really wrestling strong right now,” commented Cook on Hodges’ match. Other quality performances by Chase Richins 140, Colby Searle 125, and Spencer Barney 135 made it clear that the Shelley wrestling team is a legitimate force in the 3A ranks.

Blackfoot’s all-star of the night was 103 lb Juan Navarro. Besides his ability to get pins in the first round, Navarro consistently shows good pressure and fluid takedowns. When asked about his ambitions for the season he’s clear that he has his sights set on a state title.

Blackfoot head coach Brian Barlow felt his team wrestled “a little flat” against the Russets but was pleased with the overall outcome. “It’s tough to stay consistently on top of our game. Tonight we were flat, but last week against Bonneville was our best dual in the past few years.” However varied the season goes, coach Barlow has a history of dialing up peak performances in the post-season. Their next match is a home meet against Rigby and Pocatello next Friday, with district action beginning Feb 18th at Rigby High School.

Results
Blackfoot 46 Shelley 18
103- Juan Navarro (B) pin Kyle Elliot 1:56
112- Kohl Bingham (B) pin Tazier Betzer 1:24
119- Chase Call (S) dec Matt Gallegos 4-3
125- Colby Searle (S) dec Dallin Evans 9-6
130- Titus Robinson (B) pin Larry Andrus :58
135- Spencer Barney (S) dec Stetson Jorgensen 7-5
140- Chase Richins (S) dec Blake Butler 10-5
145- Kolton Hodges (S) pin Conner Henderson 3:04
152- Ryne Barrington (B) pin Eli Sutherlin 1:34
160- Jon Horak (B) dec Tegan Smith 6-2
171- Coltin Hill (B) pin Jacob Calderwood :42
189- Zac Reay (B) dec Vince Landon 11-4
215- Garrett Buck (B) mdec Ryan Cook 12-0
HWT- Roberto Chavez (B) forfeit

Bronco grapplers rout Knights

103 Juan Navarro

In the world of collegiate wrestling a technical fall, where one wrestler accumulates a 15 point lead on the other, is somewhat uncommon. Achieving one usually involves a whole lot of takedowns and near-pins, coupled with not much scoring from the opponent. Blackfoot’s home dual against the Hillcrest Knights yesterday evening was replete with them. Juan Navarro 103 posted a 16-1 tfall, Jeremy Robbins 125 came in at 17-2, and Zach Reay shut his opponent out 15-0. That’s some good Blackfoot Broncos wrestling.

Juan Navarro explained, “I felt confident on my feet tonight. I knew I could get him with my usual takedowns so I tried to boost the score up that way early on. Once I got that lead established I tried pinning him, but he fought off his back really well. Next thing I knew it was 16-1.” Both Robbins and Reay’s efforts were more near-fall based from the outset—Robbins points coming via arm bars and Reay’s from leg riding.

Blackfoot head coach Brian Barlow had positive things to say about the Knights performance: “These guys are always competitive. I thought they showed up mentally tonight. You could see in the opening face-off that they were ready to go and anxious to establish a presence.” He also had praises for his wrestlers. “We had a lot of solid efforts tonight, with the tech falls and the pins. I am really impressed with Angel Dorantes (HWT) tonight. He practiced hard all week, got the varsity heavyweight spot tonight, and wrestled like he meant business.” Dorantes’ varsity debut lasted a mere 36 seconds before achieving the pin.

Next up for Blackfoot is the 32 team Tiger- Grizz Invitational this weekend at Skyline high school. The final round starts mid-afternoon on Saturday and is perhaps the finest wrestling offered in east Idaho.

