Head coach for the Mustangs Rob McCabe told the Forum on Sunday after returning from the regional wrestling tournament in Grand Junction that elementary and middle school kids qualified for the state tournament.
Nucla sent three elementary school wrestlers and 10 middle school wrestlers into regionals, and nine of those are now headed to Denver Thursday, March 20. In the elementary grades, that is Emily Johnson, who took fourth place, and Cooper Schurtz, who was second. McCabe said the younger kids are coached regularly by Tryllen Richards and Freddie Smith in their West End club.
In the middle school, Oscar Cooper, wrestling at 70 pounds, took fourth place — and for the middle school the Top 7 get to head to state. Cooper had been wrestling at 75 pounds, but made the cut for 70 pounds for regionals. Sadly, Austin Shurtz and Lochlan Shultz both got beat out at 70 pounds.
Tristan Rodriguez, at 95 pounds, wrestled well but came up short.
Branson McCabe took seventh, and he heads to state. He had to wrestle Mason Harris, of Norwood, in the consolation bracket and lost 10-6.
“But the last time we wrestled Mason, he beat us 15-0 in the first period,” coach said. “It was nice to see Branson could close the gap. It wasn’t the butt-kicking we had before. After the match, Randy (Harris) came up to Branson and said ‘that was awesome, what you did.’ They’re rivals up the road, but we all cheer and root for each other.”
At 110-pounds, Hunter Johnson took first place at the regional tournament.
“That was probably the best I’ve seen him wrestle all year,” said McCabe. “It was just really good.”
At 125 pounds, Xaden Caruso took second place and pinned his way into the finals.
At 130 pounds, Jonah Richardson took seventh, though he had some nerves and didn’t wrestle like he usually does. Coach said he could’ve had those first few matches, and Richardson knows it.
Additionally, Nucla is sending girls into the state tournament. Brier Osborne, first-year wrestler in the sixth grade, took fourth place. Coach said wrestling at Colorado Mesa University in such a big venue was a lot for her, but she made it happen.
“It’s cool to see, what she’s been able to do,” he said.
Coach’s daughter, Kynnlie McCabe, took second place. The regional tournament provided her with her third and fourth losses for the season, and coach said that was “humbling.” An eighth-grader, she’s had a “phenomenal” run.
Overall, the kids are having fun and believing in themselves. McCabe said it was really a great thing to succeed in league wrestling and then to have them go into big tournaments in Gunnison, Delta and Montrose and end up in the top half, when Nucla is such a small school.
For him personally, the stress and high stakes of high school wrestling are over, and working with the younger ones is just “an absolute blast.” He said he gets to help them just be their best selves, as students and athletes.
The kids will leave for Denver on Thursday, ride with their parents, and get ready to weigh in on Friday morning. Friday will see the first two or three matches, with the semifinals, consolation and finals on Saturday.
Coach said there’s a very good chance Nucla will have some state placers next weekend.
