jackpot duals wrestling tournament

The stance, the approach, and the strength. It takes a mentality unlike any other with motivation and smart tactics in order to pin down an opponent. “There’s something different about wrestling compared to other sports,” says Titus Steele, a junior at Palisade. “I enjoy the team atmosphere, it makes it feel more like a family.” Along with marching band, Titus’s main passion is wrestling. He’s been wrestling since seventh grade and just can’t seem to get enough of it. “The season’s been going pretty well. We’ve had quite a bit of luck and we’ve been placing high in the tournaments.” One of their team goals is to be in the top 5 teams in 80% of the tournaments they compete in. On Wednesday night, Fruita High School hosted the Jackpot Duals where all four schools in the valley competed. Titus was happy to say he won third in his weight class. The gym was packed with intensity and sweat as proud Palisade parents packed the stands, cheering on their kids. Central won the Jackpot Duals with 151 points, Fruita came in second 131.5, Grand Junction came third with 95 points, and Palisade came fourth with 53. No matter the score, it was still a successful night for the bulldogs as they put in their best work and effort. For those who aren’t as familiar with wrestling terms, an “Escape” is when your opponents in control but you get away into a neutral standing position (1 point), a “Takedown” is when the attacker off-balances the opponent and brings them to the ground with the attacker landing on top (2 points), a “Nearfall” involves an offensive wrestler turning his opponent 45 degrees for a period of time (3 points), a “Major” decision is when they win by a large number points, a “Win” is when a wrestler pins another wrestler, a “Tech Fall” is when you win by 15 or more points, and a “Pin” is when you put your opponent in contact with the mat for a period of two seconds, ending the match. We can’t wait to see what our Bulldog wrestlers do throughout this season!