Both 3A tournaments will narrow their fields to eight teams after next weekend. Once they do, they will move to the University of Denver for their Great 8 and beyond on March 8-10.
Kent Denver, which enters at 19-3-0, finished as No. 1 in the final 3A girls RPI standings of the season. The Sun Devils won the Metro League district tournament over the weekend.
Other high seeds in 3A girls include No. 2 Pagosa Springs, No. 3 St. Mary’s, No. 4 Colorado Springs Christian, No. 5 Centauri, No. 6 Cedaredge, No. 7 Sterling and No. 8 Moffat County. Those teams will each host four teams in their quadrant this coming Friday and Saturday.
Lamar, the defending champion, is seeded No. 10 and will play at Sterling’s quadrant.
Those district brackets will also narrow to eight teams for a state tournament field, which will be announced next Sunday. The 2A tournaments are at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, with 1A at Northern Colorado. Both tourneys will play their title games at Budweisier Events Center.
Like 3A, those brackets will play their Great 8 and beyond on March 8-10.
Thirty years had passed since Wray brought home its last wrestling state title. But that drought is now over after the Eagles captured the Class 2A team championship on Saturday at Pepsi Center.
It adds to an already impressive resume for the storied program, which is now tied for the most team titles in state history with 12. The Eagles share that honor with Rocky Ford, last year’s 2A champion.
“At the beginning of the year, I pointed at the wall and told the kids, ‘It’s been 30 years. Wouldn’t it be nice to get another one up there sometime?’,” 11th-year coach Matt Brown said jokingly. “We’re satisfied. It’s great to show everybody that the hard work is paying off.”
Wray’s dominant run to the team title, which was clinched before the final matches even began, was powered by 13 wrestlers who represented all but one of the tournament’s weight classes.
The Eagles also boasted two individual championships as sophomore Cade Rockwell won by 3-1 decision at 113 pounds and junior Carlos Tarin claimed 170 by fall at 5:28. Chipping in place-wise for Wray were Junior Arambula, who finished runner-up in 126, and Cole Rockwell and Tyler Collins in third place of 106 and 132, respectively.
Wray’s victory was settled convincingly, finishing with 197.5 total points – more than 50 ahead of runner-up Paonia.
Undefeated seasons
Saturday night’s finale to both the season and their high-school careers was a little extra special for two 2A wrestlers. Both Dahlton McGhee of Fowler and Soroco’s Sky Carlson wrapped up the final match of their senior seasons with their first state titles, both doing so with perfect records.
McGhee won the 195 class by 7-2 decision to finish the year 42-0. Carlson edged his opponent in the 220 class 2-1 to improve his season mark to 39-0.
“It’s pretty special. This season has been a lot of fun,” Carlson said. “This definitely feels really good.”
Repeat champions
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)ray
Wesley VanMatre and Keegan Bean had both been here before. That still didn’t change how special it was.
VanMatre, a sophomore from John Mall, won his first title last year in the 120 class. This time around, a 3-1 decision led him to another individual title at 132.
“It’s even more special this time around,” VanMatre said. “The biggest difference was the experience with nerves and keeping calm, but still never get used to this feeling. I can’t even put it into words.”
Bean, a senior from Lyons, remained in the same class he was victorious a year ago. His picked up his second championship Saturday via 2-1 decision at 182.
Individual championships
Eight other wrestlers went home with their first individual titles. Seth McFall of Fowler started things off with a major decision victory (14-3) at the opening 106 class.
Then, after more than 30 years without a state champion wrestler, Cedaredge went back-to-back with individual titles at 120 and 126. Trey Geyer posted a 16-3 major decision win first for the Bruins, and teammate Sean Dale followed with a 2-0 victory of his own.
Rocky Ford had three individual championships to finish third in the team race (136.5 points). Carlos Romo won by 10-1 major decision at 145, Diego Reyes won 160 by 7-2, and heavyweight Greg Garcia closed the night out with a 3-2 decision at 285 for the Meloneers.
