AURORA — Colorado’s high school basketball teams will use the final week of the state playoffs March 12-14, to help collect food for the thousands of hungry and food insecure in the state, the Colorado High School Activities Association has announced.
Feeding Colorado is a collection of the state’s largest five food banks’ and include Food Bank of the Rockies, Care and Share Food Bank for Southern Colorado, Community Food Share, Food Bank for Larimer County and Weld Food Bank. All four championship sites — CU Events Center, Colorado Mines, Budweiser Event Center and CSU-Pueblo — have opened their doors to help, as well.
“The numbers of Coloradoans that are food insecure and in need of food assistance in any given week is staggering. Our CHSAA schools have long been the support system for their communities and this gives them yet another chance to help out people in need right in their own communities,” Commissioner Paul Angelico noted. “The food raised by the program will be distributed across Colorado.”
Here are some pertinent stats around hunger in Colorado:
There are slightly more than 750,000 Coloradoans that are food insecure and in need of food assistance on any given week
The five Feeding America Food Banks in Colorado provide and distribute over 100 million pounds annually to nearly 1,600 food assistance programs in Colorado
Feeding Colorado touches each of Colorado’s 64 counties at least once each month
Nearly 1 in 4 children in Colorado are food insecure
Combined, Feeding Colorado has more than 33 trucks delivering and/or picking up food on any given day and in any given part of Colorado
In order to facilitate the food drive, the CHSAA has developed two approaches to the activities during Championship Week. One, food raised by the school will remain in their community, and the second is to drive donations from those attending the games each day of the championship tournaments.
Each school that qualifies for the state tournament will be challenged to see which school can raise the most food over the first three days of that week. It will be weighed and the team that raises the most will win $1,000 from the Foundation for Colorado High School Student Activities to donate in that school’s name to Feeding Colorado. The winners will be announced during one of the state championship games on March 14. Any food raised by the schools will remain in those communities to help fill their local pantries’ shelves.
The second part of the Food Drive revolves around those attending the games. Collection bins will be placed at the front doors of the facility for fans to drop off food items as they enter the facility. To entice donations, each person who donates will receive a raffle ticket for a chance to win a prize during that session of the tournament. Prizes to be given away include items from the Broncos, Rockies, Nuggets, Avalanche and Rapids, along with the Colorado Sports Hall of Fame and Mile High Sports Magazine.
Additional information will be forwarded as the playoffs progress.
DENVER – The waiting must have seemed to last forever for Paonia senior Jesse Reed.
One match away from making history, Reed paced back and forth alongside the mat Saturday night where he would compete for the final time. Three matches had to be wrapped up, and then awards were handed out before the Class 2A 126-pound championship match got underway at Pepsi Center.
“It was my last time out here,” Reed said. “I’ve been here and I’ve done it, so I just tried to stay calm.”
Ultimately the moment proved worth the wait. Reed scored a first-period takedown and an escape in each of the ensuing two periods on his way to a 4-1 decision over Rocky Ford’s Jeremy Fraser, giving him a fourth consecutive 2A state title.
Reed became the 18th individual from Colorado to accomplish the feat and the first from Paonia.
“It’s only been done 18 times,” Eagles coach Andy Pipher said. “Now one of them is in town. There’s a lot of good wrestling there and a lot of good support.”
Jesse Reed of Paonia takes a bow after winning the 126-pound 2A final, winning his fourth-straight state title. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
Reed endured nearly 24 hours between his semifinal victory over Wray’s Jake Rockwell and his match Saturday with Fraser.
“It was a little bit difficult,” he said. “I finally got to sleep around 11:30 and woke about 5 (a.m.) because I was so anxious to get it over with.”
Fraser, the second seed in the bracket, gave Reed a tough match but could never quite figure out a way to score a much-needed takedown. It was Reed who got on the board first with a takedown of his own a minute into the match, but a Fraser escape cut the deficit to one going into the second period.
Reed escaped Fraser’s grasp midway through each of the next two periods, and Fraser’s late shoot attempts went for naught.
