FLORENCE \u2014 In its last rankings, onthemat.com had Eagle Valley as the No. 7 team in the state in 3A.<\/p>\n
When the new numbers come out on Thursday, the Devils may have moved up a notch or two \u2014 or more \u2014 after winning the Mel Smith Husky Invitational last weekend.<\/p>\n
With the caveat that some tournaments are more equal than others, the Mel Smith is also known as “mini-3A state.” Last weekend, eight of the state’s top 10 3A teams were gathered in Florence and the Devils made their presence known.<\/p>\n
While the state tourney is about a month away, Eagle Valley certainly threw its collective hat into the ring in that regard.<\/p>\n
“I was anxious about the first round on Saturday,” Devils coach Luke Cross said about the tournament’s quarterfinals. “Saturday was pivotal I think we only lost two matches that round, which is good given how strong the field is. I knew if we kept rolling, that the tournament could be ours.”<\/p>\n
Not only did the Devils bring home their first Mel Smith trophy, but:<\/p>\n
The last two factors, perhaps indicate that, as well as the Devils, did last weekend that there is still a bit more of a ceiling for the team as the season progresses.<\/p>\n
“I can look at it now and say it’s a good thing that the boys who made the first- and third-place matches didn’t win,” Cross said. “They’re still hungry. And it’s showed in the first two days of practice this week.”<\/p>\n
One of the great paradoxes of wrestling is that it’s an individual and team sport simultaneously. For 6 minutes \u2014 and those 6 minutes seem a lot longer than 360 seconds \u2014 at a time, it’s an Eagle Valley wrestler against another combatant with no help in sight.<\/p>\n
Yet success breeds success and members of a squad can generate team momentum. That’s what happened with the Devils last weekend. They fed off each other\u2019s energy.<\/p>\n
While podium finishes score the most points, it takes everyone on the roster from 106-pounder Matthew Medina to heavyweight Abraham Garcia winning matches. Points earned in the wrestle-back, or consolation bracket, are big as well as making the championship match of a weight class. Every Devils wrestler won matches this weekend.<\/p>\n
“Every single person on our team scored points. I don’t even think we did that at our home meet,” Cross joked. “Once we got rolling, everyone rallied and it was pretty cool.”<\/p>\n
While the Devils likely turned some heads, particularly on the Front Range with their performance, there’s still a lot of season to go.<\/p>\n
“I’ve always thought in the back of my head that we had a team that could put it together for the Pepsi Center,” Cross said of the site of the state tournament. “But obviously that’s one month away and we have to keep improving.”<\/p>\n
To that end, Eagle Valley is at the Northglenn Norse Invitational on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Mel Smith Husky Invitational<\/strong><\/p>\n Team results<\/strong><\/p>\n Individual results<\/strong><\/p>\n 106 pounds \u2014 Matthew Medina, second.<\/p>\n 120 \u2014 Luke Morrissey, fourth.<\/p>\n 132 \u2014 Lucas Comroe, second.<\/p>\n 138 \u2014 Ryder Bossow, fourth.<\/p>\n 152 \u2014 Noah Baldwin, second.<\/p>\n 182 \u2014 Davis Ward, third.<\/p>\n 220 \u2014 Cody Ponce, third.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n\n