CHS wrestlers go 1-2 in first competition

HEREFORD — Clovis High’s boys were able to kick off their inaugural wrestling season on Monday. The girls will have to wait a while.

CHS went 1-2 in a quad round-robin hosted by Hereford, losing to the Whitefaces 51-30 and to Boys Ranch 48-42 while defeating Lubbock Estacado 48-35.

Both Clovis squads are slated to compete in the Carlsbad Invite next Saturday. CHS coach Eric Zottneck said there should be about 20 teams in that field.

“I believe we got the experience we wanted,” Zottneck said of Monday’s competition. “We know what we need to do and where our focus needs to be.”

Although his teams are in their first campaigns, Zottneck said the COVID-19 pandemic has hurt the more established programs and probably leveled the playing field a bit for his squads.

“COVID has equalized a lot of things,” he said. “It’s really about who’s going to put in the work and who’s going to get it done.” Of the 14 weight classes, the Wildcats filled everything except the 106 and 195-pound divisions.

Highlighting the Cats’ performances were junior 138-pounder Joseph Albert, sophomore 170-pounder Michael Tree and junior heavyweight Christian Ferrand, who each went 3-0 for the day.

Albert won by second-period pin against Hereford, by first-period pin against Boys Ranch and by forfeit against Estacado. Meantime, Tree scored first-period falls against both Hereford and Boys Ranch and won by forfeit over Estacado, and Ferrand notched second-period pins against both Hereford and Boys Ranch and picked up a forfeit win against Estacado.

Also, freshman Kaell Berry at 120 pounds, sophomore Abel Avarez at 132, junior Fabian Salinas at 152 and freshman Jonathan Martinez at 182 each finished 2-1. Alvarez lost by first-period pin against Hereford, won by first-period pin against Boys Ranch and won by forfeit against Estacado; Berry and Salinas both lost by first-period pin against Hereford and won twice by forfeit, and Martinez got two forfeit wins while losing by first-period pin against Estacado.