The wrestling season got off to a solid start for the Manitou Springs Mustangs. They saw their first competition of the season when they navigated south for the Pueblo Central Invite on Dec. 2 and three wrestlers came home with hardware.
Wesley Reeves marked his return to the team with a championship in the 190-pound bracket. Reeves qualified for state two years for the Mustangs, but didnāt wrestle with the team in 2021-22. But now that heās back, he looks like he hasnāt lost a step.
Bradyn Dowling suffered a loss in the 215-pound quarterfinals, but battled back through the consolation bracket to finish third. Brett Arnoldussen stumbled a bit earlier than Dowling as he lost his first-round match, but then won four matches in a row to also finish third.
āThe biggest energy boost really didnāt come from us placing,ā Dowling said. āItās us coming into our first matches and seeing things like Michaelray (Abeyta) getting the first pin of his high school career.
āThatās big energy for all of us. It was a great start to the day and we all wanted to grow on that.ā
Overall, it was a solid effort for the team in the seasonās first invitational, especially when thereās so much uncertainty surrounding early duals and tournaments.
āWe didnāt really go into the tournament with too many expectations,ā coach Paul Bonner said. āBut we were pleased. We had nine wresters compete and we took fifth place as a teamā out of 14 teams.
Hopefully, that has a springboard effect throughout the season. Early success can always motivate wrestlers who maybe lost their early matches to push themselves more in practice so their accomplishments can be closer in line to their teammates.
āIt gives us a good baseline and lets everyone know what weāre capable of,ā Bonner said. āWe have a mix of experience and youth and I think it sets the bar for everyone.ā
The team competed in its first dual at Peyton on Wednesday, Dec. 7, but results were not available at press time. The Mustangs head to Salida for another tournament on Saturday.