“A lot of Jesse’s matches are that way,” Pipher said. “But boy, I’d put him out on the mat 1-0 against anybody. He’s going to win.”
Jesse Reed of Paonia celebrates winning his fourth-straight state title during the Colorado state wrestling finals, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
Reed concluded his amazing run with a career record of 147-7, including an 86-0 mark over the past two seasons. As a freshman he pinned Burlington’s Miguel Torres in 3 minutes, 38 seconds to win the 113-pound title. The next year he edged Baca County’s Stetson Loader 7-5 at 120 pounds.
As a junior he capped an undefeated season with a 6-4 decision over Swink’s Austin Coy at 126 pounds. Then came Saturday night.
Pipher said it was important not to think ahead because there could be no celebration without one more victory.
“It’s nice to know hard work pays off,” said Reed, who credited everyone who helped him achieve his success. “It’s an amazing feeling. It’s unbelievable. I can’t describe it right now.”
Earlier in the evening, after the Parade of Champions that precedes the championship matches, a video package was aired on the scoreboard at Pepsi Center. Each of the previous 17 four-time state champions were shown to the hundreds of fans in attendance, giving Reed a little something extra to think about.
There is so much appreciation on his part for what those individuals accomplished, and he said it was a great feeling to know he’s up there now with them.
“Before my match, all I could think about is ‘I’m one match away, I’m one match away from being up there with all the elites,” Reed said. “It’s an honor, it truly is.”
The fourth individual title came on the heels of Paonia’s 2014 Class 1A state football crown. Reed finished the season with three touchdowns and also had 47 tackles, an interception and a forced fumble from his cornerback position.
He was also a member of Paonia’s three consecutive 2A team state wrestling championships.
Jesse Reed of Paonia and Jeremy Fraser of Rocky Ford wrestle in the 126-pound 2A final during the Colorado state wrestling finals, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
Morgan Fogg of Thompson Valley celebrates after winning the 113-pound 4A final during the Colorado state wrestling finals, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
DENVER — All season, Thompson Valley High School’s wrestling team was considered the best in Class 4A.
On Saturday night, the Eagles made it official.
Morgan Fogg (113 pounds), Vlad Kazako (120), Ben Hewson (152), Parker Simington (160), and David Eusea (195) each won gold medals powering Thompson Valley to its first state wrestling title in school history at the Pepsi Center.
“It is the best feeling ever to win a team title and an individual title,” said Fogg, who beat Palisade’s Randen Espinoza 8-1 in the finals. “(Hugging my dad) made me cry.”
Dave Fogg, Morgan’s father, was a three-time state champ at Berthoud from 1985-87.
The Eagles finished with 198.50 points, easily outdistancing second-place Pueblo County (140.5). Thompson Valley actually clinched the coveted title on Friday night. (See full results.)
“That was a different pressure because we really weren’t used to having a target on our back,” said Thompson Valley coach Dave Juergensen, whose wrestling program has been chasing a wrestling state title since the school opened in 1976-77. “It was kind of fun being the underdog because there was no pressure. If we go out and find a way to win a state tournament as an underdog then it is something special. But, when you have teams gunning for you from the very start of the year it was an added pressure that I thought those guys handled really well.”
Thompson Valley also scored the fourth most points in a state tourney behind only Wiggins (232 points, 1999), Wray (213, 1984) and Moffat County (204, 1994).
Juergensen has been coaching the Eagles since the 2002-2003 season, taking over for his father Dan.
“This team this season kind of set the tone for future teams to let them know they can do it (win state),” Dave said. “It is finally a possibility that our school can do it. This feels good and it feels good for my dad because he has a lot to do with it. That’s good that is off our shoulders.”
Simington, a junior, won his second gold medal in a row with his 16-1 tech fall over Greeley Central’s Adam Rojas. Simington won at 145 pounds a year ago.
“This is just mind blowing and really exciting,” said Simington, who finished the season with a 31-0 record. “It’s awesome that we had such a great tournament as a team. We just fed off each other. We set the goal at the beginning of the season to win state and it is awesome to see it come true.”
