The Chadron State College wrestling team will begin the second half of its season by hosting Colorado Mesa at 7 p.m. Thursday in the Nelson Physical Activity Center.
 
The Eagles also will enter the Midwest Duals in Kearney on Saturday. Their opponents, in order, will be the University of Mary from Bismarck, N.D., San Francisco State and two teams from Kansas, Fort Hays State and Newman University.
 
The matches with Mesa and San Francisco will open CSC's Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference schedule for the season. The Eagles posted a 4-3 dual record prior to the holidays.
 
Coach Brett Hunter said this week's competition will be stiff. 
 
Colorado Mesa is 20th in the latest NCAA Division II team rankings and has eight wrestlers among the top eight in their weight classes in the West Regional ratings that came out last week.
 
Hunter said he believes the Mavericks are among the top teams in RMAC this season. Senior James Martinez, who is 21-2 this season, is considered Mesa's top wrestler. He won the region's 149-pound championship last season, finished fifth at the national tournament and is the region's top-rated 157-pounder this season. He's also third in the national rankings.
 
The competition on Saturday also will be rugged. Seven San Francisco Gators are in West Regional rankings, led by Andrew Reggi, who is sixth at 197 pounds nationally. Fort Hays has five wrestlers in the regional ratings and Newman has one. Mary is not in the West Region.   
 
Three Eagles are on the regional lists. They are Jacob Anderson, fifth at 149 pounds; Caleb Copeland, seventh at 174; and Devan Fors, fourth at 197.
 
Anderson is 14-5 for the season, Copeland is 12-7 and Fors is 10-12. Hunter believes the raters have overlooked the Eagles' Taylor Summers, who is 15-4 at 133 pounds.
 
CSC's other varsity grapplers at the conclusion of the 2014 portion of the schedule and their records are: 125 pounds—Robert Ozuna, 7-5; 141—Josh Miller, 9-11; 157—Reed Burgener, 5-9; 165—Chance Helmick, 6-8; 184—Dylan Fors, 4-6; and heavyweight—Jake Weber, 6-5.
 
Hunter said he may use Zack Denney at 141 pounds and Tyler Smart at 165 during a couple of the duals Saturday.
 
Denney won 166 matches at North Platte High and was a Class A State Tournament champion as a senior in 2012. He redshirted as a freshman at CSC and after an injury appears ready to make his debut, Hunter said. 
 
Smart is a senior, was student teaching the first semester and wrestled in just one tournament. He will compete this spring before graduating in May. He was 10-14 last season at 165.