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Soroco wrestling grabs 3 podiums

Joel Reichenberger
Colton Martindale (SO) (SOROCO) vs. Kanin Wadsworth (North Park) 113 lbs. Submitted by: Geri Bruggink
Colton

— The spots on the podium were one way to mark their success, but several members of the Soroco High School wrestling team Saturday made clear the progress they’ve made by besting rivals they’ve struggled against all season.

Senior Lauryn Bruggink won the 106-pound championship at a tournament in Rangely, defeating North Park’s Savian Wadsworth for the second consecutive time. Wadsworth not only regularly got the best of Bruggink earlier this season, he also knocked her from the regional tournament last year and kept her from the state tournament.

Sophomore Colton Martindale, meanwhile, also beat a North Park rival. He lost to Kanin Wadsworth several times this season, including Saturday morning in a preliminary round. He bounced back to win in an afternoon rematch, however, securing third place after working his way through the 113-pound consolation bracket.



“That’s hard to do,” coach Jay Whaley said about winning rematches. “It’s not just a physical thing you have to overcome, it’s a psychological one. When someone beat you up before, it’s tough to come back, but that’s what we did.”

Cody Constine also placed for the Rams, finishing fourth at 182 pounds, and Whaley also pointed to sophomore Jaxon Ovard, who didn’t place but wrestled strong.



Bruggink was voted the meet’s most outstanding wrestler for the smaller weight division.

“We had a little heart-to-heart before the whole thing started and they all went out there and just wrestled harder as a group,” Whaley said.


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