Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.
Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 17 are below.
Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.
Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 9 are below.
Wild Card points help determine the postseason fields in 3A, 4A and 5A, with 4A and 5A also using them for seeding. Find a more detailed breakdown here.
Baseball’s Wild Card point standings for April 2 are below.
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.”
Bear Creek senior PT Garcia, right, measures up Greeley West senior Adrian Delacruz in the first period of the 132-pound championship Saturday night. Garica, two-time state champion, had the quickest pin (1:20) in the title bouts. (Dennis Pleuss)
ARVADA — The Arvada West Invitational has had the reputation of being a “mini-state” wrestling tournament with the high caliber of competition it assembles.
The 50th version of the annual tournament was no exception.
“It’s pretty deep,” Pomona senior Josh Rosales said after his 9-5 victory over Bear Creek senior Jaysen Yakobson in the 120-pound final. “There has always been a ton of talent here. The toughest teams and the toughest kids.”
Arvada West senior Tony Silva-Bussey gets up after pinning Cherry Creek senior Mason Harms in the 170-pound championship match Saturday night. A-West took three individual title, along with winning the team championship at the 50th annual Arvada West Invitational. (Dennis Pleuss)
This week’s On The Mat wrestling rankings provided by Tim Yount had Arvada West, Rocky Mountain, Ponderosa, Pomona and Cherry Creek as the top five in 5A. All were at Arvada West High School on Saturday, along with No. 7 Chaparral, No. 9 Fountain-Fort Carson and No. 10 Grand Junction from 5A. Not to mention the No. 2 team in 4A, Thompson Valley.
Top-ranked A-West will for sure keep its top ranking after pulling away from Thompson Valley late in the tournament. The Wildcats won three individual titles to overtake the Eagles for the tournament team title.
“Our goal was to win it, make a statement,” A-West senior Tony Silva-Bussey said after scoring a third-period pin of Cherry Creek senior Mason Harms in what was a bout between the No. 1 and 3 ranked wrestlers in 5A at 170 pounds. “We are showing we are one of the best in 5A.”
The Wildcats other two individual champions were junior Payton Tawater (145) and junior Devin Rothrock (195). A-West had a tournament-high nine wrestlers place in the top four.
“It’s one of those practice rooms that you dream about going into,” said Silva-Bussey about A-West’s team depth. “At every weight there is someone to challenge you.”
The top-ranked wrestlers were sure up to the challenge in the championship finals. All 10 wrestlers who were ranked No. 1 in 5A won their matches, including senior PT Garcia, a two-time state champion from Bear Creek.
In his final A-West Invitational, Garcia looked like a true seasoned veteran. The senior was loose and enjoying the moment, even helped out during a third-place match being the towel tapper to let the referee know the period was over.
Thompson Valley sophomore Parker Simington, left, tries to break the grip of Arvada West junior Payton Tawater during the 145-pound championship bout Saturday. Tawater took a 8-4 decision. (Dennis Pleuss)
“I’ve definitely matured,” said Garcia, who scored the quickest pin (1:20) in the title matches. “When I was a freshman in this tournament I remembered I was really nervous. I didn’t perform my best. I eventually learned to go out relaxed, calm, focused and have fun.”
Legacy sophomore Ryan Deakin had a blast staying undefeated with a 27-0 record, while defending a tough opponent in Thompson Valley sophomore Vladyslav Kazakov in the 113 final. Deakin, who placed third at state last year at 106, was one of five unbeaten wrestlers who left A-West with their unblemished records intact.
The other four undefeated wrestlers are Garcia (21-0) and Rothrock (13-0), along with two Rocky Mountain grapplers — 138-pounder Danny Murphy (21-0) and 152-pounder Roman Oritz (21-0).
“I’m just focused on the wrestling,” Deakin said about not focusing on staying undefeated. “The wins and losses will take care of themselves.”
