Girls basketball’s 2017 state tournament bracket in Class 4A.
Month: February 2017
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5A girls basketball’s state tournament bracket
Girls basketball’s 2017 state tournament bracket in Class 5A.
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Regis Jesuit earns top seed for hockey’s state bracket
(Ray Chen/ArrayPhoto.com) AURORA — Regis Jesuit, the defending state champion, is the No. 1 seed in hockey’s state tournament bracket.
The field, seeded mostly by the final RPI standings, was unveiled on Sunday morning. The Raiders, 17-1-0 this season, receive a first-round bye, and will host the winner of No. 16 Kent Denver and No. 17 Lewis-Palmer in the second round.
The top eight seeds in the bracket all receive byes. Those are: No. 2 Monarch, No. 3 Cherry Creek, No. 4 Resurrection Christian, No. 5 Valor Christian, No. 6 Fort Collins, No. 7 Mountain Vista and No. 8 Dakota Ridge.
Find the full hockey tournament bracket here.
First-round games are Feb. 21-22. The second round games are Feb. 24, and quarterfinals are Feb. 25. Each of those rounds will be hosted at home sites.
The semifinal (March 3) and championship (March 6) games will be at the University of Denver.
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State tournament brackets released for boys and girls basketball
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com) Eaglecrest will have a chance to send coach John Olander out in style. The Raptors are the No. 1 overall seed in the Class 5A boys basketball tournament.
Olander announced this weekend that this will be his last season as coach, and in that last effort, he will look to get his its first state title since 2013.
ThunderRidge comes in at No. 2, George Washington is No. 3 and Grandview takes No. 4.
The Centennial League overall is looking good with five teams receiving first round byes. Defending champion Overland, Smoky Hill, Cherry Creek and Grandview will await winners of first-round games.
The Continental League was almost as impressive as Rock Canyon, ThunderRidge, Chaparral and Mountain Vista also received byes.
Chatfield and Lakewood were among the Jeffco League teams who won’t play in the first round with Doherty and Rampart in the same spot for the Colorado Springs Metro League.
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com) The 4A boys bracket was also released on Sunday. Valor Christian comes in as the top overall seed, looking to claim the state title that eluded them last year at the hands of Pueblo West.
The defending champion comes in as the No. 7 seed and not even the highest ranked team out of Pueblo. Pueblo South looks to make a championship run of its own, entering the tournament as the No. 2 seed.
D’Evelyn enters the tournament at No. 3 and at Durango rounds out the top overall seeds at No. 4.
The Jeffco League got the most teams into the second round as Valor Christian, D’Evelyn, Golden and Evergreen will all have Wednesday off.
The Tri-Valley, Northern, South Central, Colorado Springs Metro and Pikes Peak leagues have two teams with byes entering the tournament.
First round games in 4A and 5A will be played on Wednesday with second round games scheduled for Saturday.
(Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com) The 5A girls bracket features Highlands Ranch and Grandview as the No. 1 and No. 2 seeds respectively.
Horizon comes in at No. 3 with Ralston Valley at No. 4.
Defending champion ThunderRidge is the No. 32 seed and plays Overland on Tuesday night.
The Front Range, Centennial, Jeffco and Continental leagues each had three teams receive first-round byes. Those teams will not be in action until Friday.
The CSML got two teams with first-round byes as Doherty and Pine Creek are already slated play next weekend.
Denver East is the only Denver Prep team already in the second round and Fruita Monument is in the same situation for the Southwestern League.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com) Southern Colorado is looking strong in the 4A girls tournament as Pueblo West is the No. 1 seed with Pueblo South sitting at No. 2.
Evergreen takes No. 3 and Air Academy is No. 4.
The Jeffco League, however, does have the most teams already into the second round with four of them slated for action on Friday. That includes defending champion Valor Christian who is the No. 6 seed.
Along with West and South, Pueblo East also has a bye, giving the South Central League three teams with first-round byes.
The Western Slope and Pikes Peak leagues have two teams in the second round.
