CHSAANow

Category: Boys Wrestling

  • Broomfield repeats as 4A wrestling champion

    DENVER — New coach.

    New season.

    Same result.

    The Broomfield High School wrestling program with Pat DeCamillis at the helm won three individual state championships to capture their second-consecutive Class 4A team title Saturday night at the Pepsi Center.

    “It’s kind of the culmination of all their hard work right here,” said DeCamillis, a veteran figure in the Colorado prep wrestling community.

    Broomfield finished with 127.50 points and Thompson Valley was second at 120. Windsor (112) was third and Pueblo County and Pueblo South tied for fourth at 106 points.

    This was Broomfield’s fourth state wrestling team crown and fourth in the last six years. The Eagles have now won state titles in 2009, 2010, 2013 and 2014.

    Broomfield’s seniors Phil Downing (160) and Zach Stodden (182) walked away with gold medals.

    Eagles’ junior Darek Huff (126) and seniors Jarod Albo (152) and heavyweight Austyn Harris also took second for the Eagles.

    Downing (46-3) was the marquee winner for the Eagles as he became only the 17th wrestler in Colorado prep history to capture four state wrestling titles. Downing was named Class 4A’s outstanding wrestler.

    Downing also clinched the team title for Broomfield when he scored an 11-2 major decision over Pueblo County High School’s Keenan Willits.

    DeCamillis knew he was getting the keys to a Ferrari in the Broomfield program, and he was thrilled his team performed their best in the state’s biggest spotlight.

    “The kids won state and it’s very gratifying,” DeCamillis said.

    Since 2005, Broomfield has finished no worse than fourth in the Class 4A state team standings.

    DeCamillis was a three-time state champ at Arvada West from 1988-90. Prior to taking over Broomfield, he spent nine seasons at Pomona.

    “This feels good, it was a long time coming,” said DeCamillis about capturing his first state championship as a head coach.

    Thompson Valley had two wrestlers in the state finals – Ben Hewson (138) and Parker Simington (145) – and Simington claimed a championship.

    “This feels awesome,” said Simington after beating Mountain Vista’s Matt Combs 7-0. “I can’t wipe the smile off my face.”

    Hewson was defeated by Berthoud’s Jimmy Fate.

    WONDER TWIN POWERS: Freshmen Grant Willits and Hunter Willits of Pueblo County High School made Pueblo history Saturday night.

    Grant (106) and Hunter (132), fraternal twins, both won state, and in the process they became the only twins from Pueblo to win state.

    In Class 5A, Cherry Creek’s Mitch (126 pounds) and and Zach (138 pounds), who are also fraternal twins, won state as well Saturday night.

    Grant pinned Palisade’s Randen Espinoza with eight seconds left in the third period. Hunter muscled past Pueblo South’s Marcus Martinez 10-3.

    “This feels amazing, and it really hasn’t hit me yet,” Grant said. “I’m so excited right now. I just wanted to win this for my family and my brother.”

    Only one other freshman – Isaac Naro of Pueblo South at 132 pounds in 2013 – ever won a state wrestling championship in Pueblo history before this year. Naro upended Pueblo Central senior Sonny Espinoza 5-2 to take state last season. Naro finished third at 138 pounds this season.

    Grant actually added another line to Pueblo’s wrestling record book as he is the only freshman to capture a state wrestling title by pin.

    “That’s pretty awesome,” Grant said. “I just had to stay in good position on top and get hand control and work from there. Before the season started, I couldn’t imagine being a state champion. To have this happen is just incredible.”

    JUST LIKE MY BROTHER: For the second time in seven days, Discovery Canyon sophomore Sam Turner beat Pueblo County’s Chris Sandoval.

    The win Saturday night was extra special for Turner as he beat Sandoval 5-3 to take state at 120 pounds.

    “This is very satisfying and the best feeling in the world to know your hard work has paid off,” said Sam, who pinned Sandoval in the regional finals in the final seconds of their match after trailing 3-1. “I’m so happy.”

    In 2012, as a senior Steve Turner, Sam’s brother, also won a Class 4A state crown at 120 pounds.

    “This is just great that my brother and I won state at 120 pounds,” Sam said.

    A year ago, Sam experienced the agony of defeat, losing to Weld Central’s Dalton Robertson 11-9 in the state finals.

    TRYING TO REPEAT HISTORY: In addition to Broomfield’s Downing (160) and Stodden (182), Windsor’s Kennen Lanteri (152) and Mead’s Kyle Couch (195) also were repeat champs.

    Lanteri, a senior, edged Broomfield’s Albo 4-2 in the finals.

    “It’s kind of hard to describe right now,” said Lanteri, who also won state at 152 pounds last year. “I’m sure (Sunday) it will feel even better because it hasn’t really set in yet. The experience I got from being in the state finals last year really helped me this year. I was a lot more calm this year.”

    Lanteri said he plans on continuing his wrestling career at Oregon State University.

    A year ago as a junior Couch made history by winning the first state wrestling title in Mead’s history. On Saturday night, he became the school’s first back-to-back state winner with a 7-2 win over Discovery Canyon’s David Traynor.

    “I wasn’t as nervous (Saturday night),” said the 6-foot-2 Couch, who signed to play linebacker for Colorado Mesa University. “It was just a great win.”

    Last season Couch defeated Montezuma-Cortez’s Trenton Gustafson 4-2 at 182 pounds in the state finals.

    Now, the program which is five years old, has two individual state champions and three state titles as junior Sage Budd was a gold medalist at 126 pounds Saturday night as he defeat Broomfield’s Huff.

