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PUEBLO Kaden Hixson was bleeding all day.
The Moffat County sophomore fell in his CHSAA State Championships quarterfinal match via 15-7 major decision and adding injury to insult, he smashed his face off the mat, breaking his nose.
The pain was one thing, but the bleeding was a disruption in the remainder of his matches, sometimes halting the contest as Hixson was gaining momentum.
“My nose hurts pretty bad and throughout the match blood just keeps coming out and stopping the match. It’s a little hard to breathe,” Hixson said. “Wrestling, you’re going to get your nose bumped. After breaking it, getting it hit again and again, it just hurts.”
With a weekend full of state tournament competitions, Moffat County High School sent its student-athletes off in style Thursday with a district-wide celebration.
The Moffat County girls’ basketball team hit the road for a round of 16 matchup against Delta Thursday night.
Bulldog swimmers Ellina Jones, Alexa Neton, Kelsey McDiffett and Hailey Knowles were also honored before heading off to Thornton for the 3A state swimming championships, and Moffat County wrestlers Blake Juergens, Kaden Hixon, Pepper Rhyne and Blake Hill hit the road to Pueblo for the state wrestling championships.
The school made an announcement shortly before the event started as the three teams made their way from the third floor down to outside of the school, walking through the hallways getting salutations and cheers from the waiting students and teachers.
Moffat County s Blake Juergens grapples with a Middle Park wrestler during a match in Steamboat Springs in late February. (Andy Bockelman / For Craig Press)
Moffat County wrestling will send four wrestlers to the 3A state tournament March 12-13 following an impressive two-day showing at the 3A Region 1 tournament at Pagosa Springs Friday and Saturday.
After a strong first day in Pagosa Springs, Moffat County wrestlers turned in another great day on the mats, finishing second overall as a team while seeing four wrestlers punch tickets to the state meet.
On Friday night, Kaden Hixon and Blake Juergens clinched spots in the state tournament for the Bulldogs and were joined by junior Pepper Rhyne and freshman Blake Hill on Saturday as the two finished top-2 in their respective weight classes.
Moffat County wrestling sure knows how to bounce back in a big way.
Nearly one week after a tough weekend in Palisade in a quad dual, the Bulldogs hit the mat Thursday night in Steamboat for a triangular dual against the host Sailors and the Middle Park Panthers.
Against the Sailors and Panthers, Moffat County cruised to two dominant wins, defeating the Panthers 60-24, before then sinking the Sailors 53-18 on the Sailors’ Senior Night.
Opening up the triangular dual against the Panthers, Moffat County raced out to a quick 36-0 lead winning the first six matches of the night.