George Washington is the only DPL team with a bye and Durango is the only Southwestern League team in the second round. Mesa Ridge is the only Colorado Springs Metro League team with a bye.
First round games for the girls will be played on Tuesday with second round games scheduled for Friday.
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Photos: State wrestling tournament continues for all classes
DENVER — The second day of the state wrestling tournament in all classes was on Friday, and saw completion of the semifinals.
More coverage:
- State brackets & results
- Meeker’s Casey Turner overcomes injury to advance
- A-West’s Cody Fatzinger embraces final shot at elusive title
- Jefferson Saints marching into 3A title bouts
- Semifinals roundup
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Meeker’s Casey Turner overcomes shoulder injury to reach final at state wrestling
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) DENVER — Meeker’s Casey Turner by no means took the easy route, but he’s landed himself in the Class 2A state wrestling finals in the 170-pound division.
“I came here to win and I’m getting there,” Turner said.
Turner has been nursing a shoulder injury that began in football season, suffering a dislocated shoulder a number of times. But he fought through the injury for a second place finish in Regional 1 and the two-seed before making his way to the finals by virtue of a pin of Merino’s Jon Ramey in the semifinals.
“It’s frustrating when you’re trying to run a move and your shoulder comes out and you can’t use it and it hurts like hell,” Turner said. “But, you know, you get through that.”
His opponent in the championship match is a familiar face: Trenton Armintrout.
Turner lost the regional match to Armintrout by forfeit, due to the same shoulder injury. He also lost to Armintrout in the 2017 Screaming Eagle tournament — this time by injury default.
“When you wrestle a guy a ton of times, he definitely figures out how to exploit you,” Turner said. “That’s a lot of my forfeits — it’s just trying to keep it good and keep it healthy for the state tournament and I think I’ve done a good job and I’m ready to roll here.”
Now, in the state tournament, Turner is ready to go. As Armintrout pinned his man, Turner looked on from an adjacent mat just before his match. Turner turned around from spectator to wrestler and had his own opponent pinned in 1:29.
“I’ve wrestled him before quite a bit, so I know he’s good,” Turner said. “I know it’s going to come down to the finals, and I’m ready for it.”
Turner sits at 17-3 heading into the finals.
(Katie Pickrell/CHSAANow.com) In the 2016 state wrestling tournament, Turner won the 2A 152-pound class with a pin of Norwood/Nucla’s Hayden Harris. Meeker won the team title over Rocky Ford 143 to 142.
A repeat is definitely on Turner’s mind.
“That’s definitely on the backs of everybody’s mind, pushing everybody a little bit harder,” Turner said.
This season, Turner won the Tournament of Champions and the Vern Rose Memorial, and was second at the Screaming Eagle. Turner took care to make sure he was healthy at the right time.
“Football I had a little injury and it was holding me up, so it won’t technically get fixed until surgery,” Turner said. “I was just trying not to make it worse.”
Turner opened the tournament with a 58-second pin of McClave’s Jaime Ibarra. He moved to the quarterfinals earlier Friday, where he pinned Rocky Ford’s Diego Reyes in 2:40. Turner’s third pin of the tournament came against Ramey in the semifinals.
Turner, a multisport athlete at Meeker, was selected first team all-state football as a linebacker/running back last fall.
The state championship matches will begin following the Parade of Champions at 6:30 p.m. Saturday.
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Jefferson Saints marching into 3A state wrestling title bouts
Jefferson senior Oscar Lopez celebrates after his Class 3A state semifinal win Friday at 220 pounds. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) DENVER — Jefferson wrestling had its most successful day in the program’s history Friday night at Pepsi Center advancing three Saints to the finals of the Class 3A state tournament.
“There has been three in the finals total in the history of Jefferson,” Jefferson coach said Oscar Fonseca, who has built the Saints wrestling team into a force to be reckoned with now and in the future.
The school on eastern edge of Jefferson County in Edgewater brought a Fab 5 down to the state tournament this week. Jimmy Ramirez III (120 pounds), Kyle Cisneros (132), Nick Gallegos (138), Brandon Onofre (152) and Oscar Lopez (220) might have looked like an average amount of state qualifies from one school, but they proved their strength at Pepsi Center.
