One year ago, Mancos High School sophomore Rudy Archuleta wondered whether he would ever wrestle at the high school level.
Now, the Bluejays' 113-pounder is headed to the Colorado State Wrestling Tournament.
Archuleta qualifies for state
Competing alongside his Mancos teammates at the 2A Region 1 Tournament in Grand Junction, Feb. 14-15, Archuleta was nothing short of spectacular.
After opening the Tournament with a loss to Dolores High School's Richard Martinez, Archuleta battled back, recording a decision win over Hayden's Michael Ferrier and a pin victory over Paonia's Gabe Ferguson.
Although Archuleta lost his final match of the tournament to Martinez, the Bluejays' sophomore finished fourth overall, thus qualifying for the State Tournament.
"Archuleta wrestled with so much heart," said Bluejays' head coach Grant Hobbs. "He battled just like he has all season."
With his record now at 14-15 on the year, Archuleta will look to make waves at the state tournament, where he will open against John Mall High School's Marshal Ross (26-9).
Archuleta's match will take place sometime between 3 p.m. and 6:15 p.m. on Feb. 20.
Bluejays show improvement
While Archuleta's five teammates fell short of the state tournament, the group performed admirably, showing vast improvement from early in the year.
Leading the way for the Bluejays was 145-pound sophomore Andrew Morgan (14-17), who finished the Region 1 Tournament with a 2-2 record.
Also competing for the Bluejays were Everett Strazza Whalen (7-25), Bowen Strazza-Whalen (1-16), Austin Howerton (3-15) and Hunter Kourek (1-16), who wrestled well, despite failing to win a match.
As a team, the Bluejays finished 11th overall in the 12-team tournament.
Even with the team's low finish however, Hobbs was impressed with his group's progression.
"This was our first year and we made tremendous strides," said Hobbs. I am confident that we will continue getting better with experience."