Results:
Blackfoot 59 Hillcrest 18
103- Juan Navarro (B) tfall Cade Williams 16-1
112- Tate Hansen (B) mdec Kade Christensen 10-2
119- Stephen Agee (B) fall Zach Parker 3:17
125- Jeremy Robbins (B) tfall Jacob Scoville 17-2
130- Titus Robinson (B) mdec Dillon Croft 17-6
135- Nick Moreno (H) fall Stetson Jorgensen 5:02
140- Ruben Polido inj def Dallon Holden (H)
145- Charles Neff (B) fall Damyiann Vandermulen :27
152- Jon Garling (H) fall Ryne Barrington 2:29
160- Chris Percy (B) fall Tyler Nelson 5:42
171- Coltin Hill (B) fall Mitch Lenning 1:51
189- Zach Reay (B) tfall Brent Empey 15-0
215- Roberto Chavez (B) fall Justin Vaalemoen :45
HWT- Angel Dorantes (B) fall Dwaine Lovejoy :36

Broncos receive top honors at Madison invite

140 Gerald Cervantes in finals

The BAB Blackfoot Broncos wasted no time running away from the pack at last weekend’s Madison Invitational—building their lead to 75 points after one day of action. The Broncos were able to maintain that lead through the end of the event and place 13 wrestlers in the top four.

With so many placers, the Broncos were bound to run into themselves at some point. This happened Saturday night when Blackfoot’s Dakota Bitton met Blackfoot’s Coltin Hill in the 171 lb. finals in what proved to be one of the closest matches of the tournament. Bitton dominated the first round, scoring with a takedown and a near fall, but Hill eventually earned the 6-4 decision—securing the win with a takedown late in the third period. Although the two compete weekly for the varsity spot, it remains possible that both wrestlers could advance to the state tournament at 171 lbs.

Blackfoot’s Gerald Cervantes continued his streak of dominance, earning top honors at 140. Cervantes, a returning state champion, is quite explosive and incredibly quick. With just one loss on the year, it’s obvious he means business about winning a second state title.

“We know we have a lot to work on,” commented head coach Brian Barlow, “but I’m liking what I’m seeing in this team right now. They have what it takes to win.” Although most of the season is still ahead, the 2010 squad has already demonstrated that they have some serious talent.

This weekend they will compete at what is perhaps their greatest measuring stick of all—the 32 team Tiger Grizz Invitational.

Madison Invitational team scores
Blackfoot 251
Pocatello 170
Jerome 162
Bonneville 144
Rigby 106
N Fremont 98
Mtn Home 78
Hillcrest 71
Wood River 67
Ririe 52
Sugar Salem 38
Burley 37
Sandpoint 37
Century 27
Madison 9

Blackfoot downs Minico 46-19

Blackfoot 189 Zach Reay gets near fall points

If ever there were a proud wrestling coach, Blackfoot’s Brian Barlow is one of them.
“This team is really something special because we have 20+ wrestlers that are good enough to wrestle varsity,” explained coach Barlow. “Our lineup tonight was much different than it was last week because a lot of wrestlers were able to edge out their teammates at their given weight class and earn a spot tonight. But whoever is wrestling, we are seeming to come away with wins, and that makes me proud of this team.”

However varied their roster, Blackfoot continues to impress as they work through their schedule. Last night’s dual was another chapter in the ongoing Blackfoot/Minico rivalry, as these two teams have been atop the 4A ranks for a decade now. Solid wrestling and great conditioning from both schools provided an exciting show for the Blackfoot faithful.

Easily, the standout match of the night was at 189, where Blackfoot’s Zach Reay secured a major decision over a 4A ranked Brady May. Reay was able to settle into a guillotine near fall combination and end the match in dominant fashion. Other Blackfoot standouts on the night were 103 lb. Juan Navarro’s 18 second pin and Chris Percy’s stifling tech fall at 160 lbs.

Blackfoot travels to Rexburg today for the 16 team Madison Invitational.

Results:
103- Juan Navarro (B) fall Brian Jensen :18
112- Kohl Bingham (B) dec Isaha Alvarado 5-3
119- Steven Agee (B) forfeit
125- Alberto Ramirez (M) fall Jeremy Robbins 3:26
130- Titus Robinson (B) fall Austin Gilchrest 1:02
135- Stetson Jorgensen (B) fall Joey Gomez 5:59
140- Gerald Cervantes (B) dec Dakota Rupard 6-5
145- Braxton Schell (M) fall Eddy Stone 3:27
152- David Borden (M) mdec Jon Horak 9-1
160- Chris Percy (B) tfall Jorge Vega 17-2
171- Colby May (M) dec Coltin Hill 3-2
189- Zach Reay (B) mdec Brady May 8-0
215- Garrett Buck (B) dec Jacob Barclay 7-4
HWT- Roberto Chavez (B) mdec Ramiro Rojas 9-0

Blackfoot wrestlers triumph

The Blackfoot wrestling team hosted Madison and Idaho Falls last night and came away with two convincing wins. They met 4A opponent Madison first and all but ran the table on them—giving up only one loss in an 8-6 thriller at 112 lbs. Next up was the more-engaging dual of the evening where the 4A and 5A perennial powerhouses squared off.

