Sophomores make up most of Arvada Bulldogs mat team

Besides gaining valuable mat experience, the young Arvada wrestlers earned enough points to help the Bulldogs finish 18th at the 12th Annual Sheridan Invitational Tournament.

“We are a very young team and we are fighting the battle with numbers,” Bulldogs Coach Andy Sandoval said during the Dec. 19 Sheridan tournament. “Most of our 14 wrestlers are sophomores, so a tournament like this helps our kids get mat experience and helps build their confidence. We are rebuilding, see where we want to be and working to get there.”

Arvada took part in the Dec. 19 Sheridan tournament that included teams of all classifications from Class 2A Ellicott, Class 4A Conifer and Class 5A Rampart.

The tournament was held in the gymnasium of the new Sheridan Middle School and drew a large crowd with few vacant seats in the bleachers that covered one wall of the gym. There were few quiet moments as the friends, families and members of the 23 teams in the tournament cheered on their favorite wrestlers.

LaJunta, a Class 3A school, won the team title with 176 points and finished well ahead of Class 4A Classic Academy with 130 points. Arvada was 19th with 10 points in the 23-team field.

Other area teams in the tournament included Faith Christian, which finished ninth with 67 points; Alameda, 10th with 61 points; and Skyview 17th with 30 points.

Arvada 145-pounder Larry Mair posted the best individual finish for the Bulldogs, finishing fifth in his weight division. His teammate, Larry Vigil, finished 12th at 182 pounds.

Because of the number of schools taking part in the competition, Sheridan used a 16 wrestler scramble format. The initial bracket had slots for 16 wrestlers. But instead of the traditional double-elimination format, the scramble format divided the 16 spots into four pools of four wrestlers each. It was still a double elimination format in which the winner of each pool then advanced to the eight-wrestler championship semifinals, and the losers in the championship rounds moved into the consolation bracket.

Three mats were set up on the gym floor and the action was non-stop. A computer problem slowed progress, but action continued until champions were crowned in all 13 weight divisions.