Thompson Valley Archives - Page 36 of 39

Top of the Rockies serves as a primer for wrestling’s state tournament

Rocky Mountain's Roman Ortiz, left, wrestled Thompson Valley's Mike Berg in the 152-pound championship match. (Brian Miller) — Rocky Mountain’s Roman Ortiz, left, wrestled Thompson Valley’s Mike Berg in the 152-pound championship match. Ortiz won on a 3-0 decision. (Brian Miller)

LAFAYETTE — There wasn’t a single individual standing atop the podium Saturday evening who wasn’t reveling in the moment of winning a prestigious wrestling tournament like Top of the Rockies.

That said, thoughts were already starting to drift to potentially standing on a different podium next month.

With the state wrestling tournament fast approaching, the Top of the Rockies at Centaurus High School offered a glimpse into the future. From Broomfield’s Phil Downing, who will be seeking a fourth state title, to top-ranked Arvada West seeking its first team crown in more than two decades, the two-day experience at Centaurus was a good barometer for what could be in store Feb. 20-22 at Pepsi Center in Denver.

“It feels good because this is the premier tournament in the state of Colorado. (Centaurus Athletic Director) Paul Roper does an amazing job and he needs to be credited with that work,” Arvada West assistant coach Mark Schmidt said. “It gives us a little bit of confidence, but next year, no one is going to remember who won this tournament. They’ll remember who won the state tournament.”

The Wildcats, who currently top the Class 5A On the Mat rankings, dominated the weekend. Arvada West finished with 200 points to outdistance Thompson Valley (155.5) and Broomfield (144).

Bennie Pachello brought home the team’s only individual title in his first trip to the tournament with a 9-3 decision over Pueblo South’s Marcus Martinez at 132 pounds. Schmidt said he believes it’s the team’s first-ever champion at Top of the Rockies.

“I feel like if we wrestle like we did at this tournament at state,” Pachello said, “then we’re going to bring home a state title.”

Arvada West had three others reach the finals in addition to Pachello and a handful of additional placers. The team won on Saturday despite the fact that coach Ron Granieri is serving a school-imposed sanction based on a violation of CHSAA rules. Both Granieri and the team are on restriction from the postseason, though the school is currently working on a plan to have both removed from restriction.

Downing’s contest with Miguel Barreras of Rio Rancho (N.M.) in the 160-pound final may have been the match of the night, judging by the crowd’s reaction. Downing trailed 4-3 before getting a penalty point and a reversal with 6.2 seconds remaining in the third period to post a 6-4 victory via decision.

“I knew I had to pull something out of me to come up with the win,” Downing said. “I dug down deep and just scored the last two points I needed.”

With regionals just three weeks away, Downing’s thoughts are already on the postseason and trying to join the elite four-time state champion club.

“I feel like I’m in the state finals sometimes. I think about it that much,” Downing said. “It’s nerve-wracking and it’s a lot of pressure, but I just need to do what I need to do win it and it will all take care of itself.”

Another former state champion who took home first Saturday was Cherry Creek’s Mitch Finesilver. The senior edged Cheyenne East’s Brody Cress 6-5 at 126 pounds.

“It feels awesome. That’s the gameplan the whole time – just go in, score points,” Finesilver said. “My team … I couldn’t have done it without them.”

Finesilver’s twin brother Zach, advanced to the finals at 138 pounds before falling to Bryce Meredith of Cheyenne Central (Wyo.) 12-7. Younger brother Matt was also a finalist at 113 but fell 7-0 to Legacy’s Ryan Deakin.

“It’s great. I love it,” Mitch Finesilver said of having his siblings competing Saturday night. “It’s always awesome to see your family do well.”

Other champions included Pomona’s Tomas Gutierrez at 106 and Josh Rosales at 120; Colton Adams of Scottsbluff (Neb.) at 145; Rocky Mountain’s Roman Ortiz at 152; Omaha North’s (Neb.) JaCobi Jones (170) and JaVaughn Perkins (182); Cheyenne East’s Tevis Bartlett at 195; Grand Island’s (Neb.) Chase Reis (220); and Broomfield’s Austyn Harris at heavyweight.

Meredith and Perkins were voted as the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestlers.

[divider]

Results

Team Scores: Arvada West 200, Thompson Valley 155.5, Broomfield 144, Rocky Mountain 130, Cheyenne East 129, Cherry Creek 120.5, Omaha North 118, Pomona 116, Scottsbluff 113, Grand Island 106.5, Pueblo South 105.5.

