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Hayden Middle School hosted the annual Northwest Invitational Tournament for wrestling this weekend, drawing the toughest teams in the area.

With the Moffat County Bulldogs and Meeker Cowboys presenting their best, the Hayden Tigers had their work cut out for them on their quest for team gold.

"We are a marked team after our performance last week in Soroco, and everyone is gunning for us. We wanted to prove our dominance over the Cowboys and show Moffat County that Hayden is a force to be reckoned with." Hayden coach Dallas Robinson said.

Because of sickness, injury and a lack of heavier participants, the Tigers found themselves unable to present a full line-up for the competition.

"There are 18 weight classes this week, and we can only fill 14. Holes in our roster make it difficult to go head to head with great tournament teams like Moffat County. All of our wrestlers have to score maximum points on their way to the finals if we hope to be in the fight for a team title," Robinson said.

Hayden and Craig trailed the powerhouse Meeker Cowboys by more than 30 points midway through the tournament. Turning up the heat in the semi-finals, Hayden and Craig overcame the point deficit and found themselves grappling for the lead going into the final round.

Mitchell Doolin (115 pounds) clinched a third period win against undefeated Rangely wrestler, Chance Holcomb.

After proving his dominance last week, Doolin wrestled up a weight class, capturing an individual gold and earning the Most Valuable Wrestler award for his performance throughout the tournament.

The Tigers closely trailed Meeker and Craig as the finals progressed to the 145-pound weight class. With no one to fill the 155-pound division, it was up to Coy Letlow (145) and Haylen Raymond (heavyweight) to secure the second-place trophy for Hayden.

"We knew that Meeker's Bubba Mazzola (155) would pin for a victory. This meant that both our wrestlers would have to win, and at least one of them would have to pin. I decided to lay it on the line and put the pressure on both of them," Robinson said.

In a tough match, Letlow was unable to score a pin on Moffat County's Clancy Garoutte. Mazzola pinned his opponent to regain the lead for Meeker.

Hayden's Haylen Raymond then scored a much-needed pin against Craig's Logan Foster to earn a gold medal and a second-place finish for Hayden.

"It was a tough day," coach Ty Zable said. "Our boys rose to the occasion. I can't express how proud of them I am."