    “It is pretty special,” Mead coach Ty Tatham said about getting two state champs. “I’m not going to forget about this for a long time. Sage’s win was huge. In Kyle’s match, he just has a way of preparing and being ready to go and he just had a great tournament.”

  • Returning champions rule the night at 5A wrestling

    DENVER — It was a night of repeats and three-peats in the Class 5A state wrestling championships Saturday at Pepsi Center.

    When it was all said and done, four individuals had defended their 2013 state titles and another, Bear Creek senior P.T. Garcia, had claimed his third consecutive championship. It was the perfect exclamation point on a season, and in some cases, a career.

    “It’s kind of bittersweet because that’s the last time I’ll wear a Ponderosa singlet,” said Ponderosa senior Dylan Gabel, who pinned Arapahoe’s Jaylen Mosqueira to claim the 182-pound title. “I’ve put a lot of time and effort in with that program. I love the coaches, I love the school and the support we get.”

    Arvada West enjoyed the best day and tournament as a whole, winnings its first team championship since 1992 and only its third overall. The Wildcats, who had three individual champions and nine placers overall, dominated the 5A field with 179 points. Pomona, which had two state titlists, was second with 92 points, followed by Ponderosa (88), Cherry Creek (81.5) and Pine Creek (80).

    Payton Tawater (145 pounds), Tony Silva-Bussey (170) and Devin Rothrock (195) each captured their first state titles.

    “It was just all worth it. Every little bit of it,” Tawater said. “All the running, all the extra stuff. It all was worth it in the end.”

    Garcia received one of the biggest ovations of the night after downing Greeley West’s Adrian DelaCruz 10-7 in the 132-pound final. It sent the University of Wyoming-bound senior into the three-time state champion club.

    “Being able to accomplish something like this – all that hard work finally paying off,” Garcia said, “all the tears I’ve cried and all the blood I’ve bled, it really culminated with a moment like this. It’s really special.”

    Cherry Creek’s Mitch Finesilver defended his 2013 title with a 1-0 decision over another former champion, Coronado’s Jess Hankin, at 126 pounds. Grand Junction’s Jacob Trujillo did the same with an 8-4 decision at 160 pounds, as did Gabel and Regis Jesuit’s Grand Neal at 220 with a 7-3 victory.

    Mountain Range’s Jorge Rodriguez, who won his first title in 2012, capped his prep career with a 5-0 decision at heavyweight.

    Finesilver survived with a narrow 1-0 decision. He and Hankin had worked together over the summer, and that familiarity showed on the mat.

    “My strategy was really just to wrestle my match,” Finesilver said. “We know each other so well, and you’ve just kind of got to do what you do best.”

    Hankin tried to score a late takedown but could never quite get in good position.

    “It’s always a little frustrating when you can’t pull out the win, but ultimately I view it as a learning experience,” said Hankin, who is a junior. “There’s a lot to be learned from that match.”

    For Finesilver, capturing a second title was special but the night was made even better after twin brother Zach won the 138-pound with a 10-4 decision over Arvada West’s Jimmy Rothwell.

    Another brother, Matt, reached the finals at 113 but fell 9-2 to Legacy’s Ryan Deakin, who capped a perfect season with his first championship.

    “It’s awesome. I look back on all the hard work I’ve done, and I guess that means more to be than just a title in general,” Finesilver said. “Doing it with great coaches and my family, my brothers and my teammates, that means more to me.”

    Gabel, who is headed to the University of Northern Colorado, had the added distinction of pinning his way through the tournament while setting the Ponderosa single-season pin record in the process with 35.

    “That’s my style of wrestling,” Gabel said. “I was hoping I would be able to pin my way through and I did, so I feel pretty pleased about all of it.”

    Pomona sophomore Tomas Gutierrez also finished with a perfect season after an 11-1 major decision at 106 pounds. His teammate, senior Josh Rosales, also notched a major decision, 12-4 at 120 pounds, to take his first title.

    The other first-time state champion was Gateway’s Deyaun Trueblood, who posted a 9-3 decision at 152 pounds.

    The night truly belonged to Arvada West though. Tawater fought his way through the bracket for a 1-0 decision after finishing third his first two years.

    “By far the best night of my life,” Tawater said. “By far.”

    Silva-Bussey closed his career with an 18-10 major decision and Rothrock notched a 5-2 decision.

    The team was without coach Ron Granieri, who was on restriction from the postseason.

    “It’s indescribable. These kids busted their butts all year long. It’s just the hard work that they put it in the room every day, the grind,” A-West assistant coach Matt Schmidt said. “The kids, they just wanted to wrestle. That’s all they wanted to do, and they wrestled their best.”

  • Valley makes wrestling history by winning 3A team title

    State wrestling 3A 2014
    Valley senior Jackson Wright, top, scores back points against Monte Vista senior Simon Schaefer during the Class 3A 170-pound match Saturday night at Pepsi Center. Wright scored a 13-3 victory in helping Valley to the school’s first ever state wrestling team title. (Dennis Pleuss)

    DENVER — The town of Gilcrest located on Highway 85 can be called “Valley of the Class 3A state wrestling champions.”

    The Valley Vikings claimed the first team wrestling title in school history Saturday night at Pepsi Center.

    “It probably won’t hit anyone on the team until we get to hold up that trophy,” Valley senior Jackson Wright said after taking a 13-3 victory at 170 pounds. “We all know we did something special here and made school history.”