Kazakov, trailing 2-0 to Durango’s Matthew Lavengood in the first period, rallied to win 5-2.
Vlad Kazakov of Thompson Valley slams Matthew Lavengood of Durango in a 120-pound 4A final during the Colorado state wrestling finals, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
“I just tried to keep calm,” Kazakov said. “When Morgan won, I knew I had to keep that momentum going. Everything worked out perfect.”
Ben Hewson also was thrilled to do his part in the memorable weekend, muscling past Myles Wilson of Glenwood Springs 4-2.
“Being one of the captains of this team, it feels so cool,” said the senior Hewson, who was a state runner-up at 138 pounds last season. “We all put the work in last year and this summer and it all paid off, and this just feels great.”
Eusea clipped Fort Morgan’s Alex Mai 7-4. The Eagles’ Mike Berg was a state runner-up at 170 pounds.
“We had some amazing things happen, some upsets happen, and I just think those guys fed off each other and I think that quarterfinal round was one of the biggest rounds we had,” Juergensen said. “We just kept on rolling with that.”
HORNETS SHOW STING: Pueblo County High School did come up short in winning its first wrestling title in school history, but veteran coach Eddie Soto was pleased with his team’s second-place performance.
“This feels really good,” Soto said. “I can’t say enough about how these kids rose to the occasion.”
Hunter Willits of Pueblo County flips Erik Lobato-Contrera of Mountain View in a 4A 138-pound semifinal, Friday. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
The Hornets Josiah Nava (106 pounds), Chris Sandoval (126), and Hunter Willits (138) were all champions. Willits walked away with his second state title with a 15-0 technical fall over Windsor’s Gerald Mack.
He also became the inaugural Pueblo prep wrestler to win back-to-back state titles as a freshman and sophomore.
His win helped somewhat cushion the blow of his fraternal twin brother Grant being disqualified Friday morning for missing weight. Grant, who was competing at 113 pounds this season, won a gold medal as a freshman at 106 pounds.
“I was wrestling for myself and my brother,” Hunter said.
Nava beat Widefield’s Stephen Debelko 10-2, and Sandoval defeated Falcon’s Jacob Butler 6-0.
ANOTHER GOLD RUSH: Hunter Willits and Simington were not the only wrestlers to return to the top of the podium. Discovery Canyon’s Sam Turner (132) and Fort Morgan’s Toby McBride (220) also won their second consecutive gold medals.
Turner was the 120-pound champ last year and McBride was in the same 220-pound class in 2014.
“This feels great,” Turner said. “I don’t think I can compare the two state titles because it was equally exciting to win both times. I just kept my composure (Saturday night) and acted like I’ve been here before.”
Turner defeated Air Academy’s Peter Tyler Hanenburg 7-0. McBride (32-1) edged Palmer Ridge’s John Delacruz 3-1. Delacruz, a senior, had a 36-0 record.
“I got a little homesick for first place,” the Weld Central junior wrestler said.
He remedied that on Saturday, winning his second state title with a 3-2 victory over a defending state champion, Valley’s Brendan Gonzales, in the Class 3A 160-pound division.
Robertson won his first state title as a 106-pound freshman. Last year he finished fifth at 126.
He’s grown seven inches between his freshman and junior years, part of the reason for the jump in weight class.
“But the big thing is I like to eat,” he admitted.
In fact, he was under weight for all of his matches this season.
In the 132-pound class, Robert Lucero of Valley, last year’s 126-pound champion, took on Mead’s Sage Budd, the 4A state titlist in the same weight class.
The two had met only once before, durring the summer, with Budd taking a one-point victory late. This time, it wasn’t so close as Budd built up a 5-0 second-period lead on the way to a 9-2 victory.
Lucero was originally given credit for a takedown in the first but after the two went out of bounds the referee reversed the decision.
He finished the season unbeaten at 46-0.
