Buckaroos start wrestling season

by Anna Thayn

The start of December brings with it many reasons to celebrate, one being the start of another season of Monticello High School Buckaroo Wrestling. 

This season the team has proclaimed that the “Buckaroos are Back” and are setting their sights on a repeat of the 2009 State Wrestling Championship.

This weekend the team took on their first test by attending the Carbon Tournament in Price, UT.  Due in large part to weight loss regulations imposed by the state, the Bucks were open this week at five weights, giving up 30 points in each dual they wrestled.

Despite the huge deficit they faced, the Bucks defeated American Leadership Academy 54-24, Park City 48-21, Carbon B 32-18, Wasatch JV 54-24, and Grand 47-28. 

The Buckaroos also defeated the only other 1A team to attend the tournament, the Duchesne Eagles, 39-33.  The Bucks lost in only one head to head match up against the Eagles, in a very close 2-0 match. In the end, Monticello tied the team from Orem at 42, but Orem won the dual based on tie breaker criteria. The team came up short and were defeated by Tooele and Carbon.

All nine of the Buckaroos who wrestled at the tournament came home with winning records.  

Leading the way for Monticello is Tazz Robinson, who racked up a perfect 8-0 record, winning all of his matches by fall.

David Boyle was also undefeated on the weekend.  Boyle wrestled five matches in the JV tournament before taking over the varsity spot for his final three wins for his 8-0 finish.

Coltan Musselman was 6-0 before having to forfeit his last match due to injury. Musselman was leading the match 9-5 at the time.

CJ Cordasco and Adam Martinez were both 7-1 on the weekend, dominating their opponents, each with six of their wins by fall.

Ricky Wilcox finished at 7-2, with a heartbreaking 2-0 loss in a tough battle against Duchesne.

Skyler Hall and MJ Wagstaff were strong for the Buckaroos, each finishing with 6-2 records and earning all of their wins by fall.

Rounding things out for the squad were Brian Robinson and Tyrel Shupe.  Robinson finished 6-3 and Shupe at 5-3.

In their first week the Bucks tallied 62 wins and only 13 losses. The Buckaroo team was dominant in their wins, getting 52 by pin and two by technical fall. The fastest pins on the weekend were earned by Adam Martinez: 16 seconds, Tazz Robinson: 21 seconds and Skyler Hall: 23 seconds. 

Overall, seven Buckaroos won by fall in under a minute in 15 matches.  Martinez had three, Robinson and Hall each had two.  Other Bucks with quick pins were Ricky Wilcox, Tyrel Shupe, and MJ Wagstaff each with two and CJ Cordasco.

The Bucks squad looks promising this year with good leadership coming from the returning state placers, several promising new recruits, and the younger wrestlers showing great potential. 

Once they get team members into their proper weight classes, the Bucks should have only one open weight this season, and have at least two wrestlers at nearly every weight. 

This weekend, the Bucks travel to the Juab Tournament in Nephi.  They will wrestle in their first non-tournament dual next Wednesday, December 16, at Grand County High School in Moab.