LOVELAND, Colo. – The Torrington Trailblazers finished 41st out of 65 teams at the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament over the weekend in Loveland, with seven Blazers recording at least one win.

“It’s exciting, I’ll tell you that,” coach Doyle Meyer said of seven wrestlers recording a win against stiff competition from Colorado, Idaho and Wyoming. “Every time a Torrington wrestler takes the mat, we have a good chance to win and that’s very exciting.”

Jacob Polkowske had the most successful weekend, reaching the sixth round of the consolation bracket at 152 pounds. He started his weekend with two wins via major decision, beating Brett Helms (Castle View) 14-4 and Brian Shawcroft (Centauri) 10-2. In his third match, Polkowske went the distance, but lost via a 6-4 decision against Kelly Walsh’s Javen Palmer, sending the Blazer to the fourth round of the consolation bracket.

In the lower bracket, Polkowske won by a 6-3 decision over Noah Rivera (Pueblo East), followed by an 11-3 major decision win over Fort Morgan’s Kase Givens. Austin McFadden (Prairie View) got the best of Polkowske, pinning him at the 3:45 mark, ending his weekend.

“Jacob has a wealth of wrestling information,” Meyer said. “The thing about him is his physical body is catching up to what his mind knows.”

Tristen Kingsley (145) was another Blazer to reach the third round of the championship bracket. He won via major decision (9-0) over Rawlins’ Jacob Dworek, before beating Spender Winkle (Elizabeth) by an 8-5 decision. Kingsley’s first loss of the weekend came by a pin in the second period against Maverick Keigher (Doherty). Kingsley lost his next match via medial forfeit.

Heavyweight Brandon Bennick was the final Torrington wrestler to reach the third round of the upper bracket. He picked up a first-round bye, before snagging a pin in the first period against DeAndre Haines (Elizabeth). In the third round, Bennick was pinned in the second period by Chris Felan (Abraham Lincoln). The Blazer was pinned in the first period of his next match against Colin Lavell (Legend).

At 160 pounds, Casey Britton won his opening match by technical fall (22-7) over David Biddy (Discovery Canyon). Aramus Schuster (Thorton) escaped with a win over Britton in his second match of the weekend with a pin at the 5:41 mark. Britton dropped to the lower bracket where he rattled off two wins, pinning Jack Phelps (West View) in the first period and Antonio Ursetta (Castle View) in the second period. Britton went to the third period against Windsor’s Josh Willis, but was pinned at the 4:24 mark, ending his weekend.

“I think the transformation from last year to this year is tremendous,” Meyer said of Polkowske, Britton and Josh Kingsley. “They’re the three that have risen to the top, but when I look at the whole team in all weight classes, I see a bunch of guys who can win for us.”

Jakob Brott (182) was the final Torrington wrestler to reach the fourth round of the consolation bracket. He lost his first match by pin in the first period against Windsor’s Tyler Grasmick, dropping to the lower bracket. Brott received a bye in the consolation bracket, before winning by medical forfeit over Andres Garcia (Abraham Lincoln), before pinning Collin Landenberger (Legend) 11 seconds into the third period. Zachary Obray ended Brott’s weekend by pinning him in the first period.

At 106 pounds, Nycholas Melchor lost his first match via pin in the second period against Jordan Gilbert (Mountain View). After receiving a bye in the lower bracket, Melchor went on to win by an 11-4 decision against Jon Tidwell (Air Academy). Melchor was then pinned in the first period against Daven Ollier-Monell (Coronado).

Quentin Meyer competed at 126 pounds for the Blazers, picking up a win in his first match, beating Palmer’s Tucker Larson by a 20-3 technical fall. In the consolation bracket, Meyer lost by a 19-3 technical fall against Jaden Porreco (Discovery Canyon). The Blazer went the distance in his third match of the weekend, but lost by an 8-7 decision against Boden Baker (Windsor).

Pake Haun (138), Nathan Davis (160) and Chase Dominguez (170) all failed to win a match on the weekend. Dominguez lost by a 13-2 major decision and was pinned in the third period. Davis was pinned at the 1:40 mark, followed by coming out on the wrong end of a 14-5 major decision. Haun was pinned in the second period, before losing by a 6-5 decision.

The Blazers finished 41st as a team with 42 points, edging out Cheyenne Central, who finished 42nd with 41 points. Windsor took home the team title with 230.5 points. A year ago at the same event, Torrington tied for 57th with 19 points.

“That’s a testament to this team and how they have grown,” Meyer said of the 16-place improvement. “We have a lot of blue collar wrestlers and they’re going to go in there and mix it up.”

The Blazers return to action for the Bison Bonanza hosted by Cheyenne South on Dec. 29, starting at 10 a.m.

“For the Bison Bonanza, we use it as a learning experience,” Meyer said. “Now we have to focus on a team to win the close duals. It’s more about where you’re at with weight and what’s best for the team and not just individually.”