    Valley’s version of the Fab Five — Ruben Lucero (126), Omar Sotelo (138), Macoy Flanagan (145), Brendan Gonzales (160) and Wright (170) — all reached the championship bouts in their respective weight classes. The Vikings racked up 154 points to hold off Centauri (137.5), Brush (117) and Monte Vista (103.5) for the team title.

    State wrestling 3A 2014
    Centauri senior Jason Buhr became a two-time state wrestling champion with a 17-2 technical fall against Middle Park senior Adam Visconti on Saturday night. Centauri finished second in the team standing behind Valley. (Dennis Pleuss)

    “It’s amazing. Everyone has been working so hard for it,” Lucero said after winning at 126. “It’s so cool. I can’t even put it into words.”

    Lucero officially wrapped up the team title with a 6-3 victory over Florence senior Jake Yslas. The only way the Vikings could have lost the team title is if all five Valley wrestlers lost and all three of Centauri’s finalist pinned their opponents.

    Lucero, Wright and Gonzales came away with individual titles in the historic night for Valley.

    “I think people will start to realize that Valley produces some pretty good wrestlers,” Wright said. “Coach (Mike Caciari) is a great coach.”

    Also making history Saturday night was Holy Family junior Joseph Prieto. A 4-0 victory over Sotelo at 132 gave Holy Family its first individual state wrestling champion in school history.

    The cafeteria at Holy Family doubles at the wrestling room and the program’s only mat is one given by Bishop Machebeuf.

    “It’s feels good. I know now it’s just another win. I’m going to have to keep doing it next year,” Prieto said. “It’s cool to make school history.”

    Centauri did manage a pair of individual state champions in senior Jason Buhr (152) and junior Jareb Aziz (195). Both are now two-time state champions after claiming titles last year.

    Buhr had one of the most dominating performances in the 3A championship bouts with a 17-2 technical fall over Middle Park senior Adam Visconti.

    “I just hoped for the win, but I’m glad it ended that way and I could get a tech,” Buhr said. “We came in ranked third as a team. We are happy with second right now.”

    Monte Vista senior Diondre Garcia also became a two-time state champion with a 2-0 victory over Alamosa freshman Isaiah DeLaCerda at 106. It was even more special with his cousin, sophomore Jose Duran, claiming the 113 title for Monte Vista.

    “It’s a great feeling,” Garcia said. “I dropped down so my cousin could win a state title too. It’s great that we can both celebrate.”

    State wrestling 3A 2014
    Olathe senior Trenton Piatt celebrates after winning the 120-pound Class 3A state title Saturday night. Piatt finished the season with an undefeated 35-0 record. (Dennis Pleuss)

    Dolores Huerta senior Jared Mestas grabbed his second state title that eluded him as a junior. He placed fourth last year after winning the 126 title as a sophomore. Huerta edged Holy Family junior Julian Prieto, Joseph’s twin brother, 6-5 in the 132 match.

    One of the most intriguing championship bouts in any classifications Saturday was the 3A 120 match. Returning state champion Conrad Cole from Brush faced undefeated Trenton Piatt of Olathe.

    Piatt had an early takedown and near-fall to take a 5-0 lead. That would all he would need to finish on top of the podium.

    Pagosa Springs senior Creede Wylie completed his wild three-day ride with a heavyweight championship title to conclude the tournament. Wylie came in as the top seed last year at 285, but didn’t place.

    Wylie pinned Centauri sophomore Devon Chacon at the 1:33 mark in the first period to finish his high school career with a state championship.

    His journey to the championship match wasn’t easy this year. He had to squeak out a 5-4 first-round match Thursday.

    “It’s such a long three days,” Wylie said. “This is a great way to end it.”

  • Paonia’s Reed wins third individual title in 2A wrestling

    DENVER — Paonia’s Jesse Reed has an opportunity to accomplish a feat only seventeen Colorado high school wrestlers have achieved in history.

    The Paonia junior will look to join the select group of four-time state champions next season after claiming his third state crown Saturday evening at the Pepsi Center.

    Reed faced off against Swink’s Austin Coy in the 126-pound weight class. The match was the premier showdown of the 2A state finals. Reed was 39-0 on the season, Coy 32-0, and both had won their first three matches of the state tourney convincingly.

    “Game plan was to score quick, score early,” said Reed, but neither wrestler was able to gain the upper hand in the first two periods.

    “Of course, it was 0-0 going into the third, but I was looking for that tilt,” Reed said. “I knew that tilt would be there, so I hit it and it gave me a 4-0 match. That really changed the whole match right there.”

    But Coy was a tough customer throughout and wouldn’t go away. The Swink junior made it 4-2 with 1:10 remaining, but Reed attacked again and forced Coy into a 6-2 deficit with forty seconds left.

    Reed went into defensive mode and prevented any big points from Coy the rest of the match. Coy made a last second desperate attempt for points and made it 6-4 with seven seconds left, but Reed, learning his lesson from teammate, Josh Altman, who lost in a last second, heartbreaking 120 pound semifinals match Friday night, turtle-shelled and held on.

    “It’s smart,” Reed said about his method of defense with seven seconds remaining. “You don’t want to get tossed and lose. That came out in my best friend Josh Altman’s match in the semis. He was up and he got thrown with three seconds left and he ended up fourth when he probably could’ve gotten first.”

    Reed was able to hold on and complete a dominant 40-0 season. He took time to reflect on his already storied career at Paonia and his run of success at the state tournament.

    “It’s tough every year,” Reed said. “My freshman year was probably tougher, because I was a freshman. Just mentally, that’s probably why it was tougher for me to go in there and beat the senior in the finals. This year, it was tough again, but I came through.”

