GUNNISON, Colo. – With the opportunity to clinch a share of the RMAC Title, the Adams State Grizzlies went into Saturday primed for a win over their arch rivals. Unfortunately, they would fall in a close loss to the Western Colorado Mountaineers and miss the opportunity for conference co-supremacy.
 
The night started out strong, as John Andreatta and Darek Huff both earned three points with their victories in the 125 and 133-pound weight classes to put the Grizzlies up 6-0 after two matches. Dyaln Udero would fall in his 141-pound contest, but Noah Hermosillo would follow it with a win of his own in the 149-pound division. Following his victory, Ryan Rochford earned the Grizzlies 4 points out of the 157-pound weight class, and the Grizzlies had a sizeable lead after 5 matches, 13-3.
 
After Rochford's victory, the night would, for the most part, go sour for the Grizzlies as they would lose three in a row, allowing the Mountaineers to get right back into the contest. Khalil Gipson would momentarily stop the bleeding with his victory in the 197-pound division.
 
With the meet tied at 16, it would come down to the heavyweight division, where James Romero would ultimately fall, and the Moutaineers would earn 6 points in the match to prevail 22-16. The crushing defeat meant that the Grizzlies would not retain a share of the RMAC title with CSU-Pueblo and Colorado Mines.
 
With the regular season coming to a close, the Grizzlies have plenty to be proud of this season. Even though they will not finish on top of the conference this season, their grit and perseverance brought a competitive culture back to a historically proud program. It is safe to say that they are here to stay, and have plenty to build on moving forward.
 
The Grizzlies will send athletes to Colorado Mines Sunday for the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open. The tournament kicks off at 10 AM from Golden, CO.