Buckaroo wrestlers gain momentum

The Monticello Buckaroo wrestlers came back strong from the Christmas Break, bringing home a fifth place finish from the Rocky Mountain Wrestling Tournament in Pagosa Springs, CO.
It’s one of the highest team finishes for the Bucks at the prestigious 20-team tournament which features many top Colorado and New Mexico schools.
The Bucks earned a fifth place finish with only eight wrestlers competing.
Leading the team is Coltan Musselman, who cruised with pins in the first three rounds before winning 13-9 in the finals.   Only a handful of Buckaroos have achieved a top place at the tournament.
Hunter Bowring, Brian Robinson, CJ Cordasco and Trevor Wagstaff earned hard-fought second place medals.  
Freshman Austin Wilcox earned a fourth place finish in his first outing. Dailyn Warren finished seventh.
The Buckaroo wrestlers were impressive at the Shiprock Tournament over the weekend, bringing home a second place team trophy.
The Bucks competed in five dual meets on Friday, defeating Whitehorse, Kirtland, Shiprock and Wingate. The only loss came from Aztec.   
On the second day of the tournament, each team member competed in a weight class bracket.
Finishing atop the podium are Hunter Bowring and CJ Cordasco. Bowring won each match by fall.
Cordasco faced an Aztec wrestler who defeated him the previous day and found himself behind 4-0 in the final seconds. He made a quick move from the bottom, reversing his opponent and putting him on his back. The strong move by Cordasco took his opponent by surprise,  brought the crowd to their feet, and earned him five points and the win.  
The coaches voted for Cordasco to receive an outstanding wrestler award.  
Bringing home second place hardware are Dailyn Warren and Austin Wilcox. Third place medals go to Brian Robinson, Tim Ryan, Trevor Wagstaff and John Mayne. 
Buckaroo Coltan Musselman represented Monticello at the the Utah High School Wrestling All-Star match.   He faced an opponent from 4A Maple Mountain. Musselman worked hard, falling just short of a win in a one-point loss. Over the weekend, he placed eighth in a tough weight class at the Rocky Mountain Rumble.
This week the Buckaroos host the Dove Creek Bulldogs on Thursday at 7 p.m. and travel to Moab on Wednesday to take on the Red Devils at 7 p.m.