Last Thursday afternoon, on June 15, inside CSU-Pueblo’s Massari Arena at the 2023 Colorado High School Coaches Association All-State Games, Nucla’s Rylie McCabe didn’t have long to dodge disaster during her wrestling days’ penultimate two minutes.
Able to construct a 4-2 lead on Ignacio’s Faye Hackett after one period and then grow her advantage to 9-2 — via a late near-fall — the graduated senior suddenly found herself in a precarious position during the third period as both 2A San Juan Basin Leaguers strove for a victory.
“If my belly button’s facing the sky, I am in trouble,” she explained, grinning while recalling how Hackett had her in danger of being pinned to the mat covering Harry H. Simmons Court. “So I just knew I had to get my hips up and not go to my back … make sure I was in a better position than her. That’s what was going through my head.”
Composed enough to wriggle free and regain control on top, McCabe — then leading the 130-pounders’ showdown by a comfortable 12-2 margin — soon clutched and stretched out Hackett’s left arm, finding leverage to press the Lady Bobcat’s shoulder down and finalize the fall with just 30 seconds remaining.
“This was just a fun way to end the season,” said McCabe, set to build upon her father and NHS head wrestling coach Rob McCabe’s legacy at Adams State University (NCAA Div. II) in Alamosa. “State didn’t go exactly how I wanted it, so this was a great last match of my high-school career before college.”
“It almost felt nostalgic, you know, just being here … on the mat for probably the last time,” Hackett said. “Even though I lost, I still had a lot of fun.”
McCabe’s six-point stick gave Team Blue, guided by 3A Eaton’s Tony Mustari and 5A Centennial Eaglecrest’s Javier Quintana, a 10-6 lead three bouts into the dual, but Hackett and Red prevailed 47-38 after 15 subsequent pairings. Hackett’s slated test against 5A Boulder Fairview’s Sydney Wu — who’d repped the Boulder Valley School District in 2022-23 by suiting up for 4A Broomfield, and who’d already beaten 4A Denver South’s Kiana Suro by 15-5 major decision — was scratched.
“The atmosphere here was great; everyone was super kind, welcoming,” McCabe said. “I didn’t know Hackett very well, but we became close, and it was fun to wrestle her. It was like wrestling a friend.”
McCabe is happy to have competed in the all-state games.
“This year, my senior year, was my first year wrestling, and I wasn’t done,” she added. “I didn’t think I’d like it as much, but it’s just … the drive and the mental state you have to have, the physical attributes you have to have to be able to make somebody do what they don’t want to do. Even if you do lose, you’re winning because you know what to work on next.”