Burlington’s Cody Jacobsen claimed 138 by fall at 5:17, and County Line’s Trevor Randel won 152 with a 4-3 decision.
DENVER — To say Fowler’s Dahlton McGhee is having a career year would be a bit of an understatement.
After failing to qualify for the state wrestling tournament as a freshman and not placing as a sophomore and junior, McGhee is one win away from one of the most remarkable turnarounds in state history.
After his win over Wray’s Jayce Reser in the Class 2A 195-pound semifinals, he’s just one match away from claiming his first state championship and also running the table for the 2017-18.
McGhee improved his record to 41-0. Not bad for a guy who wrestled at 152 as a freshman and 160 as a sophomore and junior.
He’ll take the mat at Pepsi Center with the rest of the finalists on Saturday. The Parade of Championship is set to begin at 6:30 p.m. and championship matches will begin at 7.
[divider]
Wray has a big lead in the 2A title quest:
Wray is closing in on its first state wrestling championship since 1988. The Eagles, who have won 11 in their history, lead the 2A team race with 134.5 points.
Rocky Ford, the defending champion, sits in second with 105.5 points. Cedaredge is third with 94.5, just ahead of Paonia (94). Fowler is fifth with 75.5.
[divider]
Alamosa heads the 3A team chase:
Alamosa is on top of the race for the 3A team championship. The Mean Moose are way out in front with 120 points. Eaton and Lamar are tied for second with 85 points.
Berthoud (70 points) is fourth, while Pagosa Springs (69) is fifth.
[divider]
Notables:
Wray’s Cade Rockwell knocked out defending 2A 113 champion Dillon Jaramillo of Rocky Ford with a pin in overtime of their semifinal match.
Brush junior Wyatt Pfau handed Valley sophomore Jaziah Whaley (42-1) his first loss of the season in advancing to the 3A 152 final.
Javier Gonzalez of Valley knocked off a returning champ in the 3A 120 quarterfinals, beating Jacob Duran of Fort Lupton with a 5-3 decision. He fell to Ethan Andrade of Lamar in the semifinals.
Conifer freshman Cayden Condit, the lone female qualifier, advanced to the second round of the consolations after defeating The Classical Academy junior Brendan Johnston via forfeit. She battled in the second-round consolation, tying the match up late, but ultimately lost a 6-4 decision.
Josh Flanagan watched a few years ago as his brother made history at the state wrestling tournament. Macoy, a senior in 2016, tied the state record by winning 51 matches in a senior year as Valley won its second-straight team title.
Now, Josh is looking to do something that even his record-setting brother didn’t pull off in his career.
Josh is going for his second state championship. He won the 170-pound title last year and as the state tournament kicked-off on Thursday, began his quest to go back-to-back. If there’s any pressure, though, it’s all self-inflicted.
“I put a little bit of pressure on (myself) because people put a lot of pressure on me,” Flanagan said. “I know that I can do it again, so they expect me to do it again.”
A victory by pin over Del Norte’s Ruben Agosto in the first round has the younger Flanagan on track to have some bragging rights over big brother.
“I would say being a two-time state champ is a little better than having an undefeated record and going 51-0,” Josh said. “I kind of wanted to try that this year but fell a little short. I’m not sure how he did it. I think that winning two would be a little better than that but he’s a great wrestler.”
Flanagan is set to face Lamar’s Lucas Tinnes in the quarterfinals Friday morning.
[divider]
Notables
Cayden Condit. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Conifer freshman Cayden Condit, the lone female qualifier at this year’s state tournament, was pinned in her first-round match by Alameda freshman Davion Chavez in 1:24. Condit will face The Classical Academy junior Brendan Johnston in the consolation bracket on Friday.
Wray leads the 2A team race with 40 points after prelims. Cedaredge (32 points) sits in second, with Rocky Ford (30.5) third. Paonia is fourth with 23 points, and Fowler (18) is fifth.
Eaton is on top of the 3A team race through the first round, leading with 31 points. Berthoud and Lamar are tied for second with 24 points each. Pagosa Springs (22 points) and Alamosa (21.5) are also firmly in the hunt for the team title.