    The Paonia junior won the 113-pound division as a freshman, the 120-pound division as a sophomore, and the-126 pound division as a junior.

    Two freshman wrestlers familiar with each other started the finals competition off with a bang in the 106 pound weight class. John Mall’s Jonathan Andreatta entered the title match 37-1 on the season, a very impressive campaign for the first year high school student. Ignacio’s Stocker Robbins was 37-6 on the season. The talented freshman knew each other all too well.

    “We wrestled in middle school a lot,” Andreatta said. “He’s beaten me like three times. In middle school I beat him twice and then I beat him earlier this season by two points.”

    Andreatta was in control throughout the state championship match and won by pin in 3:41.

    “I went out there and was focusing on my takedowns,” John Mall’s freshman champion said after the win. “I got him taken down, I went to a turn, and I kept going and I caught him on his back a few times. I was able to finally pin him.”

    Andreatta was mostly speechless afterwards and in awe described his victory as simply, “Unbelievable, unbelievable.”

    Meeker’s T.J. Shelton knew what it was like to be in Andreatta’s shoes last season when he claimed the 160-pound state title as a freshman. Wrestling at 170 pounds this year, Shelton pinned all four of his opponents on the way to his second state championship. He topped off his dominant weekend with a pin of Lyons’ Jon Hickman in 4:41.

    “It feels great,” Shelton said. “It feels the same as winning the first one. It was a lot similar. I went in there with the same kind of head. I wanted to take it and defend it.”

    Shelton completed a 32-2 sophomore season and was pleased with his performance throughout the year.

    “It was pretty good,” the Meeker wrestler said. “I got a slow start. I had an injury early and I couldn’t wrestle the first tournament. Other than that, I just progressed. I wrestled some really tough kids. One kid was ranked sixth in the nation, kicked my butt, and taught me a few lessons.”

    “I’ve got track season now,” Shelton added. “I can’t really celebrate. I have to keep rolling.”

    Other highlights of Saturday’s 2A action included Baca County’s Johnny Loflin defending his 195 pound state crown with a hard fought, hard-nosed 7-3 decision over Rocky Ford’s Nate Finnell. Loflin placed 5th, 2nd, 1st, and 1st at the state tourney during his outstanding career at Baca County.

    Loflin’s first cousin, Luke Loflin, a junior at Baca County, lost to fellow junior Blake Denton of Swink in a tough 3-2 state championship battle at 145 pounds.

    Stratton’s M.C. Griffin closed his high school career with his first state championship and a 33-1 senior campaign. Griffin earned his crown with a 3-2 decision over Swink’s Brody Wisemon in the 182 pound weight class.

    Burlington’s Jon Satterly, a sophomore and relatively unknown wrestler who didn’t win his regional title, surprised the 220 pound field by making a run all the way to the finals match. Satterly succumbed to Center’s Luis Mariscal, a senior, by pin in one minute and fifty five seconds in the finals, but certainly had a tremendous tourney run. Satterly closed the season 29-21. Mariscal went 33-4 his senior year.

    Paonia’s machine of a wrestling program won their third consecutive state championship and fifth in school history with 180 points. All five of the Eagles’ wrestlers in the finals were victorious as Reed won the 126 pound weight class, Bo Pipher won the 132 class, Ty Coats won the 152 class, Zach Milner won the 160 class, and Tony Darling won the 285 class.

    Sophomore Pipher, junior Milner, and seniors Coats and Darling were all first-time state champions for Paonia.

    Baca County was second as a team with 112.5 points, Meeker was third with 98.5, and Sedgwick County/Fleming finished fourth with 88.5 points.

    The 126-pound weight class final was the climax of the evening in 2A. Jesse Reed and Austin Coy’s bout lived up to its lofty billing between two undefeated juniors and was a fantastic finish.

    Reed admitted after the match that he is already thinking about making history as a four-timer.

    “I definitely have four-time on my mind, but there’s a lot of hard work that has to come before that,” Reed said. “I have to work harder than I did this year.”

    Reed exemplified the hard working, passionate Paonia powerhouse with a stalwart third individual state championship on Saturday evening in Denver.

  • Photos: State wrestling tournament’s championship matches

    DENVER — The state wrestling tournament concluded on Saturday at the Pepsi Center.

  • 3A wrestling’s 120-pound state final should be epic

    DENVER — Whoever wins the Class 3A 120-pound championship Saturday night at Pepsi Center will add to an already impressive resume.

    Olathe senior Trenton Piatt is undefeated on the season with a 34-0 record. Piatt’s opponent in Saturday night’s championship bout will be Brush junior Conrad Cole, who won the 113-pound title in 2013 and took third at 106 as a freshman.

    “(Piatt) is a good opponent. He is undefeated for a reason. It’s going to be a battle all the way through,” said Cole, who used a late third-period pin to end his close semifinal match Friday night against Cedaredge sophomore Austin Todd. “It might be one of the best (finals) in the whole state tournament.”

    The parade of champions is scheduled to begin at 6:30 p.m. Saturday at Pepsi Center with the finals in all four classifications to follow.

    Cole and Piatt have never faced each other. While Cole came in as a defending state champion, Piatt was the top seed with his undefeated record.

    “You are always nervous coming into state,” Piatt said after pinning Lamar sophomore Michael Johnson in the second period of his semifinal. “The atmosphere is just crazy.”

    Cole already has something Piatt wants, a state title. Piatt came up just short on his previous three trips downtown. As a freshman he took third at 103. He was a state runner-up at 113 in 2012 and placed fourth at 120 last year.

