MUSTANG STAMPEDE: Cimarron earns redemption with win over Shadow Ridge

The Spartans got their chance for redemption Saturday and ran with it.

Cimarron got pins in four weight classes — including an unexpected fall by 106-pounder Gage Murphy late in the third period — to down the host Mustangs 43-27 and win the Gold Bracket championship of the Mustang Stampede.

Temecula Valley (Calif.) beat Centennial, 45-24, to claim third place.

“It was our first match then (on Dec. 2) and we’ve got about 15 now,” Cimarron-Memorial coach Mike Garcia said. “So no major difference. Our kids just did better and worked hard. It was us being more ready and a little more prepared.”

In the match against Shadow Ridge’s Javier Zuniga, Murphy fell behind 8-1 after two periods but regrouped to earn the pin with 1 minute, 27 seconds left. The fall broke a 27-27 tie and gave the Spartans momentum the rest of the way.

“That was a big turnaround for us,” Garcia said. “Something like that is unexpected, but it happens when you hang in a match. It gave us the impetus.”

Senior Jesse Saavedra, who won a 4-2 decision at 126 pounds in the tournament final and finished 5-0 on the day, felt Murphy also gave the team a much-needed jolt.

“He wasn’t doing so good throughout the match, but in the third period their kid was gassed and he put him on his back and won it,” Saavedra said. “He was losing pretty bad.”

Senior Davin Maiden (160), junior Xavier Bennett (182) and senior Nathaniel Garcia (220) also won by fall for the Spartans, who avenged a 33-22 loss to the Mustangs on Dec. 2.

Cimarron, which won the Sunset Region title in 2014, hopes the tournament win acts as a springboard to the rest of the season.

“We came out with the proper mindset and pure domination on our minds,” said Nathaniel Garcia, who went 5-0 on the day with all pins. “We’re going to just keep training every week and fight to win a state championship.”

Garcia, one of the favorites to win the 195-pound weight class in the Sunset Region tournament, credits the early-season loss to Shadow Ridge for bringing the Spartans motivation the second time around.

“It was a good confidence boost,” Nathaniel Garcia said. “We lost to them before, so we came in with a chip on our shoulders. We’ve just got to keep improving.”

Shadow Ridge’s Brendt Burleson (138), Jamison Rand (145), Marc Wiliams (152) and Kevin Henry (195) all pinned their opponents in the final.

Tyler Carter, the team’s heavy weight, won a 1-0 decision over Miguel Torres and remained undefeated on the season.

Shadow Ridge coach Gus Gledhill was happy with his team’s overall performance, but conceded there was room for improvement. He still believes the Sunset Region tournament is wide open.

“They were just a little more physical than us,” Gledhill said. “We’re young in spots. Cimarron is tough. They’re always tough. There were a couple of matches that could have gone either way. … Losing that 106 match was (the turning point). We were ahead in that match and then he got turned to his back and ended up getting pinned. They took advantage from that point on.”

Faith Lutheran took third place in the Silver Bracket after beating Rancho, 39-33.

Peter Enos won his 138-pound match by fall for the Crusaders, who also got pins by Jack Bricker (160), Connor Bourne (195) and Cameron Cox (220).

Leiana Nacapuy (106) and Jeffrey Camal (113) had pins for Rancho.

Moapa Valley topped Sunrise Mountain, 41-24, to win the Bronze Bracket final.

The Pirates dominated the upper weight classes, getting pins from Sterling Simmons (182), Austin Belcher (195) and Keyshawn Rubio (285).

Angel Ortiz (126) and Angel Uresti (138) led Sunrise Mountain with pins.

Desert Oasis took third in the Bronze Bracket after beating Eldorado. The Diamondbacks won by criteria after the team’s finished in a 36-36 tie.

Contact reporter Ashton Ferguson at aferguson@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0430. Follow him on Twitter: @af_ferguson