Grandview’s four girls championships were the most in the state for that gender, while Creek’s four boys championships led the way.
Eaton, Colorado Academy, Lyons and Valor Christian all won three total team championships.
In all, 65 teams won at least one team title in 2014-15, with 17 winning at least two.
Rank
School
Girls
Boys
Total
1
Cherry Creek
1
4
5
2
Grandview
4
0
4
2
Cheyenne Mountain
3
1
4
4
Eaton
2
1
3
4
Colorado Academy
3
0
3
4
Lyons
0
3
3
4
Valor Christian
2
1
3
8
Rock Canyon
1
1
2
8
Mountain Vista
1
1
2
8
Fossil Ridge
1
1
2
8
Palmer Ridge
0
2
2
8
Paonia
1
1
2
8
Overland
1
1
2
8
Air Academy
0
2
2
8
Broomfield
1
1
2
8
Kent Denver
0
2
2
8
Alamosa
0
2
2
18
Cheyenne Wells
1
0
1
18
Vail Christian
1
0
1
18
Bishop Machebeuf
1
0
1
18
Manitou Springs
1
0
1
18
Bennett
1
0
1
18
Glenwood Springs
1
0
1
18
Ponderosa
1
0
1
18
Castle View
1
0
1
18
Chaparral
1
0
1
18
Green Mountain
0
1
1
18
Rye
0
1
1
18
Dove Creek
0
1
1
18
Regis Jesuit
1
0
1
18
Aspen
0
1
1
18
Vail Mountain
1
0
1
18
Fountain-Fort Carson
0
1
1
18
Lutheran
0
1
1
18
Springfield
0
1
1
18
Cherokee Trail
1
0
1
18
Niwot
1
0
1
18
Heritage Christian
1
0
1
18
Colorado Springs Christian
0
1
1
18
Sanford
0
1
1
18
Holly
0
1
1
18
Pagosa Springs
1
0
1
18
Akron
1
0
1
18
Idalia
1
0
1
18
Arvada West
0
1
1
18
Thompson Valley
0
1
1
18
Valley
0
1
1
18
Rocky Ford
0
1
1
18
Battle Mountain
0
1
1
18
Summit
1
0
1
18
Evergreen
1
0
1
18
Pine Creek
0
1
1
18
Pueblo East
0
1
1
18
Brush
0
1
1
18
Caliche
0
1
1
18
Arickaree/Woodlin
0
1
1
18
Lewis-Palmer
1
0
1
18
Resurrection Christian
1
0
1
18
Fleming
1
0
1
18
Standley Lake
1
0
1
18
Mountain View
0
1
1
18
Fort Collins
0
1
1
18
Coronado
0
1
1
18
Sterling
0
1
1
18
La Junta
1
0
1
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Individual titles
Thompson Valley totaled 14 individual championships in 2014-15, including five wrestlers. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Thompson Valley had eight boys and six girls win individual championships in 2014-15 to account for its state-best total of 14.
Cherry Creek was second with 13, and Pomona was third with 10. Lyons won eight, while Air Academy and Cheyenne Mountain each captured seven individual crowns.
A total of 131 schools had at least one individual win a championship. Of those, 73 schools had at least two champions, and 10 had as many as five.
Below is a complete breakdown of individual championships this season.
Draws for the Class 4A girls tennis state tournament, held May 7-9 at Pueblo City Park, are below.
All matches start at 9 a.m. each day. The first two rounds at each position will be played Thursday. Friday morning will be all semifinals, and the playback matches will start immediately afterwards. All third- and fourth-place matches and finals will be at 9 a.m. on Saturday morning.
Should weather intervene, check CHSAANow.com for contingency plans.
These results will be updated throughout the tournament.
For more information on the process for creating these brackets, click here or scroll down.
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Class 4A girls tennis state tournament
Click on a tab to see that bracket, or team scores.
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Information on the state tournament and draw creation
Only those teams who qualify four or more positions to state are eligible for the CHSAA state team championship title. The bracket creation process is as follows:
All 16 individuals/teams will be considered for placement on the draw.
The top 4 individuals/teams will be placed.
The committee shall consider the following factors (in no particular order of importance): strength of league, overall record, strength of competition, head-to-head competition and common opponents.
The remaining Regional Winners (#1’s) will be randomly drawn for places on the draw.
The Regional Finishers (#2’s) will then be randomly drawn for matches against a Regional Winner.
All Regional Winners will be paired against a Regional Finishers.
No two teams or individuals from the same Region will play each other during the first round of the state championship.