    Piatt has cruised to three pins in his first three matches of the three-day tournament. A fourth pin Saturday night would finally give the senior his elusive state championship.

    “The ‘W’ most of all, but if that pin happens that would be nice too,” Piatt said. “I’m just looking for the win.”

    Monte Vista senior Diondre Garcia will also attempt to end his prep career on the top of the podium for a second straight year. Garcia dominated Fort Lupton freshman Jody Sandoval with a 15-5 major decision in the semifinals at 106.

    “I’ll try not to think about it,” Garcia said when asked if it was hitting him that his high school wrestling season is nearly over. “I’ll focus on tomorrow’s big match. I’ll let that all come after the final.”

    Garcia has been a staple at 106 pounds in 3A all four years. He won his first state title last year after being a state runner-up in 2012 and placing sixth in 2011.

    “I feel like I have a lot of experience over these kids,” Garcia said. “I feel like the big dog here.”

    Garcia will square off against Alamosa freshman Isaiah DeLaCerda in the final. The senior has defeated the freshman twice already this season, but their second battle went overtime.

    After losing in state final as a sophomore Garcia decided to focus on wrestling so he could train year round. He believes that was a turning point in becoming a state champion.

    Holy Family will attempt to make school history tomorrow. The school has never had a state-wrestling champion. Twin brothers Julian and Joseph Prieto are both in the final. Joseph became the first Holy Family wrestler to make a final last year, but lost his match at 126.

    Julian will wrestle Dolores Huerta senior Jared Mestas in the 132 final. Joseph will face Valley senior Omar Sotelo at 138.

    “It’s going to be fun,” Joseph said. “It’s going to be nice to have someone there with you that you know.”

    Joseph took a glance over at his younger brother – by a minute – before starting his semifinal match Friday. Joseph pinned Monte Vista junior Jacob Vance at the 1:30 mark in the first period.

    Moments later, Julian pinned Olathe junior Austin Shank midway through the third period to join his brother in the championship matches.

    Before Saturday’s championships matches, it will be a busy day for those wrestlers working their way through the consolation brackets at Pepsi Center.

    The third round of consolations will start at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The fifth- and third-place matches begin at 2 p.m. for both the 3A and 2A classifications.

    Valley is closing in on its first team wrestling title in the school’s history. The Vikings have a healthy lead with 124 points going into the final day. Centauri is second with 105 points. Monte Vista holds third with 90.5 and Brush is fourth with 87.

    Valley takes five wrestlers into the finals, including sophomore Macoy Flanagan who scored the biggest upset in the 3A semifinals. Flanagan upset defending state champion Andrew Register of The Classical Academy with a 3-1 overtime victory at 145.

  • Cherry Creek’s Finesilver brothers set to wrestle in three 5A finals

    The Finesilver brothers. (Dan Mohrmann)
    The Finesilver brothers. (Dan Mohrmann)

    DENVER — Josh Finesilver didn’t even take the time to comprehend the end of his weekend at the state wrestling championships. A mere 30 feet away his twin brother Matt was nearing the end of his semifinal match. A win would put Matt in the championship round of the 113-pound bracket.

    Josh was able to see Matt get a pinfall victory and give the Finesilver brothers their first semifinal victory of Friday night.

    “The four boys all believe in each other, but the inspiration of the four is Josh,” their father Steve said. “He outworks the rest, and they work hard. He’s the inspiration for our family because he the kid with amazing grades, he’s an amazing wrestler and he just has a feel and is tied into the whole family.”

    Josh’s disappointment in his performance this weekend was short-lived as he was able to watch all three of brothers win their semifinal matches, making the family the first in Colorado wrestling history to have three siblings vying for a state championship in the same year.

    Along with Matt in the 113-pound bracket, his older twin brothers Mitch (126) and Zach (138) will also get their chance to walk away from Saturday’s finals as state champions. Not bad for a two sets of twin brothers.

    “It’s awesome, but we didn’t get all four. We had eight qualify, but we didn’t get all eight in the finals,” Zach said. “It’s bittersweet because those of us who are in it have worked for it, but all eight of us couldn’t get in.”

    This is far from the first year that the Finesilvers have seen success in the state tournament. Zach was in the semis last year but couldn’t quite make his way to championship round. Mitch lost in the finals his sophomore year before rebounding and winning a title in 2013.

    But the crowning achievement for the family is to be able to watch three of the boys have their chance at championship gold.

    “It’s been amazing, we have great coaches, a great team; this is what we’ve been training for,” Mitch said. “We just work hard and that comes from our coaches and our team and it shows with the four of us.”

    Steve has found that wrestling has been a blessing for four boys and is proud that they have pursued something that they are so passionate about. But having four fierce competitors in the house can come with its fair share of problems. At any given time –- but most likely at dinner –- the competitive juices can start to flow through all of them leading to into some kind of argument or contest.

    “They can jump up at dinner and either start doing pull-ups, because we have a chin-up bar in our kitchen,” Steve said. “Or they could just challenge each other right then and there and they’ll just go down to the basement to wrestle or sometimes they’ll just wrestle right there in the kitchen.”

    But on the mat, it’s clear they have each other’s back. They were able to discover during the state tournament that there is added stress when trying to keep track three other matches on top of their own.

    But as Josh demonstrated early in Friday night’s session, the concern for each other will always be in the forefront. Regardless of the outcome of his own match, Josh knew that Matt was nearby and to him, that was just as important as the match he had just finished.

