Heading on a road trip to Colorado kicked off the season, the Northwest College wrestling team placed three at the Mines Rookie Open on Sunday in Golden.

“I think the guys were pretty good. We were able to see a lot of things. We’ve kept it really basic leading up to this tournament,” coach Jim Zeigler said. “We haven’t gotten really complex in the stuff that we’re teaching … I wanted to see how they execute and what they really do in competition, and I can get a better idea how to cater to them individually now that I’ve watched them in competitive mode in a tournament.”

Leading the way for the Trappers was Keegan Rager at 174 pounds, who started with a 9-6 decision over a competitor from Air Force, before a pin in 2:23 of an Otero wrestler in the quarterfinals.

“Keegan did a great job. He wrestled a three-time Colorado champ right out of the gates … He was the No. 2 seed, we were an 18 seed and beat him,” Zeigler said.

A semifinal pin of a Colorado Mesa wrestler got him a spot in the final, where he lost via a major decision to another Colorado Mesa competitor 14-1 to place second.

“It definitely exposed where my wrestling needs to grow and what I still need to get used to,” Rager said. “That three minute opening period is something that I just need to find more normal compared to high school where it’s only two minutes.”

Colby Ducatt at 157 pounds was the next highest placer, as he advanced with an 8-2 win over an Otero wrestler before another close 12-10 win over a Western Wyoming competitor to reach the quarterfinal.

He defeated a Colorado Mesa wrestler by technical fall 19-4, before a tough double overtime loss in the semifinal to another Western Wyoming wrestler when he was withdrawn due to an injury after being slammed onto the mat.

“He got lifted and put down and dropped in a way that kind of hurt his neck. The ref stopped it and it looked like a slam to me. It looked like the guy just spiked him,” Zeigler said. “I didn’t like the way he was reacting to it. These open tournaments I was like, ‘nah, that’s good enough for us.’”

That meant Ducatt’s third place match was forfeited as he placed fourth.

Cooper Murray was the final placer for Northwest at 285, as he lost his first match via pin in 6:45 to the eventual champion from the Colorado School of Mines.

He rallied with a pin of a Colorado State wrestler in 1:28, before a pair of decisions 6-3 and 3-1 over a pair of Western Wyoming wrestlers.

He finished with an 11-3 major decision in the fifth place match over an Adams State competitor.

“Cooper got an initiation in that first match but he bounced back from it and rolled,” Zeigler said.

Several other competitors got wins  in the first tournament of the year, as Daniel Romero went 2-2 at 125 pounds, Dino Delacruz went 3-2 at 133 pounds, Dylan Sorensen went 2-2 at 133 pounds, Ryan Nutt went 3-2 at 141 pounds, Porter Olson went 1-2 at 165 pounds and Blake Edwards went 1-2 at 165 pounds.

“I definitely have a lot to work on to get back, but I see small improvements to work on,” Olson said.

Zeigler noted that Olson has taken on a number of additional responsibilities this year, but has done a great job early on as he continues to find a balance.

“At the end of that trail I think it’s going to be a better experience than his freshman year of just wrestling and schooling. Having these responsibilities is a nice way to grow up, he’s doing a good job,” Zeigler said.

Marco Debella at 141 pounds, Loomis Alexander at 165 pounds and Riley DeHaven at 184 pounds all went 0-2.

“Overall it was a good trip for the kids. It was exhausting though,” Zeigler said.

The Trappers now have this week and next to prepare for their next weekend of action, as they will head to Colorado to take on Northeastern Junior College in a dual before continuing on to a tournament in Kearney, Nebraska.

“I’ll be able to do a better assessment this afternoon (Tuesday) and kind of put together what our workout plan is between now and next Thursday when we leave again on another long trip,” Zeigler said.