The 2014-15 all-state wrestling teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created based upon results at the state meet. Coaches of the year were selected by team performance at the state meet, as well.
Wrestlers of the year were determined by a formula which took the following information into account: season record; season winning percentage; type of wins at state (pin, tech fall, major decision); and strength of a weight classification’s bracket (based upon returning placers).
Scroll down to see the teams, or use the menu below to navigate to the class of your choosing.
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.
Joseph Prieto of Holy Family and Austin Shank of Olathe wrestle in a 3A 145-pound semifinal. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER – Ryan Nordyke and Joseph Prieto spent Friday proving that it doesn’t matter where you start – the finish is what counts in the long run.
The two seniors are both returning state champions – Holly’s Nordyke captured the Class 2A 138-pound title last season and Holy Family’s Prieto did the same in 3A. Yet both wrestlers found themselves without a top-two seed at the 2015 state tournament.
Neither individual took it as a sign of disrespect, though. Instead they made it their mission to take out whoever was in their path and now have the opportunity to end their prep careers with a second consecutive championship.
Ryan Nordyke of Holly and Gunnar Chesnik of Paonia wrestle in a 2A 145-pound semifinal. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“It didn’t matter where they put me,” said Nordyke, who posted a 12-6 decision over Paonia’s Gunnar Chesnik in the 145-pound semifinals Friday night at Pepsi Center. “I was going to have a tough run at it – it just didn’t really matter to me.”
Nordyke will meet Meeker’s Anthony Watt for the state championship Saturday night. Watt pinned another former champion, Swink’s Blake Denton, in the quarterfinals before doing the same to Rocky Ford’s Diego Reyes in the semis.
As Nordyke was taking care of business on one end of the floor, Prieto was doing the same on the opposite end.
The Holy Family standout pinned top-seeded Austin Shank of Olathe in three minutes, 34 seconds to advance to the 3A 145-pound finale. Prieto will meet a familiar opponent in Berthoud’s Jimmy Fate, who captured his first championship a year ago in the 4A ranks.
The undefeated Fate posted a 15-8 decision over Prieto in the 3A Region 1 finals last weekend.
“I’m excited. I want revenge,” said Prieto, whose twin brother Julian will wrestle for the 138-pound title. “I want to get the two-time.”
The state tournament yielded four brackets that featured two returning state champions, two each in 3A and 2A. Every classification had its share of “loaded” brackets that included multiple state placers. In 5A’s 138 field, five returning placers did battle, and six state placers from a year ago were in the 4A 145-pound bracket.
Pueblo County sophomore Chris Sandoval – a state runner-up a year ago – found himself in a challenging field in 4A at 126 pounds. Former state champion Josh Villa of Windsor and runner-up Michael Ramirez of Pueblo South were the bracket’s top two seeds; Sandoval was undefeated but had sustained a broken collarbone that kept him out for part of the season.
While both Villa and Ramirez were upset in the quarterfinals, Sandoval score victories by technical fall and pin Friday. He’ll meet Falcon freshman Jacob Butler for the title.
Sandoval said he wasn’t surprised that there were some upsets in the bracket.
“I knew there were other tough kids in there,” Sandoval said. “Anything can happen in wrestling.”
That’s the attitude that both Nordyke and Prieto embraced as well. Prieto said his seeding didn’t come as a surprise after the loss to Fate in the regional, but he also wasn’t concerned with who else was in the bracket or where they were seeded.
“I don’t pay attention to names, I don’t pay attention to records,” he said. “I have the mindset that I’m going to go out there, I’m going to do my best and I’m going to win. Whether that happens or not, that’s what I’m going to do.”
Nordyke, who has been competing with a torn ACL in his right leg that he sustained in December, also wasn’t thinking about facing top seeds or former champions. He said there are no easy brackets, but at the same time, no one is unbeatable.
Ryan Nordyke of Holly and Gunnar Chesnik of Paonia. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
“Our approach was just take one match at a time,” Holly coach Dean Crum said. “Focus on the person ahead of us and not look at the brackets.”
That mental toughness will be just as important Saturday night against Watt. Nordyke plans to have surgery on his injured leg in early March, but until then will keep pushing through the pain.
“One of my mentors told me it’s just a hurdle. I just have to jump over it,” he said. “I can’t think about that one hurdle all the time, I just have to do whatever it takes to overcome it.”
There are two championship matches Saturday night to feature two former state champions.
One comes in 3A at 132 pounds, where Valley’s Ruben Lucero will face off with Mead’s Sage Budd. The other is also in 3A, at 160, where Weld Central’s Dalton Robertson will face Valley’s Brendan Gonzales.
