Don’t make Wes Reeves angry. The Manitou Springs senior faced arguably his toughest challenge of the year on Dec. 16, when the Mustangs hosted Salida in a dual meet. Meeting the top-ranked 215-pound wrestler in Class 3A, Reeves suffered his first loss of the season. He was pinned by Drew Johnson, ending Reeves’ bid at a perfect year. Manitou lost the dual 42-24.
The senior took out his anger at the Forrest Davis Invite at Sheridan on Dec. 17. He won his first three matches in less than a minute before pinning his final two opponents late in the first period, cementing his status as one of the state’s more dangerous grapplers. But it didn’t relieve his frustration over the loss to Johnson.
“He’s good but I should’ve gotten him,” Reeves said. “I’ll be prepared next time.”
Overall, the Mustangs put together a solid effort, finishing seventh out of 23 teams in the tournament.
“I think we do better in tournament-style situations,” coach Paul Bonner said.
“I don’t know if (the Salida loss) was because of nerves from a home meet. I know finals week got the best of some kids. But they seem to be a lot more comfortable in tournament settings.”
Familiar faces got onto the podium as Reeves took first at 190, Bradyn Dowling took sixth in the 215 bracket, Brett Arnoldussen took fifth in 138 and Michaelray Abeyta finished third in the 113 bracket.
It was an encouraging result, considering the Mustangs came away from the dual loss to Salida slightly disappointed in their performances.
That could benefit the Mustangs, considering they have high expectations for the season and hitting a roadblock didn’t trip them up for long.
“Certainly for the younger boys and girls, we don’t talk a lot about expectations and I think the kids kind of put a lot on themselves,” Bonner said.
“Saturday was a little frustrating because it was bit of a different format (with pool matches) and when a kid lost a match, a kid who would’ve normally placed and gotten on the podium didn’t get to do that. That was a little humbling.”
The Mustangs are out of action until they head to the Denver South Invite on Saturday, Jan. 7.