From his seat near a mat at the Dawg Fight Invitational Dec. 9 in Dove Creek, Dolores wrestling coach Grant Hobbs shouted to Zander Eichner.

“Turn into him,” Hobbs screamed, as Eichner latched onto a leg of Farmington High School’s Kurt Klipsch. “Turn into him and use your legs.”

Intensity etched Hobbs’ face as Eichner turned into his opponent. Soon after, the Bears sophomore walked away with the second of his five pins of the day.

“I was able to hook up a cradle, and when I get really tied in, it’s easy for me,” said Eichner, who won all his matches and top honors in the 120-pound division. “It looks like we’re going to do really good this year because we have a new head coach, and we have a lot of experience.”

Also cracking the Top 3 for Dolores were Cameron Chavez, second in at 106 pounds, and Austin Hackney, third at 126 pounds. Chavez finished 2-1 on the day, and Hackney went 4-for-5.

David Schmittel went 2-2 at 170 pounds, placing third overall. Cael Schmittel went 1-for-5, ending with a pin victory over Ignacio’s Micah Westbrook to finish fifth.

Bryan Escarcega went 1-for-5, finishing fifth in the heavyweight division. Dolores placed seventh out of 13 total teams.

“Our team will benefit from these matches as the season moves along,” Eichner said, citing the tough competition.

The Bears travel to Ignacio High School for a dual on Dec. 12 before competing at the Piedra Vista Panther Classic in Farmington on Dec. 16 before Christmas break.