Joseph Prieto of Holy Family and Austin Shank of Olathe. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Hunter Willits of Pueblo County and Erik Lobato-Contrera of Mountain View wrestle in a 4A 138-pound semifinal during CHSAA state wrestling, Friday, Feb. 20, 2015, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — This is a banner Pueblo County High School wrestler Hunter Willits didn’t want to carry for his family at the Class 4A state wrestling tournament.
Hunter (138 pounds) and his fraternal twin Grant (113) were trying to become the first wrestlers in Pueblo prep history to win back-to-back state championships in their freshman and sophomore seasons. Grant won at 106 pounds last year and Hunter was at 132 pounds, and they also became the only twins from Pueblo to win state.
“I knew how much we both wanted to win state again,” Hunter said.
The plan was on track as Hunter and Grant, who are both ranked No. 1 in their respective weights by On the Mat, easily won their first-round matches Thursday night at the Pepsi Center.
However, on Friday morning, the twins saw their dream of sharing gold medals again vanish when Grant failed to make weight. Grant, with a 3-pound weight allowance, could weigh up to 116 pounds Friday and he weighed in at 116.1 pounds, and thus was disqualified.
“It was one of the worst feelings ever,” Grant said about weighing too heavy to compete. “I’ve never missed weight in my life.”
Hunter also couldn’t believe his brother’s tourney was over in an instant.
“I was crushed,” Hunter said. “I didn’t know what to do. I knew what I had to do, but at first I couldn’t control myself because I knew Grant didn’t deserve that. He worked out (late Thursday night) to make the weight.”
Hunter Willits of Pueblo County and Erik Lobato-Contrera of Mountain View wrestle in a 4A 138-pound semifinal during CHSAA state wrestling, Friday, Feb. 20, 2015, at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Rick Willits, the twins’ father and assistant coach for the Hornets, said Grant has weighed in 300-plus times since he started competing at age 4 and never missed weight. Rick won a 3A 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.
After experiencing an emotional morning, Hunter was able to regroup and register a 17-1 technical fall over Mountain View’s Erik Lobato-Contreras Friday night.
“I didn’t feel any extra pressure,” said Hunter, who improved his season record to 37-1. “I got myself under control. I wasn’t as emotional as I was in the morning. I just went out there and did my job.”
Up next for Hunter is title match against Windsor’s Gerald Mack (35-9) at 7 p.m. Saturday. The unranked Mack shocked Thompson Valley’s Collin Williams (39-8), who was ranked No. 2 by On the Mat, 6-5 in the semis.
“I’m just going to continue to cheer on my brother and hope for the best,” Grant said. “I know he should win state. He has the right mentality. So me missing weight and not making history with him isn’t going to mess him up.”
Hunter acknowledged he has extra motivation to get another gold medal because of what transpired with his brother.
“I haven’t really talked to him about the whole situation,” Hunter said. “He and I do everything together. We go to school every day together and we have all our classes together, and we wrestle every day together. I know if we talk about what happened we will both probably start crying because he wanted to win state so bad. I’m sad for him, but I just can’t let it bother me. I just want to win state for me and him (Saturday).”
In addition to Hunter, Pueblo County’s Josiah Nava (106 pounds) and Chris Sandoval (126) also advanced to the finals. Nava (37-4) meets Widefield’s Stephen Debelko (32-4). Sandoval takes on Falcon’s Jacob Butler (15-6).
The Hornets are a distant second in the team standings behind pre-tournament favorite Thompson Valley.
WELCOME BACK 5A KINGS: While some wrestlers are looking to win their first gold medals Saturday, others are returning to try and win state again.
Pomona’s Tomas Gutierrez, who won state at 106 pounds last year, is in the 113-pound finals against Arvada West’s Cody Fatzinger. Legacy’s Ryan Deakin also returns to chase gold as he collides with Poudre’s Jacob Greenwood. Deakin was a 113-pound state winner last year.
Arvada West’s Payton Tawater, a 145-pound champ a year ago, is in the 152-pound finals against Rocky Mountain’s Roman Ortiz.
At 170 pounds, Pomona transfer Deyaun Trueblood is in the championship against Arvada West’s Taylor Bergquist. Trueblood was a state winner at 152 pounds in 2014 for Gateway.
Bergquist and Trueblood are ranked No. 1 and No. 2 by On the Mat.
Grand Junction’s Jacob Trujillo, meanwhile, is trying to win his third title in a row at 160 pounds. He clashes with Douglas County’s Robert Grambell.