Championship Matches

106: Tomas Gutierrez, Pomona, dec. Cody Fatzinger, Arvada West, 6-0
113: Ryan Deakin, Legacy, dec. Matt Finesilver, Cherry Creek, 7-0
120: Josh Rosales, Pomona, pin Steven Lahnert, Cheyenne East, :57
126: Mitch Finesilver, Cherry Creek, dec. Brody Cress, Cheyenne East, 6-5
132: Bennie Pachello, Arvada West, dec. Marcus Martinez, Pueblo South, 9-3
138: Bryce Meredith, Cheyenne Central, dec. Zach Finesilver, Cherry Creek, 12-7
145: Colton Adams, Scottsbluff, dec. Payton Tawater, Arvada West, 5-4
152: Roman Ortiz, Rocky Mountain, dec. Mike Berg, Thompson Valley, 3-0
160: Phil Downing, Broomfield, dec. Miguel Barreras, Rio Ranch, 6-4
170: JaCobi Jones, Omaha North, maj. dec. Mason Harms, Cherry Creek, 13-2
182: JaVaughn Perkins, Omaha North, pin Zach Stodden, Broomfield, 2:58
195: Tevis Bartlett, Cheyenne East, pin Devin Rothrock, Arvada West, 5:09
220: Chase Reis, Grand Island, pin Jacob Ornelas, FL, 3:40
285: Austyn Harris, Broomfield, dec. Brett Schaeffer, Cheyenne East, 3-1, OT

January 26, 2014

Smith leads No. 2 Thompson Valley boys basketball over No. 10 Longmont

LOVELAND — In basketball, one player can take over a game and lead his team to a big win. On Friday night, Thompson Valley’s Collin Smith was that player.

In a battle between the best defense in the Northern Conference (Longmont) — the No. 10 ranked team in this week’s CHSAANow.com poll for 4A — and the best offense (Thompson Valley), Smith scored 30 points and seemed to answer every one of the Trojans’ runs with a big bucket.

Thompson Valley, ranked No. 2 this week, defended their home court and beat their biggest challenger in the Northern Conference this season, 61-51.

In a tightly contested game throughout, Thompson Valley went up 17-14 at the end of the first and used a 10-0 run to take a 27-18 lead into the half. Longmont was unable to handle Smith all night, but did a solid job defensively on the rest of the team and held in the game with several critical baskets in the paint.

The Trojans cut the deficit to 40-38 going into the fourth after a 20-point third quarter and briefly took a one-point lead in the fourth. But in the end, there was just too much Collin Smith. Smith hit a clutch 3-pointer with 2:40 remaining to put Thompson Valley up 51-47 and the Eagles never looked back as guards Grant Rohrbouck and Mike Olivas calmly knocked down free-throw after free-throw in the waning moments.

The Eagles used their strengths — team play, ball movement, tough defense, and transition offense — to secure the win. But, above all, Smith was the difference-maker.

Thompson Valley's Collin Smith. (Brock Laue) — Thompson Valley’s Collin Smith. (Brock Laue)

The 6-foot-5 senior displayed a polished inside and outside game as he was effective on post moves in the paint, mid-range jumpers, and 3-pointers. Smith can be a difficult matchup for opposing teams because of his size, skill on the perimeter, and athleticism. He threw down a big fastbreak jam in the third quarter that sent the Thompson Valley student section into a frenzy.

Smith was understandably ecstatic after a game when he was unconscious shooting the ball.

“It’s great. It’s just flow,” he said. “You shoot something and you know it’s going in. It’s not something you see often, but when it’s there, it is nice.”

The Eagles’ coach, Josh Robinson, was very pleased with the team’s performance against a traditionally tough Longmont squad.

“I thought we played well,” Robinson said. “We had stretches where we got out of our flow a little bit defensively, especially in that fourth quarter. At one point we were down by one and I challenged our kids to get back to doing what we do defensively. We did it to a T the rest of the game.

“Collin had a nice game tonight and we need him to play well in big games. I really think it was a good team effort. Austin Dyer’s been sick all week and he came in shorthanded and had a fantastic game. Defensively, rebounds, he did a great job and Mike and Grant took care of the basketball. It was a team win.”

The win moved the Eagles to 13-1 this season and into sole command of the Northern Conference at 6-0. Longmont is second at 5-1, 11-3 overall.

Smith finished with 30 points on 12-of-17 shooting and went 5-of-6 from 3. Rohrbouck chipped in 14 points, was a good floor general and played tough on-ball defense. Olivas had seven points. Rohrbouck and Olivas went a combined 8-of-8 from the free-throw line in the final minute.

Clint Sigg led the Trojans in scoring with 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field and did all of his damage on offense in the paint. Sigg, Longmont’s quarterback this past fall, is a strong, athletic 6-foot-4 post. He also grabbed eight rebounds.

Austin Kemp and Justinian Jessup, Longmont’s leading scorers on the season, never got into a consistent rhythm on offense but finished with 12 and 11 points, respectively.

Longmont only has three seniors on varsity and possesses a talented sophomore class with Jessup, Kevin Mitchell, and David Speidel leading the way. The Trojans might be a year away from being one of the premier teams in 4A, but the senior-laden Eagles are having a special season.

“We’re one step closer to our goal. We want to be able to win the Northern Conference. That’s our number one priority,” Robinson said. “To get this win at home, this is the first step. We have a lot of basketball left.”

The weekend isn’t over yet for Thompson Valley as the Eagles take on a talented Cheyenne Mountain squad at 6:30 Saturday evening. The Indians are led by Montana State signee Ghassan Nehme, the leading scorer in 4A at 26.1 points per game.

“We go down to Cheyenne Mountain tomorrow, which I think is a big picture game for us, but tonight was our focus. We’ll go down there and compete tomorrow and see where we’re at,” Robinson said.

