Boys basketball’s 2014 state tournament bracket in 5A.
Month: February 2014
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4A boys basketball’s state tournament bracket
Boys basketball’s 2014 state tournament bracket in 4A.
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State tournament brackets released for 5A, 4A boys and girls basketball
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) AURORA — In front of a gathered crowd at the WMDC Building, CHSAA unveiled the 5A boys and girls state basketball tournament brackets during the association’s annual Selection Show.
Denver East, Fossil Ridge, Mountain Vista and Overland are the No. 1 seeds in this year’s Class 5A boys field. Cherry Creek, Fossil Ridge, Grandview and Regis Jesuit are the No. 1 seeds on the girls side.
“The release of the 5A basketball bracket is one of the most entertaining times of the year,” said CHSAA assistant commissioner Bert Borgmann, who oversees basketball. “Some schools will get in, some schools won’t, and the anticipation heightens the interest of the basketball community.”
There wasn’t much surprise in the boys’ top seeds. Neither Denver East nor Fossil Ridge have lost in Colorado this season. Overland and Mountain Vista, meanwhile, won arguably the toughest conferences in the 5A level — the Centennial and Continental, respectively.
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) “Some people might ask, ‘Well, East had four losses?’” said Hal Wiebers, the 5A boys seeding committee chair who is a former basketball coach and athletic director at Cañon City. “Some people would look at that and wonder, but they haven’t lost in Colorado. And this is a Colorado state tournament.”
The Centennial placed all eight members into the tournament, while the Continental also put eight in the field. Both leagues also have four teams with first-round byes.
“They’re the two biggest leagues,” Wiebers said.
The 5A boys basketball seeding committee made 773 individual or combined observations this season. Each team was seen at least three times.
“One of the things we always have a tough time with is who gets in and who doesn’t, because you’re cutting somebody out of the tournament,” Wiebers said. “There are 63 schools; there’s only places for 48 teams. So that takes a considerable amount of time.”
The committee laid a lot of the groundwork for the brackets during an eight-hour meeting on Saturday, then reconvened to finalize things on Sunday.
“We really try to take time to get a fair and equitable bracket,” Wiebers said. “It takes a lot of time, a lot of work, a lot of gas.”
The girls bracket had two clear-cut No. 1 seeds, according to 5A seeding committee chair Rick Hergenreter, a longtime basketball observer and past educator in Jefferson County: Regis Jesuit and Grandview. After that?
“We had a really tough time deciding the other two No. 1s,” Hergenreter said. “There were so many teams that had so much potential.
“We took a long time to try and figure it out. There are some people that are probably going to disagree with what they see, but we came up with what we thought were the next two best choices.”
Those two teams ended up as Cherry Creek and Fossil Ridge.
The Continental ended up with 10 qualifiers out of 11 teams, the Front Range got 10 of 12 and the Centennial qualified all seven.
“When you look at strength of league, Continental had the strongest league,” Hergenreter said.
Ultimately, the entire selection spanned two days.
“There’s nothing easy about this process,” Hergenreter said. “We sat in there (meeting) for five hours (on Saturday). We spent an hour figuring out who two of the four No. 1s were. We spent another 45 on who was out.
“It’s not an easy process regardless of what people may think.”
Earlier Sunday, the 4A brackets were released on CHSAANow.com. Valor Christian, Thompson Valley, D’Evelyn, Pueblo South are the boys’ No. 1 seeds. Broomfield, Mesa Ridge, Sand Creek, Pueblo South head the girls’ field as No. 1s.
Find the 4A boys bracket here. The 4A girls bracket is here.
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Hockey playoff roundup: Machebeuf beats Dakota Ridge in overtime
Find the complete hockey playoff bracket here.
Bishop Machebeuf 3, Dakota Ridge 2. Anders Saarela scored on the power play 2:39 into overtime as the Buffaloes beat Dakota Ridge.
Machebeuf had led 2-1 on Noah Hernandez’s goal in the second period, but Dakota Ridge tied the game with 53 seconds left in regulation when Zach Czarnecki scored.
