Your future, our focus
The top-ranked Northwest College wrestling team went 1-1 in two road duals, the team’s first of the season, Nov. 13-14.
The Trappers lost to Colorado Mesa 25-13 on Nov. 13 and then routed Western Wyoming 31-6 the following day.
Northwest fell to the Mavericks in a meet coach Jim Zeigler said was there for the taking.
“We felt like we should have won it,” Zeigler said. “There were at least two other matches we should have won.”
Northwest was 4-6 against the Mavericks but suffered a couple lost opportunities.
Freshman Jonathon Wixom led Colorado Mesa’s Paco Retana in the 197-pound bout by two with just 12 seconds remaining in the second period when he was pinned.
“They get a 6-point victory when we were in line for a 3-point victory,” Zeigler said.
Redshirt freshman Brenden Turner came out on the wrong side of a 6-2 decision in the 133-pound bout, but assistant coach Bernie Dupuy said Turner “wrestled a good, clean match.”
“There wasn’t very many mistakes,” Dupuy said. “Turner just wasn’t getting in his shots.”
Northwest’s four wins came from its top wrestlers.
Cody Vichi (125), Zac Loveless (141), Jeff McCormick (157) and Miles Nixon (184) all won their matches handily.
“They all did exactly what they were expected to do,” Zeigler said.
Vichi won by a 7-1 decision, Loveless by a 15-7 major decision and Nixon shut out Green River native Scott Verner 3-0.
McCormick defeated a familiar face in Powell native Trevor Donarski by a 9-3 decision.
Sophomore Diorian Coleman, who is ranked No. 1 in the 165-pound class, lost by a 7-3 decision to Jessie Hoffschneider.
Red shirt freshman Hayden Heap was pinned in the 149 bout, freshman Jacob Beck (174) lost by a 14-1 major decision and Gabriel Escobedo lost 1-0 to Jordan Passehl in the heavyweight bout.
The Trappers lost only two bouts Thursday at Western Wyoming.
Turner turned things around after a close loss to Colorado Mesa. He won 6-5 despite being down 4-2 early in the match.
“He got taken down twice right off the bat and from that point on wrestled a real good match to come back and win,” Dupuy said.
Heap also rebounded to win by decision after being pinned the day before.
“He looked a lot better,” Dupuy said. “As a freshman coming in that’s a big dual meet. It’s an in-state rivalry and he really stepped up.”
Vichi and Loveless won by fall, Coleman McCormick and Wixom won by decision and Nixon won by major decision.
Dupuy said Northwest’s sophomores “pretty much took it (the dual) over and showed some real leadership.”
Sophomore Cole McArthur (174) lost by an 8-2 decision and Escobedo lost 6-2.
Complete results from the Western Wyoming dual were not available.
The Trappers will travel to Montana State University- Northern for a dual today (Thursday). The team then heads to Great Falls, Mont., for duals against University of Great Falls and Southern Oregon University.
“We got a brutal, brutal trip in front of us,” Zeigler said.
Montana State-Northern was ranked second in the NAIA preseason poll, Great Falls was sixth and Southern Oregon eighth.