The Roswell and Goddard High School wrestling teams met at the Goddard High School Gym to face each other in the GHS vs. RHS Duals on Wednesday.
The Goddard girls won their bouts against the Roswell High lady wrestlers with a final score of 54-12.
In the 107-pound weight class, Roswell senior Neriah Martin defeated Goddard junior Kylee Graham via fall. Goddard junior Esmeralda Meraz-Ortiz won against Roswell sophomore Starlena Boardman in the 120-pound weight class via fall. Goddard junior Autumn Cockrell won over Roswell sophomore Aceya Ortega via fall in the 132-pound weight class. Goddard sophomore Grace Hohle over freshman Kyliah Stewart in the 138 via fall. Goddard junior Merelyn Martinez over Roswell’s junior Egypt Clark by fall in the 145. Goddard junior Kylee Sisneros over Roswell freshman Alizae Najera via fall in the 165-pound weight class.
“It was a little tough starting out with a lot of underclassmen and a lot of new wrestlers in general,” Goddard wrestling head coach Nick Archuleta said. “Now, this is the first year we are able to put a decent team together with a lot of potential and it showed against Roswell High. They got a lot of good wrestlers… Last year, it was a little frustrating, but this is the first year where I’m not so frustrated because we are seeing the results of what we’ve been working on. It’s all coming together and I’m really excited about that.”
A few wrestlers won via forfeit, including Goddard freshman Karlee Patterson, freshman Yaretzi Palma, and sophomore Emily Madrid-Kane.
Kane said her teammates did a great job during their duals and advocated to see more people participating in the wrestling programs. Last year, Kane placed fourth in the 2022 New Mexico Activities Association State Wrestling Championships.
“If you’re thinking about doing wrestling and thinking, ‘Man, I’m too heavy.’ Don’t,” Kane said. “I had to drop a lot of weight to wrestle, and now I’m better than ever. I feel happier and healthier. Last week in Las Cruces, I went through my third round without getting gassed. So join wrestling if you want to be mean and are interested in the sport.”
The winner for the boys side is Roswell High School with 48 points against Goddard’s 21.
For the 133-pound weight class, Goddard’s Isaac Perez defeated Antinee Graham via decision with a score of 12-5. In the 139-pound weight class, Goddard sophomore Sammuel Archuleta won over Roswell senior Jerry Romero via a fall with two seconds left in the second round. Roswell’s Martin Gamez defeated Goddard sophomore Jacob Franco by fall in the 145. In the 152-pound weight class, Goddard’s junior Garrett Langley won over Coyote Jesus Arellano via fall. Goddard’s senior Hector Salvarrey over Roswell’s sophomore Luis Godoy in the 160-pound weight class. Roswell’s Kelvin Alarcon over Goddard’s Logan Martinez won via decision with a 9-3 score in the 172-pound weight class. Roswell sophomore Keegan Nichols won over Goddard senior Aiden Werts via decision with a tight score of 3-0 in the 189. In the 215, Roswell senior Jonathon Hernandez defeated Goddard senior Saul Gonzalez via fall. Finally, Roswell’s Ethan Lopez won over Goddard freshman Rodney Ward via fall in the 285-pound weight class.
Roswell’s Pablo Garcia, Charles Maritinito, Nathaniel Lujan and Bubba Marrujo received wins via forfeit.
“It felt pretty good,” Roswell senior Kelvin Alarcon said after his match against Logan Martinez. “It’s another win for the team and it helped us win the dual so it was a good match.”
Roswell wrestling head coach Jesse Boggs praised the Coyotes for coming out and wrestling hard against their cross-town rivals.
“Everybody did what they are supposed to by coming out and wrestling hard, so I’m really proud of them,” Boggs said. “My leaders, my seniors, came out and got us the points that we needed to win. That’s always huge to be able to trust those guys. Neriah Martin, Jonathan Hernandez, and Kelvin Alarcon did a great job. A lot of these guys are first-years and they look pretty good considering where they are at. This is a chance for the kids to really compete before the Rio Hondo tournament on Saturday.”
The Roswell and Goddard High School wrestling teams participated in the Rio Hondo Tournament at the Roswell High School Gym Saturday. Results from the tournament will be posted in a future edition of the Roswell Daily Record.
Sports reporter Blynn Juliano Beltran can be reached at 575-622-7710, ext. 304, or [email protected].
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