Steamboat Pilot & Today

Steamboat Springs — Any person who thought wrestling took a back seat in Hayden missed Thursday’s dual meet with Moffat County.

In a Hayden High School gym as packed as it has been all year, two schools with deep roots in wrestling saw an undermanned Hayden team fall, 51-18.

The Tigers and Bulldogs, however, each went 4-4 in head-to-head matches.

“It just goes to show you that wrestling around here still matters,” said Hayden coach Ty Camilletti, whose team was in front of its home crowd for the first time this year. “We only had about 12 kids on the team, but we had a packed house.”

Hayden, still without the services of four of its top wrestlers because of injury, knew it would be behind and have an uphill battle to compete with Moffat.

The Tigers couldn’t fill five weight classes and were forced to forfeit those matches.

Still, there was some intrigue.

Hayden’s Journey Vreeman, filling in for an injured T-Lane Mazzola, picked up a hard-fought 6-3 win against Moffat’s Casey Barnes.

At 103 pounds, Kaiden Decker went into the third period with the Bulldogs’ Owen Nichols tied at 5, before two mistakes cost Decker an 11-7 match.

“Journey Vreeman wrestled well, and Kaiden, he went hard but cost himself a couple points on his own,” Camilletti said. “But we win with effort and lose with effort. I don’t want to see our kids lay down for anybody, and they didn’t.”

Hayden also got wins at 130 pounds from Scott Armbruster, 171 pounds from Ryan Domson and 215 pounds from Treyben Letlow.

Each won easily, with Letlow putting on a show for the home crowd and pinning Moffat’s Ben Winslow 27 seconds into the second period.

“I work hard in practice, and that’s what you get on the mat,” Letlow said. “But this is definitely the best one with your home crowd cheering you on. It was a great crowd. You have to give them props.”

Hayden continues action at 1 p.m. Saturday at home. The team will host Meeker and Glenwood Springs in a pair of duals.