Ortiz, a junior, stayed undefeated after a tight match against Fountain-Fort Carson senior Rashawn Benford. The No. 1 and 2 ranked wrestlers at 152 pounds in 5A had already faced off once this season. Ortiz got the better of Benford again with a 3-1 decision.
“This time both were trying to figure out each other’s weakest spots. I knew (Benford) was going to come back with fire wanting to beat me this time,” Ortiz said. “I just kept my ground and did good against him. I’ll probably meet him in the state final.”
In the final championship match, Coronado senior Joe Hunt nearly pulled off the biggest upset of the night. Hunt had No. 1 ranked Dane Drimmer almost pinned in the first period. Drimmer was able to get the better of Hunt, pinning him midway through the third period.
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Results
Team:
1. Arvada West 193.5
2. Thompson Valley 179
3. Rocky Mountain 150.5
4. Cherry Creek 105.5
5. Coronado 98
6. Ponderosa 91.5
T7. Chaparral 82
T7. Pomona 82
9. Grand Junction 62
10. Greeley West 61.5
T11. Bear Creek 51
T11. Central Grand Junction 51
T13. Grandview 43
T13. Legacy 43
15. Fountain-Fort Carson 42
16. Brighton 32
Championship matches:
106: Hunter Matney, Ponderosa, dec. Cody Fatzinger, Arvada West, 6-4
113: Ryan Deakin, Legacy, dec. Vladyslav Kazakov, Thompson Valley, 5-1
120: Josh Rosales, Pomona, dec. Jaysen Yakobson, Bear Creek, 9-5
126: Mitch Finesilver, Cherry Creek, major dec. Vincent Casados, Arvada West, 15-1
132: PT Garcia, Bear Creek, fall Adrain Delacruz, Greeley West, 1:20
138: Danny Murphy, Rocky Mountain, dec. Zach Finesilver, Cherry Creek, 6-2
145: Payton Tawater, Arvada West, dec. Parker Simington, Thompson Valley, 8-4
152: Roman Ortiz, Rocky Mountain, dec. Rashawn Benford, Fountain-Fort Carson, 3-1
160: Jacob Trujillo, Grand Junction, dec. Konnor Schmidt, Rocky Mountain, 8-1
170: Tony Silva-Bussey, Arvada West, fall Mason Harms, Cherry Creek, 5:08
182: Dylan Gabel, Ponderosa, fall David Eusea, Thompson Valley, 3:20
195: Devin Rothrock, Arvada West, tech-fall Luiz Perez, Rocky Mountain, 20-4
220: Dan Macoubrie, Rocky Mountain, dec. Daniel Chavez, Pomona, 7-0
285: Dane Drimmer, Chaparral, fall Joe Hunt, Coronado, 5:03
Arvada West freshman Cody Fatzinger, top, works on turnover over Ponderosa freshman Hunter Matney during the 106-pound championship match Saturday night at the 50th Arvada West Invitational. (Dennis Pleuss)Legacy sophomore Ryan Deakin takes a look at the clock while staying on top of Thompson Valley sophomore Vladyslav Kazakov in the 113-pound championship match Saturday. Deakin was one of five wrestlers to leave the Arvada West Invitational with their undefeated record intact. (Dennis Pleuss)Pomona senior Josh Rosales, left, takes a look up to the clock during his 120-pound championship match against Bear Creek senior Jaysen Yakobson on Saturday night. Rosales won a 9-5 decision. (Dennis Pleuss)
THORNTON — Fairview won girls swimming’s annual Coaches Invite at VMAC on Saturday. The Knights’ 271 total team points bested second-place Cherry Creek (238) and third-place Regis Jesuit (217).
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.
Pine Creek jumped up in the 5A wrestling rankings provided by On The Mat this week. The Eagles were No. 12 in the preseason, which goes to 15 teams. They are No. 6 this week.
The four No. 1 teams — Arvada West (5A), Broomfield (4A), Brush (3A), Paonia (2A) — remained the same from the preseason.
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.
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