    “I’ve trained with him my whole life,” Josh said. “Basically, I care about his success just as much as I care about mine so it was a natural reaction to look over there and check on how he was doing. There was nothing I could do to change (the results of) mine but I can still check to see how his is going.”

    Matt will be the first of the three to take his shot at bringing home a state a title. Saturday’s championship rounds begin at 6:30 p.m. at Pepsi Center.

  • Bear Creek’s Garcia ready for one last match in 5A wrestling

    DENVER — Three years ago P.T. Garcia saw his freshman foray into the Class 5A state wrestling tournament end with a one-point loss in the state finals.

    What followed was a lesson in focus, and it led to back-to-back state titles for the Bear Creek standout. On Friday evening at Pepsi Center, Garcia moved to within one victory of joining an elite club of three-time state champions.

    “I have so many memories here,” Garcia said from the bowels of Pepsi Center after defeating Pomona freshman Jason Romero by technical fall, 17-1, in the 132-pound semifinals. “They’re all just kind of flooding back, all the way from my freshman year.”

    Garcia (35-0) will go for the three-peat in the finals Saturday night. The Bears senior will be matched up with Greeley West senior Adrian DeLaCruz, who defeated Ponderosa’s Devin House 5-2.

    There will also be the added bonus of having teammate Jaysen Yacobson joining him in the finals. Yacobson defeated Horizon’s Jackson Huffman 4-3 and will face Pomona’s Josh Rosales.

    Garcia expects there will be a flood of emotions once the Parade of Champions begins.

    “I’m going to sit down on the mat and look up and just realize where I am and how great that is and how much of an opportunity that is,” he said. “This year I get to have my good friend that I’ve been wrestling with since I was five years old.”

    Arvada West moved ever closer to capturing its first 5A state championship since 1992. The Wildcats advanced four individuals into the finals and are leading the field with 121 points. Cherry Creek, which has brothers Matt (113 pounds), Mitch (126) and Zach Finesilver (132) in the finals, is second with 73.5 points, followed by Ponderosa with 70.

    Junior Jimmy Rothwell pinned his way into the 138-pound final against Zach Finesilver. Arvada West’s Payton Tawater and Ponderosa’s Torry Williams will battle at 145; Tony Silva-Bussey meets Mountain Vista’s Dylan Formby at 170; and Devin Rothrock takes on Fossil Ridge’s Payton Tapia at 195.

    Silva-Bussey pinned both of his opponents Friday to move into his first title match.

    “I tried picturing this moment, going to the finals, making it there,” he said. “I never thought it would feel like this. I’m just so excited right now.”

    Even though the team championship is within the Wildcats’ grasp, Silva-Bussey and his teammates remain focused on Saturday’s matches first and foremost.

    “Right now we’re just focusing on individual stuff,” he said. “If the team title comes, then it comes. Until we get to that point, we’re mainly just focusing on individual stuff and seeing what we can do there.”

    A handful of wrestlers will be aiming to defend their 2013 titles. Mitch Finesilver and Coronado’s Jess Hankin, both of who took first a year ago, will battle at 126 pounds. Grand Junction’s Jacob Trujillo (160), Ponderosa’s Dylan Gabel (182) and Regis Jesuit’s Grant Neal (220) also are back in the finals. Mountain Range’s Jorge Rodriguez, a 2012 titlist, is in the 285-pound final against Chaparral’s Dane Drimmer. Both wrestlers have pinned their way through the tournament.

    Three previously undefeated wrestlers were knocked off Friday, including top-seeded Roman Ortiz of Rocky Mountain. Gateway’s Deyaun Trueblood scored a takedown to break a 1-1 tie and withstood a late stalling penalty for the 3-2 decision over Ortiz at 152 pounds.

    “Three or four days ago I wasn’t feeling too confident. I was beating up on myself,” Trueblood said. “But with the atmosphere here – I feel great. Nobody expects the regional runner-up to beat the No. 1 seed.”

    The sophomore placed sixth at state as a freshman and while he was understandably emotional Friday, Trueblood understands there is still one more match before he can truly celebrate. Next up is Fountain Fort-Carson’s Rashawn Benford.

    “I’m not accomplished yet,” he said. “It’s not over yet – not until you’re at the top of the podium.”

  • Pueblo County’s Willits brothers all reach 4A wrestling finals

    DENVER — Growing up there has always been one constant in the lives of brothers Keenan, Grant and Hunter Willits — wrestling.

    Through years of hard work and dedication all three brothers became standout wrestlers.

    This weekend at the Class 4A state wrestling tournament the brothers from Pueblo County have had their skills on full display at the Pepsi Center.

    Grant (106 pounds), and Hunter (132), his fraternal twin, and Keenan (160) are all wrestling for state championships Saturday night. Grant and Hunter are freshmen and Keenan is a senior.

    “Everybody at home (in Pueblo) knows the Willits name for wrestling,” Keenan said. “We’re trying make them proud and it means everything to have all three of us in the finals.”

    This is the first time three brothers from Pueblo County High School have wrestled for state titles on the same night and it is believed to be one of the few times it has happened in Colorado State wrestling history. The Willits brothers will be joined in the finals with their freshman teammate Chris Sandoval (120 pounds).

    Actually in Class 5A, Cherry Creek brothers Matt Finesilver (113), Mitch Finesilver (126) and Zach Finesilver (138) are all in the finals Saturday. Mitch and and Zach are fraternal twins. Matt’s fraternal twin, Josh (106) lost in the semifinals.

