GREAT FALLS, Mont. – No. 4 Argo wrestling had 11 placers during the Battle of the Rockies Open on Saturday to close out the two-day event.
At 125, No. 14 Michael Lefuel after earning a second period pin, he fell in a 4-1 decision to Joshua Nira of Embry Riddle in the quarterfinals and then fell in a 11-5 decision to MSU-Northern's Rob Pair in the consolation semi. He placed fifth after winning by forfeit in the fifth-place match.
TJ Baun and Chris Mesa both did some work at 133 pounds. TJ Baun advanced to the championship match to take on Bat-Erdene Boldmaa of Northwest Tech (Kan.), placing second. After falling down 6-1, Baun outscored the Maverick 6-2 to get back within one, 8-7. However, Boldmaa was able to garner an escape and one final takedown in the final seconds of take the match. Chris Mesa fell to Boldmaa in the semifinal match but ended up falling in the third-place match by a pin to claim fourth.
In the 149-pound weight class, No. 5 Shonn Roberts earned a shutout 4-0 decision to earn his spot in the championship match. Roberts placed third after falling in a 13-6 decision to McKendree's Isaiah Kemper. After a first period stalemate, Roberts fell down by 11-1 due to two near falls. Roberts outscored Kemper in the final period, 5-2, but the deficit was just a little out of reach.
At 157 pounds, No. 2 Casey Dobson earned a sudden victory with a first overtime takedown to advance to the semifinals. Dobson fell down by three after the first period, 4-1. Jones tallied one more point in the second period to make it 5-1. Casey match Jones point for point in the final period but eventually fell by four, 10-6. Jarren Komac fell in the first round but was able to battle his way back before falling for the second time in the consolation semifinals against his first-round opponent, Taner Stone of Dickinson State. Stone tallied two points in the opening period to take the early advantage, 2-0. Komac tied things up as he earned a reversal, but Stone was able to pick up a reversal of his own to push the lead back to two, 4-2. Neither side could pick up points in the final period, but Stone tallied an extra point for riding time to take the 5-2 victory.
Josh Beckler advanced to the semifinals in 165 pounds, before falling to MSU-Northern's Andrew Bartel. Beckler fell in the consolation semifinals to play in the fifth-place match but fell one last time in a 14-8 decision to earn sixth.
At 174, No. 2 Adrian Lyons-Lopez advanced to the take on MSU-Northern's Chris Nile. After giving up an escape in the first and second period, Adrian earned an escape of his own in the third period but just couldn't tally a takedown before falling in the 2-1 decision. Lyons-Lopez earned a first period pin to participate in the consolation championship. After a first period stalemate, Lyons-Lopez tallied five points in the second and third periods to take a sold 10-1 decision to place third.
In the 184-pound weight class, Tyler Webley fell in the first round to MSU-Northern's Steeler French in a 7-5 sudden victory. He earned his way to a spot in the consolation championship, which ended up being a rematch against French. Webley tallied a takedown and two escapes in the first two periods, while French only took a reversal to lead 4-2. However, French let things loose in the final period to outscore Webley 7-1 before taking the 9-5 decision to put Webley into fourth.
No. 7 John Hensley battled his way through the 197-pound bracket to earn his spot in the championship match against Isaac Bartel of MSU-Northern. Hensley earned an escape in the first period to take a 1-0 lead into the final two minutes. Bartel picked up an escape and a takedown at the state of the period to take the lead but Hensley only tallied two more escapes, with Bartel tallying six points to place Hensley in second, 6-3.
For the heavyweights, No. 6 Matthew Hopkins advanced all the way to the championship match and claimed the co-championship after finishing with a double forfeit.
Up Next
The Argos will participate in one more tournament before the holiday break as they travel to Phoenix, Arizona on December 16 to compete in the Great Plains Athletic Conference Duals.