Idaho Falls was able to establish a strong presence early on with 215 Christian Denny’s impressive win over Blackfoot’s Garrett Buck. But Blackfoot responded quickly by way of Roberto Chavez, who bested his top-ranked opponent in an exhausting 4-1 decision.

The Bronco’s really caught their stride with 119 Matt Gallegos’s hard-fought victory. “I really worked hard for that win,” commented Gallegos. “I felt I had two obvious takedowns in the first period that were never awarded to me. That got me all fired up and the extra adrenaline definitely gave me an advantage.” He ended up winning his match by 7-5 decision. 152 Ryne Barrington also posted an impressive major decision over a tough Justin Winger.

Next up for the Broncos is a trip to Nampa for the Rollie Lane Invitational this weekend.

Blackfoot 65 Madison 9
103- Chase Green (M) forfeit
112- Ty Wilson (M) dec Kohl Bingham 8-6
119- Matt Gallegos (B) fall Tod Wilson 1:03
125- Jeremy Robbins (B) dec Carlos Ojeda 10-7
130- Koty Cook (B) forfeit
135- Blake Butler (B) fall Treven Thompson 1:05
140- Gerald Cervantes (B) mdec Tanner Chadwick 11-1
145- Charles Neff (B) fall Kyrel Andrus :32
152- Ryne Barrington (B) mdec Justin Winger 12-4
160- Jon Horak (B) fall Jake Bochneck 4:34
171- Dakota Bitton (B) forfeit
189- Zach Reay (B) fall Brock Robinson 1:59
215- Garrett Buck (B) fall Ches Ricks 1:30
HWT- Roberto Chavez (B) forfeit

Blackfoot 57 Idaho Falls 22
103- double forfeit
112- Kohl Bingham (B) fall Jon Smith 1:17
119- Matt Gallegos (B) dec B. Clemets 7-5
125- Jeremy Robbins (B) fall N. Young :51
130- Koty Cook (B) forfeit
135- Blake Butler (B) fall Julius Vasquez 1:40
140- Gerald Cervantes (B) forfeit
145- Charles Neff (B) fall C. Pongyan :36
152- Z. New (IF) fall Ryne Barrington 4:27
160- Jon Horak (B) fall M. Smith 2:12
171- J. Cox (IF) mdec Dakota Bitton 13-4
189- Zach Reay (B) dec J. Paulson 5-4
215- C. Denny (IF) fall Garrett Buck 1:37
HWT- Roberto Chavez (B) dec Eric Mena 4-1

119 Matt Gallegos mid-single leg

2010 Wrestlers

103- Matt Bigler

112- Kole Bingham

119- Stephen Agee

130- Titus Robinson

135- Stetson Jorgensen

152- Ryan Barrington

160- Chris Percy

171- Dakota Bitton

215- Garret Buck

HWT- Roberto Chavez

Not pictured:
125- Matt Gallegos
140- Gerald Cervantes
145- Charlie Neff
189- Zach Reay

Blog is back for 09-10

I’ll be continuing coverage of Broncos wrestling at this site this season. Blackfoot Morning News articles to come.

Blackfoot produces three state champions

Blackfoot's Leo Torres enjoys his first moments as 119 state champion

Blackfoot's Gerald Cervantes claims 4A honors at 135

Blackfoot's Ruben Hernandez now a 2X state champion

In one of the most courageous efforts in Blackfoot wrestling history, the Bronco wrestling team defied all critics, coming up just 6.5 points short of a team title at the state tournament, finishing second behind the heretofore heralded “untouchable” Columbia Wildcats.