In 3A’s 106-pound bracket, Trinidad’s Alberto Felthager knocked off the top seed, Santana Hernandez of Weld Central, with a 5-3 decision in the first round. Felthager placed fourth in his region last weekend.
Lyons’ Keegan Bean pinned Ellicott’s Matthew Brant in 26 seconds. He’s the defending champ in 2A 182. That was the fastest pin of the 2A/3A prelims.
Rocky Ford’s Greg Garcia matched Bean’s fastest pin with a takedown of Highland’s Micheal Johnson at 2A 285 in 26 seconds.
Each of the returning champions in 2A (there are four) and 3A (where there are three) advanced to their quarterfinals.
Likewise, the two unbeaten wrestlers in 2A are onto the quarters, and three three unbeatens in 3A also advanced.
The 2A and 3A tournaments continue on Friday with the quarterfinals and first-round consolation matches at 9:30 a.m. The semifinals (7 p.m.) and second-round consolation (5:30 p.m.) matches are on Friday evening.
Lutheran (3A), Soroco (2A), Eads (1A) and Sierra Grande (1A) are each newcomers to this week’s girls basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
With the regular season set to end on Saturday, these will serve as the final rankings of the regular season.
Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.
To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.
To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.
Moffat County (3A), Denver Christian (2A) and Highland (2A) each joined this week’s girls basketball rankings.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Regis Jesuit (7)
16-3
101
1
2-0
2
Horizon (2)
18-1
91
2
2-0
3
Grandview (1)
15-3
81
3
2-0
4
Highlands Ranch
16-4
67
4
2-0
5
Ralston Valley
16-2
64
5
2-0
6
Lakewood
16-3
62
6
2-0
7
Fruita Monument (1)
18-2
40
8
2-1
8
Castle View
17-3
31
7
1-1
9
Cherry Creek
14-4
28
9
2-0
10
Fossil Ridge
14-5
22
10
1-1
Others receiving votes:
Fort Collins 7, Doherty 6, Fairview 3, Mountain Vista 2.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Pueblo West (17)
18-1
170
1
3-0
2
Holy Family
17-2
130
3
2-0
3
Evergreen
16-2
117
2
1-1
4
Air Academy
18-1
113
4
2-0
5
Mesa Ridge
15-2
94
6
2-0
6
Golden
16-3
89
5
1-1
7
Valor Christian
15-4
88
7
2-0
8
Windsor
15-4
49
8
3-0
9
D’Evelyn
13-6
28
9
1-1
10
Thomas Jefferson
17-2
24
10
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Widefield 13, Pueblo South 8, Centaurus 5, Pueblo County 2, Rifle 2, Mead 1, Skyview 1, Thompson Valley 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
St. Mary’s (9)
15-0
108
1
2-0
2
Pagosa Springs
14-2
87
4
2-0
3
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
15-2
86
2
2-0
4
Centauri
16-1
78
3
2-0
5
Lamar
13-3
66
5
2-0
6
Kent Denver (1)
14-2
59
6
2-0
7
Sterling
12-4
36
9
2-0
8
Eaton
15-2
29
10
2-0
9
Cedaredge
13-1
16
8
2-0
10
Moffat County
12-3
9
–
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Manitou Springs 6, Resurrection Christian 5, Eagle Ridge 4, Colorado Academy 3, Jefferson Academy 3, La Junta 3, Lutheran 2, St. Mary’s Academy 2, Alamosa 1, Delta 1, DSST-College View 1.
Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.
To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.
To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.
Three new teams broke into the girls basketball rankings this week: Eaton (3A), Paonia (2A) and Haxtun (2A).
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, they are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
First-place votes are in parentheses.
Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.