    Only one freshman — Isaac Naro of Pueblo South at 132 pounds in 2013 — has ever won a state wrestling championship in Pueblo history.

    “This is a team effort between all our coaches and all our wrestlers,” Pueblo County coach Eddie Soto said. “We knew the talent we had coming in and it was our job to make sure this was just another tournament. We have a great group of guys and we’ve had a lot of fun and the kids came through. It is unbelievable to have the three Willits brothers in the finals. It’s a great feeling and it is changing our program.”

    Grant and Hunter are ranked No. 1 in 4A at their weights and Keenan, a senior, is ranked No. 2.

    The Willits name is no stranger in the Colorado prep and college ranks.

    The boys father, Rick Willits, won a Class AAA state championship at 132 pounds in 1980 while competing for Pueblo East. The elder Willits then went on to win an NAIA national championship at 150 pounds at Adams State College in 1985.

    “That was probably the most emotional thing I have ever been involved with in my whole life,” said the elder Willits, an assistant coach for the Hornets, about watching all his boys compete Friday night. “It doesn’t even come close to the emotions I had when I competed. My emotions were a roller-coaster (Friday night). You want your boys to do so well, and nd when they do you’re ecstatic. It’s something that you just can’t put into words.”

    Grant began the Willits’ victory parade by edging Thompson Valley’s Morgan Fogg 6-4 in overtime.

    “I got taken down early in the match and I was pretty nervous,” the 5-foot-5 Grant, 15, said.

    With time winding down in the third period, Grant still trailed 4-3, but with nine seconds left Fogg was docked a stalling point to tie the match.

    “I really felt like I was going to get that stalling point and once we went to overtime I felt pretty good because I have been in that position before,” Grant said.

    Neither wrestler could score in the first one-minute sudden death period. In the next 30-second session, Fogg was on the bottom and couldn’t get any points before time expired.

    That opened the door for Grant when he took bottom in the next 30 seconds. He was able to get to his feet and then take Fogg down to win the match with nine seconds remaining.

    “I’m felt comfortable being on the bottom and once I reversed him to his back I knew I could win,” Grant said.

    Hunter eliminated any drama in his match against Conifer’s Bronson Spies taking a quick 8-0 lead in the first period.

    “I wrestled him in a summer camp and I was able to tilt him then and I had a feeling I could do it again and I was able to that,” Hunter, 5-8, said. “I’m just excited to be in the state championship match. All I ever wanted is to be is a state champ.”

    Keenan capped the evening by pinning Berthoud’s Chad Ellis with 1:19 left in the third period.

    “The only thing that was going through my head was stay in position,” said Keenan, who didn’t start taking wrestling seriously until eighth grade. “I was so happy to make it 4-for-4 for us in the finals, and there was a lot of pressure on me when my brothers made it. I didn’t want to be the only one who didn’t make it to the state championship.”

    As thrilled as the three Willits were Friday, they know their missions aren’t complete.

    Grant (42-3) meets Palisade’s Randen Espinoza (44-4) and Hunter (43-2) tangles with Pueblo South’s Marcus Martinez (34-3).

    Keenan has the toughest task as he collides with Broomfield’s Phil Downing (45-3). Downing is trying to become only the 17th wrestler in Colorado prep history to capture four state wrestling state titles.

    “This is my dream to win state,” the 6-foot Keenan said. “I have a chance to do something legendary (against Downing) if I can. If I can’t, that’s just how life is, but I have a chance and I’m just going to follow my game plan and anything can happen.”

    TEAM RACE SNAPSHOT: Defending state champion Broomfield flexed its muscles Friday night.

    The Eagles are leading the team standings with 112.50 points. Broomfield advanced Darek Huff (126), Jarod Albo (152), Downing (160), Zach Stodden (182) and heavyweight Austyn Harris to the finals.

    The Eagles held their commanding lead despite being deducted one team point Friday night for unsportsmanlike conduct.

    Pueblo County (96), Thompson Valley (88) and Windsor (75) round out the top four in the team chase.

    TRYING TO REPEAT HISTORY: In addition to Broomfield’s Downing (160) and Stodden (182), Windsor’s Kennen Lanteri (152) and Mead’s Kyle Couch (195) all still have a chance to be repeat championsSaturday.

    FAMILIAR FOE: When Thompson Valley’s Ben Hewson (44-11) looks across the mat at his 138-pound finals opponent Saturday there will be no surprises.

    Hewson has wrestled Berthoud’s Jimmy Fate (51-2) three times this season – coming up short each time.

    Hewson, a junior, and Fate, a sophomore, are making their first appearances in the state finals.

    WE MEET AGAIN: Pueblo County’s Sandoval clashes with Discovery Canyon’s Sam Turner in the finals. Last Saturday at regionals, Sandoval and Turner met in the finals and Sandoval was leading 3-0 until Turner pinned him in the waning seconds.

    GOLD MEDAL DREAMS VANISH: There were seven return champions that returned in the Class 4A state tournament.

    That number was reduced dramatically in the quarterfinals Friday afternoon.

    Weld Central’s Dalton Roberston (126 pounds), Palisade’s Dalton Harrington (132) and Pueblo South Isaac Naro all suffered defeats.

    STEEL CITY POWER: The city of Pueblo has a rich history in high school wrestling and that fact has proved to be true again this weekend.

    Counting the four Pueblo County High School wrestlers – the Steel City has eight total wrestlers competing in Saturday’s finals.

    Pueblo South’s Michael Ramirez (113), Martinez (132), East’s Phillip Benavidez (182) and Central’s Evan Lancelot (220) are all going for gold medals.

