WRESTLING: Cimarron-Memorial has 11 grapplers with state experience

Cimarron-Memorial has 11 grapplers with state experience

Cimarron-Memorial High School captured consecutive state wrestling crowns in 1999 and 2000. After winning the state championship last year, the Spartans appear poised to win another state title this season.

Cimarron-Memorial features 11 wrestlers with state tournament experience, including three individual defending state champs and four others who placed in the top five in the state -- with the state being Tennessee in junior transfer Bobby Musser's case.

Musser, who placed third in the state at 152 pounds last year, may be a newcomer to the Spartans, but he has quickly become a team leader, along with junior returnee Chase Pami, who took second in the state at 145 pounds last season.

"He comes in every day and works very hard," Cimarron-Memorial co-head coach Tim Jeffries said of Pami. "He's one of the examples we use for our younger kids to look at, because of his work ethic and attitude.

"He and Bobby Musser are our leaders right now. (Musser's) really done a good job. (The quality of wrestling in Tennessee) is probably very comparable (to Nevada). It may be a little better."

Pami and Musser had the best records on the team, at press time, with Pami going 30-1 at 145 -- with his lone loss, by a point, to the reigning state champion in California -- and Musser going 28-2 at 152.

The Spartans are 11-4 overall, but undefeated against teams from Nevada. They suffered one of their losses to Temecula in California and dropped their other three at the Clash Duals, a prestigious national tournament in Rochester, Minn.

"We got invited and went to give the kids some exposure. It was a very good experience, but it was very tough, but those are the things you have to do if you want to get better," Jeffries said. "We hope, by doing that, we're going to create some toughness and get them ready for the end of the year, because everything is going to come down to how we finish in the home stretch."

The Spartans placed 14th in a field of 32 teams at the Clash Duals and also fared well in other top tournaments -- taking 22nd in a field of 90 at Reno's Tournament of Champions, placing second in the Peoria Invitational in Arizona, and placing third in the Green Valley Duals.

Justin Orians, T.J. Geick and Randel Aleman all won individual state titles last season and should contend for crowns again this year.

Orians, one of only three seniors on the squad, won state at 130 last season and moved up to 135 this year, where he's 22-10.

"Typically, his record isn't all that good, but he's going to come on when it counts," Jeffries said.

Geick, a junior who won state at 160 last season, moved up to 171 this year, where he's 21-6.

"He's got a shot to win again, just like the other guys do," Jeffries said. "They're all doing good at this point, but it doesn't mean much unless they finish strong.

"I know several of them have five to eight losses, but it's because of the guys they wrestle. The tougher the schedule, the more losses you're going to have."

Aleman, a sophomore, who won state at 103 last season, is 25-7 at 112 this year. Cimarron-Memorial is open at 103 this season.

"Technically, he's pretty sound and he's a hard worker in the room," Jeffries said.

Jacob Atwood and Gabriel Suarez also placed at state for the Spartans last year, with Atwood, a junior, finishing fourth at 152, and Suarez, a sophomore, taking fifth at 112.

This season, Atwood is 21-7 at 160 and Suarez is 24-7 at 119.

"We have to have all those (returnees) come through (in the postseason), and three or four other ones, at least. It's got to be a full team effort," Jeffries said. "Everyone is capable of placing and they've all got to score points for us when it counts."

Cimarron-Memorial also features junior Tim Cardoza, a returning state qualifier who starts at 125; Anthony Giannola, a junior, up from junior varsity, at 130; Curtis Black, a senior up from junior varsity, at 140; senior Derik Dickson, a returning state qualifier, at 189; Anthony Morales, a freshman at 215; and junior Bryce Garcia, a returning state qualifier, at heavyweight.

Morales is 20-9 and Garcia is 17-9.

The Sunset Region tournament is slated for Feb. 6 and 7 and the state tournament is scheduled for Feb. 14 at Cimarron-Memorial.

"We're going to have our hands full with a couple teams, but it's definitely doable to win regionals," Jeffries said. "It's an all brand new thing after regionals."


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