Beside the individual success, Jefferson was tied for second with Alamosa in the 3A team standings with 75 points at the end of the day Friday. Valley leads with 85.5 points.
“It’s amazing,” Ramirez III said after he rallied with a takedown in the final seconds against Sheridan junior Presiliano Maez to take a 7-6 victory. “I can’t describe the feeling.”
Jefferson went 5-for-5 in its opening round matches Thursday. On Friday morning, Ramirez III, Cisneros, Gallegos and Lopez all advance into Friday night’s 3A semifinals. Ramirez III, Cisneros and Lopez were all victorious in the semifinals to break the record number of Saints to the finals.
“I’ve never seen a school and a team so connected,” Lopez said. “We hang out all the time. I feel like that makes us better. When we practice and drill we go 100 percent at it.”
Jefferson senior Kyle Cisneros will attempt to be the Saints first 2-time state champion. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) Lopez, a senior, wrapped up the Saints’ day with a victory over Alamosa senior Manuelito Casias to put him in the 220-pound title match Saturday night. Lopez is a step away from capturing his first title after placing 6th last year at 170.
It has been an interesting journey for Lopez. He didn’t start wrestling until his freshman year at Jefferson. Fonseca ran into Lopez at a recreation center near Jefferson. Lopez was a freshman and working out with the Saints’ football team. Fonseca told Lopez he was going to workout with the wrestlers and wrestle too.
“I had no clue who he (Fonseca) was,” Lopez said when he first met Fonseca. “I’ve always heard that wrestling helps you out with football, so I said OK.”
Another obstacle Lopez had to overcome was when his family moved to Aurora after his freshman year. The multi-sport student-athlete didn’t want to transfer. He has been taking public transportation from his home in to Aurora to Jefferson since his sophomore season.
“That kid has come a long ways,” Fonseca said of Lopez. “He is amazing. He comes after you and will throw the kitchen sink at you.”
Lopez will attend Colorado Mesa University next fall.
Cisneros, last year’s 3A state champion at 126 pounds, pushed the state’s all-time state win record in career wins to 176 with a 10-3 victory over Platte Valley sophomore Dylan Yancey in the semifinals Friday night.
Cisneros is also the younger brother of Aaron Cisneros, who became the Saints first individual wrestling state champion in 2013. The two titles the Cisneros brothers have one are the only individual wrestling titles in Jefferson’s history.
“I’m just excited and glad to be back in the finals,” Cisneros said. “I’ve got to win title No. 2. Anything else would be a disappointment.”
The younger Cisneros, who will wrestle at Colorado School of Mines in Golden, is now one win away from becoming Jefferson’s first two-time individual state champion. Onofre, who pinned his opponent in his first consolation bout after losing in the quarterfinals, has also committed to wrestle for the Orediggers.
The future is bright with the youth of freshman Ramirez III and Gallegos.
“I have a great coaching staff in all aspects,” Ramirez III said. “This season alone I’ve really changed from a defensive wrestler to one that shoots and is aggressive. That’s what got me the win today.”
While Friday might have been the highlight of the Saints’ wrestling program, it may very well be topped Saturday.
“They build tradition,” Fonseca said of Jefferson’s success. “That is what is going on. It’s a family.”
Jefferson coach Oscar Fonseca leaps into the air after freshman Jimmy Ramirez’s semifinal win Friday. (Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics) -
State wrestling semifinals: Hunter Willits will wrestle for a fourth title
(Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com) DENVER — Hunter Willits will wrestle for a fourth-consecutive state championship on Saturday.
The Pueblo County senior won his semifinal match at the state wrestling tournament in the Class 4A 152-pound bracket against Cheyenne Mountain’s Luke White. Willits won by a 10-3 decision.
Willits will face Nathan Morris of Longmont in Saturday night’s final for a chance to become Colorado’s 20th four-time state wrestling champion. Morris beat Mead’s Caleb Mendez 4-3 in the semifinals.
