Junior Grapplers Compete
San Luis- The John Mall Grizzlies wrestling team competed in San Luis this past Saturday, but was unable to capture any first place finishes. According to coach Gary Bradbury, the school competed against some of the big schools, including Alamosa, Centauri and Monte Vista.
Andre Ortiz fell to defeat for the first time this season and finished second. Andre is currently 17-1. Also finishing second was Michael Smithey/Helms, Bernie Archuleta and Aaron Archuleta. Third place honors went to Jesse Niahualpa and Deborah Aguirre. Deborah is one of only a select few female wrestlers in the league and has progressed well over the season. According to her father, “She doesn’t know if she wants to follow in her brothers or sisters footsteps.” Jonathan and Brian were stand-out wrestlers this season for the Panthers, while her sisters, Rachael and Desi played basketball. “ she’s very athletic and she’ll be great at both..” Deborah is the daughter of Chuck and Josephine Aguirre. The Grizzlies will finish the season this weekend at the Rocky Mountain Regionals.
Panthers lose pair
WALSENBURG- The John Mall Panthers played host to the Tigers of Del Norte in a double-header last Saturday. In a wild pair of games which saw several hits off Cat pitcher, Jonathan Aguirre, the Tigers beat the Panthers in game one 13-5. Del Norte took an early lead on several hits and Panther errors. The Tigers opened up an 11-1 lead by the third inning before the Panthers settled down.
Game two saw 25 combined hits in a wild scoring game. The Cats failed to capitalize on Tiger errors to put the game away. In the end, the Panthers were on the losing end 15-12.
The Panthers are 0-4 for the season and are looking for their first win this Tuesday, April 1, against the La Veta Redskins. The game is scheduled for 4:30 pm in Walsenburg.
