Finding success early in the season doesn’t just set standards for the remainder of the year. It also fuels the hunger and desire to maintain that success or even exceed it down the line.
That’s the feeling that Bradyn Dowling felt at the Rob Mickel wrestling tournament in Salida on Dec. 11.
He battled his way into the championship match of the 220-pound bracket, picking up back-to-back pins. He got Gunnison’s Preston Gomez in the first period and Dolores Huerta’s Leo Banuelos in the second.
He fell in the championship match but came away with second place overall, giving him a big spark as he looks ahead to the rest of the season.
“If I can wrestle and be a senior and get to that point now, that means I’m getting better,” Dowling said. “It also means I can get to it further down the line at state. It was a really big confidence booster.”
Dowling wasn’t the only wrestler to come away with a positive experience as Cole Sinclair finished fifth in the 152-pound bracket, getting more than just one Mustangs onto the podium.
The girls also had an admirable showing at the Mesa Ridge tournament on the same day. Abby Reeves advanced to the quarterfinals, while
Hannah Hollick-Mitchell made her way into the semifinals before suffering her first loss of the tournament.
With a relatively small sample size to work with heading into the winter break, coach Paul Bonner is pleased with what he’s seeing from his teams.
“We had groups go to two places and have success,” Bonner said. “I guess that’s part of the plan, get kids more mat time and get them to have some positive experiences and keep growing and getting better.”
The Mustangs lost their Tuesday, Dec. 14, dual against Sand Creek, their last bit of competition before the break. They return to the mat on Jan. 8, when they travel to the Denver South Invitational.