Willits won 4A 132 as a freshman, 138 as a sophomore, and 152 last year.
To reach the semifinals, he pinned Grand Junction Central’s Shaun Stepisnik in the first round on Thursday, and Greeley Central’s Justus Strand in the quarterfinals earlier Friday.
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Notables
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com) - A great match in 5A 132 pitted two returning champions against one another in the semifinals. Pomona’s Theorius Robison beat Arvada West’s Dayton Marvel 9-3 to reach the final.
- The 138 pound final in 4A will be something. It will match returning champion Chris Sandoval of Windsor against fellow returning champion Justin Davis of Pueblo County. Davis is also unbeaten.
- Likewise, the 5A 182 final will be electric. Pueblo County’s Dante Garcia won a tiebreak to move to the 4A 182 final. He will face Glenwood Springs’ Myles Wilson. Both are returning champions.
- The star-studded 3A 285 bracket lived up to its hype in the semifinals. Sheridan’s Ricky Ayala outlasted Bayfield’s Sam Westbrook 5-4 in the ultimate tiebreaker. Ayala will face Delta’s Logan Church in the final. Church knocked off the top seed in the quarterfinals.
- In the 5A 170 pound semifinals, Grand Junction Central’s Erminio Barrera upset top-seeded and returning champion Garrett Niel of Pine Creek.
- Pueblo County’s Grant Willits will wrestle for a third state championship. He beat Pueblo East’s Aaden Valdez 10-6 in the 4A 132 semifinal. Willits will face Cheyenne Mountain’s Mike McFadden, who beat Grand Junction Central’s Andrew Bench 4-2 in overtime.
- Rocky Ford’s Jacob Rodriguez pinned his way to the 2A 106 final. The two-time returning champion beat Landen Mayberry of Hotchkiss in 1:01. He also pinned his opponents in the first round (14 seconds) and quarterfinals (45 seconds). Rodriguez will face John Mall’s Chris McKenna.
- Greeley Central’s Josh Nira knocked off previously unbeaten Jace Trujillo of Pueblo East in the 4A 113 semifinals with a 10-4 decision. Trujillo was also a returning champion. Nira will face Pueblo County’s Josiah Nava in the final.
- John Mall’s Jonathan Andreatta will wrestle for a third state title after beating Meeker’s Tannen Kennedy in the 2A 126 semifinals with a 4-0 decision.
- Isaiah Delacerda of Alamosa, a two-time champion, beat La Junta’s Isaiah Gamez in the 3A 113 semis.
- Also aiming for a third state title is Fort Lupton’s Jody Sandoval, and he will get a shot at it after his win in the 3A 126 semifinals.
- Grand Junction’s Josiah Rider tore his way through the 145 bracket in 5A, getting his third pin of the tournament in the semifinals. Rider will face Ponderosa’s Parker Benekas in the final.
- Returning champion Aaron Trujillo picked up his third pin of the bracket in the 3A 145 semis, winning in 58 seconds. He will face Centauri’s Brandon Buhr, who pinned his opponent in 37 seconds.
- Rocky Ford’s Dillon Jaramillo reached the 2A 113 final when he pinned Sedgwick County/Fleming’s Kolton Dickinson with just two seconds remaining in the match.
- Cody Venem of Rocky Ford beat Hotchkiss’ Cody Hall in overtime, 5-3, to reach the 2A 132 final.
- Mesa Ridge’s Elijah Valdez moved to the 4A 145 final with a 4-1 tiebreak win over Mountain View’s Erik Contreras. In the championship match, he will face Niwot’s Tommy Stager, who is trying to become his school’s first champion since 1993.
- Hayden’s Christian Carson won in overtime to advance to the 2A 195 final, where he will meet John Mall’s Jason Murphy.
- Three Unified wrestling matches were held as exhibitions prior to the semifinals.
- One of the officials at the state wrestling tournament is Mikael Smith, the Nucla grad who won four state titles from 2002-05.