Jimmy Fate of Berthoud and Joseph Prieto of Holy Family wrestle in the 145-pound 3A final. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
Two matches later, at 145, Jimmy Fate, who won the 4A 138-pound title last year, went up against Joseph Prieto of Holy Family, the 3A 138-pound champ.
They had met three times previously this season, with Fate winning all by comfortable decisions.
Leading 3-0, Fate allowed an escape to start the third.
“I love to wrestle on my feet,” he said of going to the neutral position. “It’s kind of my strong suit.”
The strategy worked as he went to win 7-3.
Also earning their second straight state 3A crowns were Conrad Cole of Brush at 126, Joel Contreras of Sterling at 152,
Valley held a 13-point lead over Brush in the team race entering Saturday night’s championship matches. That was fortunate for the Vikings as they lost all three of their finals bouts.
Valley won its second straight state team crown, finishing with 126.5 points, five points ahead of Brush. The Beetdiggers won two of their three championship matches.
Nate Finnell of Rocky Ford and Levi Davis of Sedgwick County/Fleming wrestle in the 2A 220-pound final during the Colorado state wrestling finals. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
DENVER – If trying to win his first state championship wasn’t enough stress, Rocky Ford senior Nate Finnell had the weight of his entire team on his shoulders Saturday night.
Finnell came into the 220-pound title match with the Meloneers trailing Meeker in the Class 2A state tournament standings by one point. A victory would send Rocky Ford to its first championship in 25 years – a loss would have wrapped it up for the Cowboys.
Finnell rose to the occasion in the biggest way possible, landing a takedown in the final seconds of the second period. He kept Sedgwick County/Fleming’s Levi Davis down for the entire third period to earn a 4-2 decision and a state title for his teammates – the first since the AA crown in 1990.
“My coach told me before not to worry about, just go out and wrestle your match,” Finnell said. “I did that and got it done – what means more than anything to me is that team title.”
Nate Finnell of Rocky Ford and Levi Davis of Sedgwick County/Fleming wrestle in the 2A 220-pound final. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
Rocky Ford finished the three-day tournament with 134 points and two individual champions. Meeker placed second with 131 points, followed by Paonia (125.5), Centauri (109.5) and Norwood/Nucla (98).
“We’ve lost some state titles that same way, by one or two points, two years in a row,” Meloneers coach Mike Jurney said. “These kids just came out and wrestled their hearts out. For it to come down for us to win a match for Nate, it was just amazing.”
Finnell and sophomore Jacob Rodriguez claimed their first state titles, with Rodriguez winning the 106-pound title with a 5-3 decision over Akron’s Tanner Watson. But the team championship ultimately ruled the night.
“It means everything in the world,” Jurney said. “These kids have put in a tremendous amount of work. We’ve been close, knocking on the door, but to finally get through the door is fantastic. It’s great tradition and a great town, and we’re happy to bring it home to them.”
It was a record-setting night overall in the 2A ranks. Paonia’s Jesse Reed became the 18th Colorado wrestler to win four state titles with a victory at 126 pounds. Eagles junior Bo Pipher (138 pounds) and senior Zach Milner (160) each took home a second consecutive title as well – Pipher landed a first-period pin of Baca County’s J.D. Chenoweth, and Milner won 3-2 in overtime over Norwood/Nucla’s Tim Armintrout.
TJ Shelton of Meeker and Jose Cisneros of Centennial wrestle in a 170-pound 2A final during the Colorado state wrestling finals, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
Meeker junior T.J. Shelton and Centauri senior Jareb Aziz joined the three-time state champion club. Shelton pinned Centennial’s Jose Cisneros in 50 seconds to claim the 170-pound crown and set himself up for a shot at a fourth title next season.
“It’s amazing. It’s been amazing every state title I’ve had,” Shelton said. “It’s been a great experience with great people and great matches.”
Aziz closed out his prep career with an undefeated season after pinning Fowler’s Blaine Larson in 3:51.
Aziz said he would never have reached this point without the help of his coaches. Going out with three pins in four matches just made it that much sweeter.
