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Vawter-Beaird wins two more matches, Gurule gets his first

DEVON O'NEILsummit daily news
Summit Daily/Kristin Skvorc
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FARMER’S KORNER – Down to just three healthy and academically eligible athletes, the Summit High School wrestling team is making the best of a difficult situation.That much, at least, was evident Wednesday night as the Tigers welcomed Alameda and Golden to the SHS gym for a long-awaited home opener. Due to the numbers challenge, Summit didn’t come close to winning either dual match, but it got a perfect night from senior Andrew Vawter-Beaird and a win from his classmate Tim Gurule to keep the fans smiling. Vawter-Beaird beat both of his opponents, albeit in dramatically different ways. His first win came by pin over Alameda’s 130-pounder, after the 125-pound Vawter-Beaird elected to bump up in weight so he’d get to wrestle. The Pirates didn’t have a 125-pounder.

With 19 seconds left in the second period, Summit’s returning state qualifier (at 119 pounds) used a nifty maneuver to get win No. 7 on the year. He described it this way, while gesturing with his hands: “Just a little double, you put your head in between his legs and then you pull down on this leg and pop that one up, and just turn around and get the takedown.”He secured his second victory at 125 pounds, over Golden’s David Rothrock, by technical fall after taking a 24-7 lead late in the second period. The senior is now 8-1 on the season, with seven of the eight wins coming in the 125-pound weight class. He said he’s still considering taking advantage of the two-pound weight allowance high school wrestlers get after the holiday break, and moving down to his former 119-pound division.Gurule, meanwhile, fought back from a pin at the hands of Alameda’s James Giggy to defeat Golden’s Jeremy Torbit with 55 seconds remaining in the second period. Gurule injured his groin during his first match, but said it didn’t hurt as much for his second. The victory was his first of the season.”The pain kind of went away,” he said, adding, “I just really, really, really wanted to get a win at home.”

Summit’s Kyle Hill lost both his matches at 103 pounds.For SHS coach Jim Melvin, the numbers struggle is beginning to wear on his patience.”We have three out with injuries, one ineligible and one quitter,” Melvin said. “These kids basically need to toughen up.”



Melvin, though, sees the light on nights like Wednesday, when his team’s three wins all received rousing ovations.”We’ll have better days,” he said. “We’ll have better matches. I have faith in these guys and this whole thing. It’s just not easy.”Devon O’Neil can be contacted at (970) 668-3998, ext. 13630, or at doneil@summitdaily.com.


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