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Team races
- 2A: Meeker heads the pack with 127 points. John Mall (120) and Rocky Ford (118.5) are close behind.
- 3A: Valley leads with 85.5 points. Alamosa and Jefferson (75) are tied for second, and Centauri (73) sits in third.
- 4A: Pueblo County is way out in front with 183 points. Cheyenne Mountain (88) is second, with Pueblo East (80) and Greeley Central (74.5) close behind them.
- 5A: Pomona sits in first place with 148.5 points. Grand Junction is in second with 103.5. Brighton (81.5), Poudre (78), Coronado (74.5) and Cherokee Trail (72) have also amassed a lot of points.
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Arvada West’s Cody Fatzinger embracing final shot at elusive state wrestling title
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com) DENVER – Standing on the podium at the state wrestling tournament is nothing new to Arvada West’s Cody Fatzinger.
In each of the previous three seasons, the Wildcats standout has earned a medal, and come Saturday night he will claim a fourth. But for all the success Fatzinger has enjoyed with Arvada West – including being a member of two Class 5A team championships – he has never had the chance to enjoy standing on top of the podium and hearing his name announced as a state champ.
That’s why Fatzinger’s hard-fought 5-1 decision Friday night in the 5A 126-pound semifinals at Pepsi Center meant so much to the senior. It punched Fatzinger’s ticket to Saturday’s championship finals for the second time, and gives him the opportunity to go out with that elusive individual title.
“It’s everything I’ve trained for,” Fatzinger said. “Tomorrow’s the night – it all comes down to six minutes.”
Fatzinger will face Poudre sophomore Job Greenwood on Saturday in the finals at 126. It will be a rematch of last week’s regional championship. Greenwood edged Fatzinger by one point in that contest, and defeated Grand Junction’s Tyren Castonguay 10-1 on Saturday in the semifinals.
Greenwood placed fourth as a freshman at 120 pounds.
“That would be a dream come true for him if he wins it (Saturday) night,” A-West coach Ron Granieri said of Fatzinger. “It would be a huge accomplishment for him.”
Facing top-seeded Cole Polluconi of Monarch, who took second a year ago at 132 pounds, Fatzinger patiently waited for his opportunity in the semis. He got it in the second period – after a Polluconi escape, Fatzinger scored a takedown to take the lead. He added an escape of his own early in the third period, and after Polluconi hooked his leg late in the match, managed to turn it into another takedown.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com) “He’s too strong and he stays in a good position,” Fatzinger said. “But I have a training buddy back in Arvada that’s the same build as him – short, stocky and strong.”
“He wrestled a heck of a match,” Granieri added. “No mistakes, just flawless.”
As a freshman, Fatzinger’s first state tournament got off to a rough start with a first-round loss at 106 pounds. He showed incredible resolve though by taking five consecutive placing matches, finishing third with a victory over Mountain Range’s Louie Romero.
His sophomore season he won his first three matches at state – including another victory over Romero – to advance to the 113-pound finals before falling 6-4 to Pomona’s Tomas Gutierrez.
That advantage over Romero ran out a year ago in the semifinals as the Mountain Range standout posted a 3-1 decision. Fatzinger again responded with a pair of consolation victories to place third.
“He’s placed at state all four years of his high school career, and that’s something a lot of people don’t do,” Granieri said. “His record down here is pretty good.”
Granieri said he believes that Fatzinger signing early to wrestle at Western State Colorado University took some of the pressure off this season. The confidence has been there throughout, including a title in a 70-team tournament at Boise State in Idaho.
Now all that remains is one final match in purple and white, and one final step onto the podium.
“He’s a lot more relaxed than he’s been in the past,” Granieri said. “He’s been to the big show four times, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow night.”
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Photos: Rock Canyon boys basketball upsets ThunderRidge in thriller
HIGHLANDS RANCH — No. 6 Rock Canyon boys basketball upset No. 1 ThunderRidge 49-48 on Friday. JT Bley’s basket gave Rock Canyon the win in the final moments of the game.
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