Despite the second place team finish, Blackfoot demonstrated individual superiority in three state champions: Leo Torres 119, Gerald Cervantes 135, and Ruben Hernandez 171.

Torres took a disciplined path to his state title, dropping to 119 after wrestling his junior season at 125. In a very literal way, his state championship aspirations required round-the-clock focus. He faced Nampa’s Kody Hansen (40-4) in the 119 finals, and won an 8-2 decision—giving up only escape points. “I looked up at the clock with 15 seconds to go and I knew I was going to be a state champion,” said Torres. “At that point it was all I could do to keep wrestling. I was overcome by what was about to happen, and I wanted so badly to celebrate.” Blackfoot head coach Brian Barlow added, “It was an honor to witness such pure happiness coming from Leo. That’s a moment I’m going to treasure.”

Cervantes kept the Blackfoot faithful on the edge of their seats until the very end. His Lakeland opponent, Tristan Storrs (32-7), pushed the match into overtime before Cervantes closed the matter with an impossible double leg takedown. Cervantes, a junior, showcased outstanding physical conditioning throughout state tournament—enabling him to push the pace of his matches and execute in overtime.

Hernandez, a defending state champion, also won an overtime thriller against Columbia’s Adrian Dickinson (44-6). “Last year I was wrestling at 160, which is more of a speed-oriented weight. Dickinson was really strong, so he was more of a challenge, strength wise, than what I’m used to.” When asked what a second state title meant to him, he replied with household implications: “It looks like Alfonso doesn’t have anything on me now.” Alfonso, also a two-time state champion, is Ruben’s older brother.

In addition to its state champions, Blackfoot also claimed seven additional state medals: Juan Navarro (soph. 103) 4th, Dana Williams (sen. 103) 6th, Stetson Jorgensen (soph. 125) 6th, Kyle Williams (sen. 130) 2nd, Charlie Neff (jun. 145) 6th, Chris Percy (jun. 152) 3rd, and Roberto Chavez (jun. 215) 3rd.

“My seniors mean a great deal to me,” said Barlow. “I want to give them my thanks for an awesome ride this season. They worked hard and they’re all an inspiration to me.” When asked who he was particularly impressed with he explained, “Kyle Williams was the backbone of this team. My heart goes out to him for his close loss (4-2) in the finals. A wrestler of his caliber should, and almost always does, get a happy ending. He should hold his head high.”

Barlow also said he was impressed with his younger wrestlers. “Stetson Jorgensen and Chris Percy are probably the most improved wrestlers this year. I’m proud that they’re putting in the effort to step up to the next level.” Blackfoot will return seven state placers next year and number of other state qualifiers—keeping them, as always, competitive for another state title. “Blackfoot wrestling has a heritage of success,” said Barlow. “And this returning talent is a direct product of who has gone before them.”

Blackfoot – Columbia battle for 4A supremacy

Blackfoot's Leo Torres elevates in his quarterfinals match.

After one day of wrestling in the books, the Broncos are in contention for a third consecutive state title. Of 19 qualifiers, they advanced seven to the semifinals and six to the consolation quarterfinals. As a team, Blackfoot is just 7.5 points behind tournament leader Columbia.

Blackfoot’s Leo Torres 119 posted a pair of 8-0 major decisions on the day and is now set to wrestle Jerome’s Cory Cummins in the semifinals tomorrow morning. “It’s exciting to finally be competing at state,” said Torres. “I’ve been looking forward to this all year long.” Torres and Cummins have met previously this season, where Torres prevailed.

Steven Agee 119 is one of Blackfoot’s six wrestlers still alive in the consolation bracket. He and his counterparts need to win just one more match to be guaranteed a state medal. Interestingly, that match for Agee will be against a Columbia wrestler. Dana Williams 103 and Stetson Jorgensen 125 are in the same situation. These three early morning matches may prove pivotal as to who will be atop the team standings at the end of the day.

Saturday Wrestling Schedule
9:00 A.M. – Consolation quarterfinals
11:00 – Championship semifinals
1:00 – Consolation semifinals
3:00 – Consolation finals
5:30 – Parade of Champions
5:45 – Championship finals