Buckaroo wrestlers return in form

by Anna Fredericks
The Monticello Buckaroo wrestlers came back from the holiday break with a busy week to start the second half of the season.
Four Bucks participated in the Utah All Stars Dual, followed by a dual win over Grand County and strong finishes at tournaments in Durango and Pagosa Springs over the weekend.
The Buckaroo mat men finished eighth at the Rocky Mountain Invitational in Pagosa Springs with a team of only eight wrestlers.  The tournament is one of the toughest tournaments of the year.
Leading the team are seniors Brandon Musselman and Cole Eldredge and Freshman Zac Musselman, who all brought home championship medals. The three Buckaroos cruised to the finals, dominating their competition and picking up four wins by fall and a technical fall between them. 
In the finals, Zac Musselman was in a 0-0 battle before earning a win by fall early in the second period.  Eldredge won his championship match 8-1.
After Brandon Musselman put a 7-3 win in the books, he received an Outstanding Wrestler award.
Shandon Bradford and Brayson Wilcox had wins in round one and two but came up short of the championship match with a loss in the semi-final round.
Bradford came with a third place medal with a forfeit in the final match. Wilcox finished fourth after dropping a 3-2 triple overtime heartbreaker.  
Dustin Christensen finished seventh and Parker Knudson was eighth. Spencer Squires also wrestling for the Buckaroos.
Several team members travelled to the Durango Tournament.  Bringing home first place honors are Tyler Draper at 4-0, Paul DeAnda at 5-0, and Thomas Anderson at 3-0.
Clayton Westcott, 2-1 and Tacovi Warren, 4-1 each had a second place finish, followed by Justin Cecil with a third place finish at 2-2 for the weekend.
Earlier in the week, four Buckaroo wrestlers represented the 1A team at the Utah All-Star Dual. Brayson Wilcox, Shandon Bradford, Brandon Musselman and Cole Eldredge all were chosen by the selection committee to participate in the annual event.
All four Buckaroos worked hard against tough competition from 3-5A schools, including several returning state champions. All four came up short in their efforts but gained valuable experience at the premier event.
On Wednesday night, the Buckaroos travelled to Moab, where they defeated the Red Devils 48-15.
The night began with exhibition matches by the Jr. High team. The young Buckaroos worked hard in every match, showing the future of MHS wrestling looks bright.
In varsity action, the Buckaroos were strong, winning seven of nine in head to head matches. Shandon Bradford, Brandon Musselman and Dustin Christensen all earned wins by fall in the first period.
Not far behind were Brayson Wilcox and Drew Baird with second period wins by fall. Zac Musselman continued his perfect season with a hard fought 5-2 win. Thomas Anderson had an exciting and tense battle, coming out the victor 2-0. 
Also wrestling hard for the Buckaroos were Spencer Squires with a close 3-6 loss and Seamis Barrell with a loss by fall.
This week the Buckaroos do not have a dual as they prepare to attend the Rocky Mountain Rumble in Provo this weekend.