“It felt good. I wrestled him last week, so I knew it would be a little bit tougher this week,” Aziz said. “But I knew I could cap it off and win it again.”
A handful of returning state champions also brought home a second state title. John Mall sophomore John Andreatta posted a 15-0 technical fall at 113 over Centauri’s Quinton Montague. Norwood/Nucla senior Talon Harris pinned Lyons’ William Hickman at 120, and Holly’s Ryan Nordyke pinned Meeker’s Anthony Watt in 4:49 at 145 pounds.
Swink senior Austin Coy capped a prep career that saw four trips to the state finals with his first championship. Coy withstood a late reversal for a 3-2 decision at 132 over Highland’s Jake Trujillo, who almost took it home with a near fall before time ran out.
After three consecutive losses in championship matches, Coy made the most of his final chance.
“If you get it early on, then compared to that every time is a failure,” he said. “Building up to it in the long run, I’m glad it worked out this way.”
Buena Vista junior Keegan Wentz also got over the hump with a 2-0 decision to land the 182 title over Sedgwick County/Fleming’s Brandon Anderson. Wentz lost in the finals a year ago but put that behind him Saturday.
Crowley County senior Bryce McCracken posted a 4-1 decision at 152 over Meeker’s Casey Turner, and Limon junior Jayden Hilferty also earned his first state title with a 3-1 victory over Crowley County’s Keith Dunnagan in double overtime at heavyweight.
Class 2A champion Rocky Ford celebrates with the trophy. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
Class 5A champion Arvada West celebrates with the trophy during the Colorado state wrestling finals, Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
DENVER — Arvada West’s wrestling team flexed its muscles for the second straight year at the Class 5A state tournament.
While the Wildcats successfully defended their team title Saturday night at Pepsi Center, last year’s runner-up and 5A Jeffco rival Pomona made things interesting during the championship bouts.
“I don’t know about fun. It was a little nerve-wracking,” A-West senior Payton Tawater said of the Wildcats nearly getting chased down by the Panthers. “I thought we would take care of things a little bit better, but things happen.”
In the end, A-West racked up 163.5 points. Pomona (153.5) finished second. Third place went to Grand Junction (113) and Pine Creek (87.5) finished fourth.
A-West held a 15-point lead over Pomona at the start of the championship matches. Nine of the 14 5A championship bouts had either an A-West or Pomona wrestler competing for an individual title. The Panthers pulled within two points (151.5 to 149.5) with a quick start out of the gates.
“Winning is contagious,” Pomona coach Sam Federico “You get on a roll it’s hard to stop a team that gets on a roll.”
Pomona freshman Dayton Marvel (106) was one of four individual state champions for the Panthers on Saturday night. (Dennis Pleuss) More photos.
Pomona freshman Dayton Marvel (106), junior Tomas Gutierrez (113) and senior Travis Torres (120) all won their championship matches to put some pressure on A-West.
“It was great to see me and my two other practice partners win it,” Torres said after his 10-2 victory over Horizon junior Jackson Huffman. “Even thou we hate each other in the practice room, the hard work paid off for all of us.”
Gutierrez’s second straight individual title was a 6-4 victory over A-West sophomore Cody Fatzinger. It was the third meeting of the season between the two rivals.
“It’s always good to face a rival in the state finals,” Gutierrez said. “I’ve wrestled him numerous times. He is a tough kid.”
A-West officially held off Pomona’s rally and wrapped up the team title when Tawater pinned Rocky Mountain senior Roman Ortiz in the first period of the 152-pound bout.
“The way we looked at it was the team title would come if we took care of things individually,” Tawater said. “I went out there to wrestle my match. I’m going out there to dominate and do my thing.”
Tawater finished his senior season with a 42-3 record in winning his second straight individual title.
“I told Payton to get this thing over with. I’m too old to deal with this.” A-West coach Ron Granieri could say with a smile. “He (Tawater) put the big Band-Aid on for us. It’s great to do it back-to-back.”
