Wrestling team finishes third

The Tucumcari wrestling team finished a disappointing third in the A/3A District 1 dual championships Friday at Robertson High School in Las Vegas.

West Las Vegas came from behind to capture the district duals title at the meet, and host Robertson finished second.

Several injuries and the quarantining of two athletes due to possible COVID-19 exposure depleted the Rattlers’ ranks and spotted their foes 30 points during matches — a near-fatal prospect against West Las Vegas and the host team. Tucumcari did score a win against St. Michael’s.

But save for Dyson Clark and Charles Prieto, Tucumcari coach Eddie Encinias was disappointed by the performance of his wrestlers who did show up Friday.

“We didn’t wrestle like we should,” Encinias said. “We made mistakes like we’re in Week One. That’s not good for this time of year. The guys are not wrestling to their ability. We need to clean up some things and be ready for district open next week.

“If there’s a silver lining, these guys haven’t wrestled to their potential yet. Hopefully, by next week, we’ll be good.”

One bright spot that Encinias noted was Prieto, who the coach said had been wrestling tentatively for several weeks.

“He wrestled like he was capable,” Encinias said. “He flipped the switch.”

The A/3A District 1 open will be Wednesday, May 19, at Robertson. It was rescheduled from May 22.