The Belen Team Duals Invite tournament took place on Saturday, showcasing 12 teams throughout New Mexico, including Valencia High School and the hosting Belen High School wrestling squads.
Belen placed second at the tournament, falling to Taos 39-34 in the final round.
“We had a lot of kids go 5-0,” said Belen head coach Lee Chaves.
One of those wrestlers who went undefeated at the meet was junior 126-pounder Santiago Tafoya.
Among Tafoya’s victories was a 2-1 win over Taos standout Christopher Valencia.
Other undefeated Eagles included junior 132-pounder Dillon Gonzales, senior 120-pounder Joshua Mirabal, junior 145-pounder Martin Ammons, senior 152-pounder Jason Bernauer and junior 106-pounder Dominick Romero.
Though Valencia’s small roster prevented the Jags from making much of a statement at the Belen Invite, there were still several strong individual performances.
Senior 120-pounder Devon Martinez and senior 195-pounder Robbie Jaramillo both went undefeated throughout the tournament.
The Jaguars finished the tournament with a 39-24 win over Goddard in a consulation round.
Meanwhile, Los Lunas competed at the Moriarty Triangular. The results to that meet were not reported before the News-Bulletin deadline.
The Los Lunas and Belen dual as well as Valencia’s dual at Grants did not take place until after the News-Bulletin deadline.
All three county squads’ next tournament will be at Los Lunas in the District Individuals Championship on Feb. 16.
Chaves hopes to see his team continue to improve as the state tournament nears.
“We’re always trying to get better,” said Chaves. “We’re working on our top and our bottom a lot.”
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April 18, 2024