Arvada West’s Devin Rothrock, a 195-pound winner last season, is in the finals against Grand Junction’s Tyler Zook at 220 pounds.
HELLO COUSIN: When wrestlers meet up against semifinal foes it’s not uncommon for opponents to know each other.
The Class 4A 132-pound semifinal bout between Canon City’s Zac Hanenburg and Air Academy’s Peter Tyler Hanenburg took on another angle as the two wrestlers are cousins. Peter Tyler was able to get the upper hand, winning 7-0.
Dylan West of Greeley West puts a move on Alex Bezugly of ThunderRidge during a 138-pound 5A bout on Thursday at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
DENVER – This prep wrestling season didn’t go according to script for Dylan West – especially early.
The Greeley West senior, who finished third at the 2014 Class 5A state tournament at 126 pounds, missed the first part of the year with a back injury.
“I hurt it at Fargo (N.D.) Nationals last summer and I didn’t get to wrestle this season until the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament (Dec. 19-20 in Greeley),” West said.
West was making up for lost time and then had to sit out a few more matches after banging his head in a couple of matches, the last being at the Top of the Rockies Jan. 24 at Centaurus High School.
“It was tough missing the first part of the season, because I had to get in shape,” said West, who was never diagnosed with a concussion, but sat out some matches for precautionary reasons.
Rather than dwell on lost time, West is healthy now and focused on winning a coveted gold medal at the Class 5A state tournament.
“Wrestling is a more of mental sport to me than physical,” West said. “My injuries stopped me a little bit, but I knew I had to keep going.”
Alex Bezugly of ThunderRidge and Dylan West of Greeley West grabs hold of Alex Bezugly of ThunderRidge during Thursday’s first round. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
West began his championship quest by muscling past ThunderRidge’s Alex Bezugly 3-1 at 138 pounds Thursday at the Pepsi Center.
“I didn’t even know who I was facing my first match,” said West, who improved his season record to 25-7. “I don’t like looking at any of the brackets. I know someone is going to wrestle me and I was able to go out there and do my thing.”
West took a quick 2-0 lead with a takedown at the 1:30 mark of the first period. Bezugly did get within 2-1 with 41 seconds left in the second, but West added an escape at 1:01 of the third for the final margin of victory.
“I definitely felt in control the entire time even though the score was close,” said West, who is ranked No. 4 by On the Mat.
Up next for West at 12:45 p.m. Friday is a quarterfinal match against Lincoln’s Seth Rosales (41-6). Rosales upset Adam City’s Elias Deaguero (34-11) 5-4 in the first round. Deaguero was ranked No. 6 by On the Mat.
“I’ve never wrestled Rosales,” the 5-foot-8 West said. “I just want to stay aggressive and get after it out there on the mat. I know I feel comfortable at (138 pounds) and I feel strong. It would sure mean a lot to me if I could win state. I’ve been working hard this whole season and I know I can accomplish that goal if I just do my best, and don’t let the big stage get to me.”
No matter what happens this weekend, West plans on continuing his wrestling career in college.
“I have not signed with anyone yet, but I want to stay in state,” said West, a three-time state qualifier. “I would like to major in psychology that’s something that really interest me.”
Wonder twin powers: There have been 72 state championship wrestling titles won by Pueblo prep wrestlers.
Despite all those gold medals, no wrestler from the Steel City has won back-to-back state titles as a freshman and sophomore.
That could change this weekend. Pueblo County’s fraternal twin brothers, sophomores Grant and Hunter Willits are on the right path to make history.
Hunter won state at 106 pounds in 4A last year and Grant was the 132-pound state winner and each scored convincing wins Thursday in the first round – Grant at 113 pounds and Hunter at 138 pounds. Both are also ranked No. 1 by On the Mat at their weights.
“It was real exciting to win state, and then to do it with my twin brother made it even more special,” Hunter said. “I don’t think there’s any pressure on my brother and I this year (at state). We are just going to go out there and wrestle the best that we can.”
Pin master: Glenwood Springs’ Christian Gonzales is 44-0 and more impressive is all his victories – with the exception of forfeits – have come via pins. Gonzales improved to 45-0 Thursday night with, what else, a pin of Denver South’s Casey Seppelt.
Gonzales was 24-1 a year ago, but missed regionals with an injury and thus was unable to compete at state.
Cristian Gonzalez of Glenwood Springs tries to pin Casey Seppelt of Denver South during a 195-pound 4A first-round bout, Thursday at the Pepsi Center in Denver, Colo. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