Then in overtime, with Dakota Ridge’s Zach Czarnecki off for hooking, Saarela put Machebeuf on through to the second round.
Buffs’ goalie Alan Rikli made 32 saves in the win.
Regis Jesuit 8, Doherty 2. Doherty’s Jordan Barrett scored eight seconds into the game, and that lone tally held up for a 1-0 lead into the second period.
Then Regis Jesuit’s Connor Harshman scored the first of his two second-period goals, and Connor Brennan also got on the board as the Raiders turned the tide.
Doherty’s Ty Snyder cut the new lead to 3-2 2:50 into the third period, but Regis totally put the game away from there. Jack O’Neil scored back-to-back power play markers, the Jacob Frishman, Grant Johnson and Carter Alcock iced things. Regis’ final four goals came in a span of just over five minutes.
Regis Jesuit only allowed 16 shots in the game, meaning goalie Sam Harden made 14 saves.
Cherry Creek beat Pine Creek 6-2 on Friday night. More photos. (Jack Eberhard/JacksActionShots.com) Cherry Creek 6, Pine Creek 2. A three-goal spurt in the middle of the second period propelled the Bruins over the Eagles on Friday night.
With the score tied at 1 in the second period, Cherry Creek’s Ryan Worley and Owen Berman scored exactly two minutes apart to make it 3-1. Jackson Ross then added a short-handed goal, his second of the game, to extend the lead.
Pine Creek would score just before the second ended, but Matt Jung made it 5-2 in the third and Chris Nitchen added an empty-netter for Cherry Creek.
Aaron Jatana made 32 saves for the Bruins.
Ralston Valley 10, Pueblo County 0. The Mustangs scored 1:29 into the game and the deluge continued from there.
Kyle Valdez had two goals and two assists, including that opener, while Connor Schaff had two goals and an assist as Ralston Valley rolled.
The Mustangs scored four goals in both the first and second periods. They also only surrendered four shots all game long as James Madok notched a shutout.
Cody Noel and Ian Snedden each had a goal and two assists for Ralston Valley.
Monarch 13, Cheyenne Mountain 1. It was 1-1 after the first period. But once the second period started? That’s when Monarch started to roll.
The Coyotes scored six times in the second frame, including two from Walker Harris, then added six more in the third.
Dima Kyle had six points on two goals and four assists to lead Monarch. Harris finished with four points, including the goals and two assists. Andrew Pickner had two goals and an assist, while Cameron Taggart had a goal and two assists. Blake Bride had three assists.
Monarch allowed just seven shots.
Mountain Vista 8, Resurrection Christian 0. Bryan Hancock had a hat-trick and added an assist, while Cordt Fenstermaker assisted on five goals as the Golden Eagles moved to the second round.
Goalie Joe Morgan stopped at 17 shots he faces in shutting out Resurrection Christian.
Michel Karas and Kaden Steward each had a goal and an assist for Mountain Vista, and Brent Berthold added two helpers.
Lewis-Palmer 6, Steamboat 2. Following a scoreless first period, Lewis-Palmer quickly jumped ahead in the second when Casey McMullin scored 1:26 into the frame. The Rangers’ Nick Pavlik added goal four minutes later, and Lewis-Palmer never looked back.
Dmitri Smith had two goals for Lewis-Palmer, while Adam Schaefer and McMullin each had a goal and two assists.
Columbine 3, Heritage 0. Logan Seibold and Matt Meyer each had a goal and an assist as the Rebels moved on to the second round.
Jacob Seibold scored Columbine’s other goal, while Ashton Opperman was huge with 40 saves in the shutout.
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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.
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Cherry Creek’s Finesilver brothers set to wrestle in three 5A finals
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.
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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.”
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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.
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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.
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Photos: Cherry Creek beats Pine Creek in hockey’s first round
MONUMENT — A three-goal spurt in the middle of the second period propelled Cherry Creek over Pine Creek on Friday night.
With the score tied at 1 in the second period, Cherry Creek’s Ryan Worley and Owen Berman scored exactly two minutes apart to make it 3-1. Jackson Ross then added a short-handed goal, his second of the game, to extend the lead.