A-West was able to grab a second individual champion when senior Devin Rothrock completed his domination of the 220-pound bracket with a first-round win over Grand Junction senior Tyler Zook. It was the second title for Rothrock (30-0 record).
Pomona grabbed a fourth individual title when junior Deyaun Trueblood claimed the 170-pound championship. Trueblood won at 152 pounds last year wrestling for Gateway.
Granieri commented that he would pick Pomona as the favorite to win the team title next year.
“There is a lot to it. You have to stay healthy and keep the kids motivated during the offseason,” Federico said of being the favorite next season with his young squad. “The good thing is we have some good hungry young kids. They are ready to battle and we have a coaching staff second-to-none in my opinion.”
Pomona junior Tomas Gutierrez celebrates winning back-to-back individual titles Saturday night at Pepsi Center. Gutierrez defeated Arvada West sophomore Cody Fatzinger at 113 pounds. (Dennis Pleuss) More photos.
Returning state champion success
The five returning state champions in the 5A title matches Gutierrez (113), Tawater (152), Grand Junction senior Jacob Trujillo (160), Trueblood (170) and Rothrock (220) all were victorious.
The one upset was Legacy junior Ryan Deakin coming up short on his bid for a second straight title. He suffered an overtime loss to Poudre freshman Jacob Greenwood at 126 pounds.
Trujillo joined the exclusive three-time state champion fraternity while completing his second undefeated season of his prep wrestling career. He finished with a 45-0 record.
Trujillo, Rothrock and Fruita-Monument senior Jacob Seely (195) completed their undefeated seasons.
Rocky Mountain High
Rocky Mountain was able to win a pair of individual titles with seniors Danny Murphy (145) and Konnor Schmidt (182).
Schmidt and Mountain Vista sophomore Trenton Schultz squared off in last year’s 160 third-place match. There was much more on the line when the two met Saturday in the rematch.
“I haven’t wrestled (Schultz) yet this year,” Schmidt said after a 2-1 victory. “I know it would be tough. God gave me the strength to fight through it.”
Murphy faced a 6-2 deficit in the third period against A-West senior Jimmy Rothwell. Murphy was able to dig deep and pin Rothwell in the third period.
“I don’t really pay attention to the score. My goal is to wrestle every second of every match,” Murphy said. “It doesn’t matter where we wrestle or who it is. I love the thrill of the fight.”
Rocky Mountain senior Danny Murphy, top, puts the finishing touches on a third-period pin of Arvada West senior Jimmy Rothwell in the Class 5A 145-pound match Saturday night at Pepsi Center. Despite Rothwell’s, loss the Wildcats were still able to win their second straight 5A team title. (Dennis Pleuss) More photos.
Mountain Vista is the No. 1 seed out of the Peak Conference. (Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com)
Hockey’s state tournament bracket is out. Mountain Vista and Ralston Valley are the top seeds in each conference.
Other top seeds include Regis Jesuit, Air Academy, Dakota Ridge and Doherty. See the full bracket here.
Mountain Vista won the Peak Conference by virtue of going 12-1-0 in conference games. Air Academy was second in the Peak at 11-2-0, while Doherty was third at 9-3-1.
Ralston Valley and Regis Jesuit tied atop the Foothills Conference with 27 points each, but Ralston took the top seed on the fourth tie-breaker. The two teams tied in their lone head-to-head matchup on Feb. 14, and they also had an equal amount of wins against conference opponents, as well as an identical record.
That left it to goals allowed in conference games. Ralston Valley allowed fewer (11) than Regis (18), so the Mustangs are the top seed out of the Foothills. Had the two teams also been tied in that category, they would have gone to a coin-flip.
Regis grabs the two seed, while Dakota Ridge is the three seed after breaking a three-way tie with Monarch and Cherry Creek. Monarch is the No. 4 seed, Cherry Creek is No. 5.
Games begin on Friday, with the second round on Saturday. The semifinals are March 5 at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland. The championship game is March 7 at 2 p.m., also at Budweiser Events.
