Nucla High School sent two wrestlers to Ball Arena in Denver last week. Jace Bonacquista, wrestling at 113 pounds, had taken third at regionals, which set him up pretty good for a first-round match at state, head coach for the Mustangs Rob McCabe said over the weekend.
Coach said he was scratching his head and trying to figure out who the last person from Nucla was to head into state and win their first match. Bonacquista did it.
“That was big,” coach said.
It set him up wrestle a kid from Crowley County, the one who did take the state title, Derreck Buford.
“Jace battled hard and came up short,” coach said.
Afterward, and with the chaos of the state tournament, the Mustangs thought they’d be matched up well, but it turned out differently. Bonacquista next wrestled and was losing 12-1, when he was caught and pinned. He had to wrestle a kid from Rocky Ford in his third match.
“And it got the better of us,” coach said. “It defeated us.”
Bonacquista was 1-2 at the state tournament, and coach is proud he not only made it to the floor of Ball Arena, but also won the first match going in.
“And to know what he’s capable of,” coach said.
Jackson McCabe, coach’s son and wrestling at 132 pounds, went 2–0 the first day. He’d been battling an ankle injury though, since the Valley Classic at Center. While coaches were nursing him back to wrestling hard and making progress, McCabe sustained a head injury Thursday before weigh-ins, an accident that could’ve been more dangerous. Coaches doctored and taped it, making things even more interesting for his matches.
Coach said McCabe didn’t wrestle his best at first, and he had to face the same kid he wrestled when twisting his ankle. Apparently, superstitions were high that day, especially since McCabe was wrestling on a mat he’d never won a match on.
Still, McCabe got that first victory, and coach told the Forum in post-season nobody cares if it’s pretty; it just needs to get done.
In the quarterfinals, Thursday night, McCabe faced a kid from County Line High School, whom nobody knew much about. The opponent ended up being quite strong. McCabe, who knows a few things about wrestling, got the kid in a position he couldn’t get out of. McCabe rolled him over and got the fall, exciting since he knew then he’d be on the podium, regardless. He knew he’d be leaving Denver with a medal.
Friday evening, in the semi-finals, McCabe had to wrestle a kid from Highland High School, and while there was a game plan, the officiating didn’t exactly go as planned.
Down 4-1 in the third period, McCabe rushed a not-so-great shot and got taken down and pinned, a devastation for sure, which made for an evening of dissatisfaction.
While both coach and his assistant Arthur Connelly both know about losing in the semi-finals, McCabe was hard to console.
Saturday morning, “Jackson battled,” coach said. “He scrapped hard in that match, but he chased a bad position, and the kid caught him and put him to his back.”
Before wrestling for fifth and sixth though, McCabe started to loosen up. He went out and faced a kid who shot “kind of a half-hearted shot” to test the waters. McCabe, having been working on headlocks because of his bad ankle, got the kid locked up in a cradle, and got an 18-second pin.
Coach agreed McCabe ended on a good note and was able to walk out with his head held high. McCabe took home a fifth-place medal.
Norwood wrestlers also had wins. Kannon Sherman took a third; Jackson Dinsmore placed sixth.
“We are incredibly proud of our two wrestlers that made it to the podium,” Norwood Athletic Director Kyle Dinsmore said online over the weekend. “Kannon Sherman claimed a fantastic third place finish, battling back after losing his first match and winning five consecutive matches to secure a third place finish. … Jackson Dinsmore also performed admirably, finishing in sixth place. He started strong with two wins but faced some tough competition, dropping two close matches.”
While they’re rivals at most tournaments, Norwood and Nucla cheered for each other at Ball Arena, coaches included.