Class 5A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Regis Jesuit (8)
14-3
111
1
1-0
2
Horizon (3)
16-1
107
5
2-0
3
Grandview (2)
13-3
96
3
2-0
4
Highlands Ranch
14-4
92
4
1-1
5
Ralston Valley
14-2
78
2
2-1
6
Lakewood
14-3
64
8
2-0
7
Castle View
16-2
48
6
2-0
8
Fruita Monument
16-1
46
7
1-0
9
Cherry Creek
12-4
31
10
2-0
10
Fossil Ridge
13-4
27
9
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Fort Collins 6, Doherty 4, Mountain Vista 4, Columbine 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 4A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Pueblo West (14)
15-1
158
1
2-0
2
Evergreen (2)
15-1
130
4
2-0
3
Holy Family
15-2
128
2
2-0
4
Air Academy
16-1
99
5
3-0
5
Golden
15-2
95
3
1-1
6
Mesa Ridge
13-2
73
6
3-0
7
Valor Christian
13-4
65
7
2-0
8
Windsor
12-4
43
8
2-0
9
D’Evelyn
12-5
27
10
1-1
10
Thomas Jefferson
15-2
24
9
2-0
Others receiving votes:
Widefield 22, Pueblo South 4, Rifle 3, Centaurus 2, Mountain View 2, Pueblo County 2, Greeley Central 1, Mead 1, Skyview 1.
Dropped out
None.
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
St. Mary’s (10)
13-0
127
1
2-0
2
Colorado Springs Christian (1)
13-2
108
3
2-0
3
Centauri (1)
14-1
98
2
1-1
4
Pagosa Springs (1)
12-2
96
4
2-0
5
Lamar
11-3
68
5
1-1
6
Kent Denver
12-2
55
7
1-0
7
Resurrection Christian
13-1
43
8
2-0
8
Cedaredge
11-1
35
6
1-1
9
Sterling
10-4
29
9
2-0
10
Eaton
13-2
15
–
3-0
Others receiving votes:
Jefferson Academy 11, Manitou Springs 6, Lutheran 5, Moffat County 5, Grand Valley 4, Delta 3, Alamosa 2, St. Mary’s Academy 2, University 2, DSST-College View 1.
Dropped out
University (10).
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Yuma (9)
13-0
107
1
3-0
2
Wray
11-3
76
3
2-1
3
Swink
12-2
66
2
1-1
4
Del Norte (1)
11-3
65
6
2-0
5
Limon
11-1
38
5
1-1
6
Holyoke
12-2
35
4
2-0
7
Paonia
9-5
33
–
1-2
8
Haxtun
8-4
30
–
1-0
9
Simla
11-1
29
7
3-0
10
Ignacio
11-0
25
8
1-0
Others receiving votes:
Denver Christian 20, Lyons 15, Soroco 15, Evangelical Christian 10, Highland 8, Akron 7, Meeker 7, Clear Creek 5, Ellicott 5, Sanford 5, Burlington 3, Center 1.
Dropped out
Denver Christian (9), Soroco (10).
Class 1A
RK
TEAM
W-L
PTS
PVS
LW
1
Kit Carson (15)
13-0
159
1
4-0
2
Fleming
12-1
137
3
2-0
3
Kim/Branson (1)
11-2
112
2
0-1
4
Briggsdale
11-2
109
4
0-1
5
Sangre de Cristo
13-1
94
5
1-0
6
Holly
10-4
67
6
1-2
7
Springfield
8-4
57
10
1-1
8
Antonito
10-3
44
7
2-0
9
Heritage Christian
11-2
41
8
2-0
10
La Veta
11-2
31
9
4-0
Others receiving votes:
Eads 23, McClave 22, Sierra Grande 11, North Park 10, Wiley 7, Cheraw 4, Cotopaxi 4, Belleview Christian 3.
Tim Yount of On The Mat provides weekly wrestling rankings for teams and individuals in all weight classes. To see individual rankings, you can subscribe to On The Mat’s full rankings.
To subscribe via PayPal, choose your subscription option on this page click on the corresponding PayPal button. To subscribe by mail or fax and pay by personal check, click here for a printable subscription form. Email Tim Yount at tim@onthematrankings.com with questions.
To purchase individual weeks of the rankings (as opposed to the entire season), you will need to use the printable subscription form and pay by check. The season ranking subscriptions are offered at a discounted rate.
