GUNNISON, Colo. – The Adams State Grizzlies wrapped up their regular season in a hard-fought dual against RMAC rival Western Colorado but ultimately fell short, dropping the contest 30-14. Despite the loss, the Grizzlies saw standout performances in the rivalry matchup.
The dual kicked off at 125 pounds, where No. 5-ranked Isaiah Gamez got Adams State rolling with a dominant performance, securing a first-period takedown before locking up a pin at the 4:43 mark over Roberto Estrada. That gave the Grizzlies an early 6-0 lead.
Western Colorado answered back at 133 pounds when Devin Gomez caught Jakob Romero in a scramble and secured a fall at 5:30. Romero started strong for the Grizzlies but couldn't capitalize moving forward, evening the team score at 6-6.
At 141, No. 6-ranked Angel Flores put on a scoring clinic, racking up takedowns and nearfall points en route to a dominant 15-2 major decision over Eyan Chavez. Flores pushed for a technical fall but had to settle for the major decision, putting ASU back in front, 10-6.
Western quickly responded at 149, where No. 5-ranked Dean Noble edged out Kieran Thompson in a tight 7-5 decision. Thompson started strong with the first takedown, but Noble responded. Later in the match, Thompson appeared to secure another takedown, but it was not awarded even after a coach's challenge. The loss cut the ASU lead to 10-9.
No. 6-ranked Aaden Valdez extended the Grizzlies' lead again at 157 pounds, controlling No. 17-ranked Vincent Cabral with riding time and arm bars throughout the match for a convincing 8-0 major decision, making it 14-9 in favor of Adams State.
Unfortunately for ASU, that would be their final win of the night, as Western Colorado rattled off six straight victories to close out the dual.
At 165, Walker Heckendorf picked up an 8-3 decision over Levi Deaguero, and at 174, No. 3-ranked Cole Hernandez secured an 18-3 technical fall over Dallas Porter to swing the momentum in Western's favor.
No. 14-ranked Cole Gray continued the Mountaineers' run at 184 pounds, earning an 11-2 major decision over Sergio Zaragoza. Sage Harrison followed up with a fall at 197, pinning Josh Coon at the four-minute mark to put Western firmly in control.
In the final bout of the night, Riley Dean-Butt capped things off for the Mountaineers with a 10-4 decision over Ronan Melani at heavyweight, sealing the 30-14 victory for Western Colorado.
With the dual season complete, the Grizzlies will compete in one final open tournament at the Rocky Mountain Collegiate Open on Sunday, Feb. 16, at 10 a.m. at Colorado School of Mines. After a short break, the Grizzlies will return to Gunnison for the West Regional Tournament on March 1. Adams State finished the dual season with a 3-6 record.
