BROOMFIELD — Generally speaking, prep swimmers and basketball players certainly have their chances during the holidays to get some solo work in while mandated breaks from team activities are in place.
Wrestlers, however, earn their keep at the dinner table and in the weight room.
Having not been on the mats for competition since Dec. 21, the Broomfield wrestling team looked on Wednesday night as though they had done their due diligence. The Eagles had no problems earning another team dual win, this time at home with a 57-19 decision against Roosevelt.
Looking for a sparring partner during winter break is bleak at best, so for Luke McAninch and Toby Godwin, competitors at 195 pounds and 220 pounds, respectively, other work is done.
“For me, it’s pretty easy to stay motivated because I am under weight. The break helped me lift more and try and keep that weight up,” said McAninch. “Other than that, it was just good for our bodies to rest.”
“I watched what I ate and kept hydrated, lifted a little bit,” added Godwin. “Really, that’s about it. But we came out, and it was a big success for the team, and we hope for the best for later on.”
When it finally came time to outwork another opponent, both of those Eagles teammates were ready to go as Broomfield dominated the second half of the meet. McAninch earned a tech fall with a 16-1 decision over RHS’ Desmond Hamby, and Godwin earned a much-needed pin of Curtis Lindsey.
The Eagles won six of the 10 contested positions, with Roosevelt leaving four spots open. The RoughRiders were the aggressors in some of the lighter weights, winning at 113, 120, 132 and 138.
“We have some younger kids there, and we’ve got a lot of work to do, let me put it that way,” said coach Pat DeCamillis, whose squad last wrestled at the pre-break Northern Colorado Tournament. “Just a lot of work to do with knowing how to compete and not give in to pressure and understanding what it takes to win.”
Darek Huff (126 pounds), Jared Albo (152) and Zach Stodden (182) were arguably the most crisp in the team’s return, as each earned first-period falls. But for McAninch and Godwin, their victories were significant if for nothing other than starting fresh.
McAninch had a near fall at the very end of the first period, then continued to pile on the points in a variety of ways to get the third-period mercy result.
“It was good for me to kind of work on my feet more, and I haven’t really been shooting the way I should be,” McAninch said. “Last year, I was really good at that inside sink and I needed to get back to that. I think I did today.”
“It definitely helps me out because the last couple of varsity matches I had I’ve lost,” Godwin said after tapping Lindsey’s shoulders to the mat in 4:38. “This helps, as well as training with Austyn (Harris) and the other guys in the room.”
Having already fared well at a national meet in Ohio, the Eagles are getting ready to head to Utah for another big event next week — with a couple of duals between now and then still on the docket. DeCamillis was encouraged to see Godwin do well on Wednesday.
“I think that was a huge confidence-builder for him, to understand what varsity wrestling’s all about,” DeCamillis said. “It was a nice crowd … you’ve got all those butterflies and so forth, and to do what he did was really good.
“He’s only wrestled a couple of varsity meets, but we are taking him to Utah with us, and we’ll see what happens.”
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BROOMFIELD 57, ROOSEVELT 19
At Broomfield HS
106 — Ty McAninch, Broomfield, won by forfeit; 113 — Blake Slaymaker, R, p. Jared Dupre, B, 4:26; 120 — Tylar Francis, R, p. Lary Long, B, 2:54; 126 — Darek Huff, B, p. Logan Newcomb, R, 1:54; 132 — Harley Bending, R, maj. d. John Penrose, B, 14-0; 138 — Dustin Hayden, R, maj. d. Connor Ventura, B, 9-1; 145 — Randall Baker, B, maj. d. Chase Geddis, R, 11-3; 152 — Jared Albo, B, p. Chris Derrera, R, 1:04; 160 — Phil Downing, B, won by forfeit; 170 — Theo Robison, B, won by forfeit; 182 — Zach Stodden, B, p. Andrew Dimmit, R, 1:58; 195 — Luke McAninch, B, tech fall Desmond Hamby, R, 16-1; 220 — Toby Godwin, B, p. Curtis Lindsey, R, 4:38; 285 — Austyn Harris, B, won by forfeit.