  • Paonia all but wraps up 2A crown at state wrestling

    DENVER — Paonia is a tiny town in the far west region of Colorado. It’s four hours from Denver and has less than 2,000 people in it. Many people in Colorado may not have even heard of Paonia, but it is home to a great wrestling community and a dominant 2A program.

    The Paonia Eagles are the two-time defending state champions and all but sealed up their third consecutive crown Friday at the Pepsi Center.

    Paonia has already accumulated an impressive 144 points, well clear of second place Meeker (92.5) headed into Saturday’s championship matches.

    “It was a good day,” Paonia’s coach Andy Pipher said after the semis. “We had seven in the quarters. We lost one right in the final seconds at 120 with Josh Altman (in the semifinals). He wrestled hard and did the gameplan for five minutes and fifty nine seconds, but at the last second relaxed a little bit and got taken down and lost by one.

    “We punched five others in that wrestled really hard and stuck to the gameplan and found a way to win.”

    When asked what’s made his program so successful, Pipher said, “Really good community support. We’ve got community support for all these kids and they help us out with our summer program.”

    “We run our summer duals up there June 14th and 15th,” Pipher said. “This year we get 400 kids in there to wrestle and counting. We get everybody from Arvada West to Rocky Mountain High School, from the east to the north to the south, all four corners, and it’s a big event. About seven states are represented there, they come through Nebraska.”

    “All those things help,” said the long-time Paonia Coach. “There’s probably more matches wrestled in the county high school gym than any high school gym in the state of Colorado during one calendar year. That’s where the success comes from.”

    Paonia started the semifinal round with Altman’s last second loss to Highland’s Jakeob Trujillo 4-3. Trujillo, a sophomore, will face Baca County’s senior Stetson Loader in the finals tomorrow.

    After Altman’s loss, Paonia’s machine got chugging again with five out of six semifinal wins the rest of the night. Jesse Reed, a two-time defending champ as a junior, advanced at 126 to face Swink’s junior of their own, Austin Coy. Both wrestlers will enter the title match undefeated on the season.

    Pipher had nothing but praise for his most touted wrestler.

    “Jesse’s a great wrestler,” Pipher said. “He works hard, just a quiet leader, but he goes in there and stays after practice every day and does extra and works and puts a lot of time in during the summer and its paying off.”

    Bo Pipher won his semifinal match for Paonia at 132, Ty Coats advanced at 152, Zach Milner at 160, and Tony Darling at 285. Logan Schopp, a junior, lost to Lyons’ sophomore Jon Hickman by fall in four minutes, 33 seconds.

    Paonia had five of their seven semifinalists advance. Mathematically, the crown isn’t yet Paonia’s, but it would take a lot tomorrow for them to not win it.

    Baca County’s Johnny Loflin, a 195-pounder, had a great day of his own.

    Loflin’s defeated all three of his opponents thus far via pin. His longest match was in the semifinals against Sedgwick County’s Jimmy Horalek, but the match was still a mere one minute and ten seconds. Loflin will face Rocky Ford’s Nate Finnell, a winner over Soroco’s Cody Constine in the semis, tomorrow in the state title match.

    Loflin is seeking his second consecutive title.

    “I have a lot of experience,” he said. “I’ve been here all four years. I’ve placed fifth, second, and first, so I’ve just had a lot of experience. I feel confident. Wrestling is 90 percent mental and I think I have that part down pretty well.”

    Lolflin has mixed feelings about his season up to this point, but is optimistic.

    “It’s been good,” he said. “My team’s awesome. I love them this year. They’re a real hard working group of kids. I’m really pleased with the underclassmen that are coming in during the mornings and running extra, doing all that sort of stuff.

    “My season’s personally been a little slow. It hasn’t been my best season, but I’m confident and I feel good.”

    Saturday, the Baca County senior will be attacking the last match of his high school career with fire.

    “I’m going to be aggressive, just open up my offense, and just see what happens,” Loflin said. “I just want to be aggressive and stay on him.

    “Last year I was kind’ve trying to get something off my shoulders,” he added. “This year I’m kind’ve relaxed, a lot more relaxed, and just wrestling.”

    Meeker’s T.J. Shelton joined Paonia’s Reed and Baca County’s Loflin as defending champs that advanced to Saturday’s finals. Shelton pinned his third opponent of the meet with a fall of Norwood’s Kolby Starks in 1:07. He will face Lyons’ Jon Hickman for all the marbles in the 170 pound weight class.

    Three of the four returning champs moved on, but Sedgwick County’s Seth Harrington wasn’t one of them. Harrington, the winner at 132 last season, lost to Holly’s Ryan Nordyke in the 138 pound weight class, in a 9-5 decision in the semis. Harrington will wrestle the last meet of his high school career against Wray’s Alex Tarin for third place, while Nordyke will take on Center’s Jose Chavez for the crown.

    Paonia stole the headlines Friday evening at the Pepsi Center though as they look to add to their four state wrestling titles in school history. All have been under coach Pipher during his 16 seasons at the helm.

    Pipher reflected a little Friday on how this year’s team compares to his last two.

    “The last two, I think we had probably more depth in each weight,” Pipher noted. “This year I think we have more, well we got five in the finals, so we have more top end kids.”

    “Last year I think we won 13 matches on the first day,” Pipher added. “This year we only have 10 here, but they’re good quality kids. Not to take anything from last year’s, but it’s just a different team.”

    Paonia may have a different team, but the Eagles look good enough to win yet another 2A wrestling title and add to their town’s pride.