Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Members of the Rattlers boys wresting team on Thursday show their custom-painted headgear in tribute to Jayden Gloms, who died in a vehicle accident last month. Gloms wore No. 22 on his basketball uniform.
The Tucumcari boys wrestling team captured its first district championship in more than 30 years after dispatching of Del Norte and Valley last week during the District 6 championship duals meet Thursday.
The Rattlers finished in a three-way tie for first place with Valley and Ruidoso in head-to-head competition during the regular season. The tiebreaker, which used a points system of combined margin of victory or loss against those foes, gave Tucumcari the district championship.
Tucumcari coach Tim Clark said he didn't learn of his team's title until Friday, and it was confirmed by a New Mexico Activities Association official on Saturday.
Clark said Tucumcari last won a district title in 1991, when it tied for first place with Taos. Clark's predecessor, Eddie Encinias, never won a district championship despite a 20-year, New Mexico Wrestling Hall of Fame career at Tucumcari.
"I am ecstatic," Clark said. "It's our first district championship in this district realignment. To say, 'We went out and beat the big boys (in enrollment)' is a big deal. Tucumcari is a 200-plus enrollment school, and Valley is a 2,000-plus enrollment school."
The Rattlers began the meet Thursday by wearing new custom headgear that paid tribute to THS athlete Jayden Gloms, who died last month in a vehicle accident. The headgear sported the No. 22, which was Gloms' uniform number in basketball.
On Thursday, the Rattlers conquered Del Norte 54-21, then defeated Valley 48-30. Tucumcari defeated Bernalillo and Albuquerque Academy but lost a 42-33 dual match to Ruidoso earlier in the season.
"We had a lot of forfeits in the lower levels, but our boys took care of business," Clark said of the Del Norte victory. "We had a lot of pins; we had a great night."
Clark said he on Thursday moved eighth-grader Josh Hyslop into the 133-pound weight class, and he won both his matches against Del Norte and Valley. He also moved Creed Owen from 160 to 152 pounds due to an illness, and he scored a pin against his Del Norte foe.
Against Valley, "our lower weights were on fire and set the tone for the evening," Clark said.
Tucumcari's Fernando Ureste at 114 pounds also scored two wins Thursday, thus defeating every district opponent this season.
After that, Clark took his team home so he could transport his girl athletes to the regional tournament the next day.
"I was thinking Ruidoso would win the district championship, and we'd be second," Clark said.
Valley then defeated Ruidoso 42-36 late Thursday to force the three-way tie for first and the tiebreaker.
The Rattlers wrestling team was scheduled to receive its first-place district trophy later Monday.
The Tucumcari boys will travel to Socorro for the regional meet Friday and Saturday to determine who qualifies for the state tournament on Feb. 17-18.