“We’ve played fantastic so far. Improvement-wise, which I think is a little bit of a bonus for us going forward, just keeping our focus throughout the game. We go through stretches where we fall asleep and if we can keep our amount of focus throughout the game, we’re a good team.”

Smith knows the enormity of a win over Longmont, though.

“It means we can run with anyone,” he said. “We don’t have to be afraid. After three years of being the underdogs, now we’re finally up top and people are coming after us. It feels great to be a senior and we’re the top guys.”

January 25, 2014

Mountain Range returns to 5A wrestling rankings

Mountain Range has returned to this week’s On The Mat wrestling rankings, and is ranked No. 8 in 5A.

The No. 1 teams all stayed the same: Arvada West (5A), Broomfield (4A), Brush (3A) and Paonia (2A).

Complete team rankings for all classes are below.

[divider]

On The Mat Wrestling Rankings

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.

[divider]
Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A

Class 5A
RK	TEAM	PVS
1	Arvada West	1
2	Rocky Mountain	2
3	Ponderosa	3
4	Cherry Creek	5
5	Pomona	4
6	Pine Creek	6
7	Chaparral	7
8	Mountain Range	–
9	Grand Junction	10
10	Fountain-Fort Carson	9
Dropped out
Fruita Monument (8).

Class 4A
RK	TEAM	PVS
1	Broomfield	1
2	Thompson Valley	2
3	Pueblo South	3
4	Windsor	4
5	Discovery Canyon	5
6	Palisade	6
7	Pueblo Central	7
8	Pueblo County	8
9	Montrose	9
10	Mesa Ridge	10
Dropped out
None.

Class 3A
RK	TEAM	PVS
1	Brush	1
2	Valley	2
3	Centauri	4
4	Monte Vista	5
5	Sterling	6
6	Dolores Huerta	3
7	Fort Lupton	7
8	Lamar	8
9	Alamosa	9
10	Buena Vista	10
Dropped out
None.

Class 2A
RK	TEAM	PVS
1	Paonia	1
2	Meeker	2
3	Rocky Ford	3
4	Baca County	4
5	Norwood	5
6	Sedgwick County/Fleming	6
7	Crowley County	8
8	Swink	7
9	Center	9
10	Merino	–
Dropped out
Dove Creek (10).

January 24, 2014

Denver East back in No. 1 spot in 5A boys basketball ranking

Denver East Cherokee Trail boys basketball — Denver East is back in 5A’s No. 1 spot this week. (Kevin Keyser/KeyserImages.com)

Denver East is back on top of CHSAANow.com’s 5A boys basketball ranking. The Angels overtook Fossil Ridge by one overall point to reclaim their spot.

Fossil Ridge, which remained unbeaten by going 2-0 last week, had a one-week stay atop the poll. Denver East got 11 first-place votes to Fossil Ridge’s nine.

Denver East beat Denver North 94-31 in its lone game last week.

Dakota Ridge senior Cambrian Antrillo glides toward the basket for an uncontested layup Monday in the Eagles' 62-55 victory over Highlands Ranch. (Dennis Pleuss) — Dakota Ridge joined this week’s 5A boys basketball ranking. (Dennis Pleuss)

Regis Jesuit remained in the No. 3 spot and Cherry Creek in No. 4. Eaglecrest bumped up one place to round up the top 5.

Mountain Vista moved up two places to sit in sixth this week. Arapahoe is No. 7 and Overland fell three spots to No. 8.

Dakota Ridge is the lone newcomer to this week’s 5A ranking. The Eagles (9-2) have won eight of nine games, and are No. 9 this week.

Monarch fell one place to No. 10.

The poll’s other No. 1 teams — Valor Christian (4A), Holy Family (3A), Ignacio (2A) and Caliche (1A) — all stayed the same, as they have since the preseason.

The 3A ranking added Centauri (No. 9) and Bishop Machebeuf (No. 10), while 1A added Briggsdale (No. 10).

There were no newcomers in either the 4A or 2A polls. However, Pueblo South made a big jump in 4A, going from seventh to fourth.

Complete polls for all classes are below.

[divider]

CHSAANow.com Boys Basketball Polls

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A

Class 5A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Denver East (11)	11-3	188	2	1-0
2	Fossil Ridge (9)	12-0	187	1	2-0
3	Regis Jesuit	12-1	163	3	2-0
4	Cherry Creek	11-2	131	4	2-0
5	Eaglecrest	10-3	104	6	2-0
6	Mountain Vista	12-1	95	8	2-0
7	Arapahoe	9-2	77	7	1-1
8	Overland	9-4	57	5	1-1
9	Dakota Ridge	9-2	34	–	2-0
10	Monarch	10-2	29	9	1-1
Others receiving votes:
Grandview 11, Highlands Ranch 7, Grand Junction 5, Rangeview 4, Legend 3, Chatfield 2, ThunderRidge 2, Smoky Hill 1.
Dropped out
Grandview (10).

Class 4A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Valor Christian (14)	13-3	149	1	3-0
2	Thompson Valley	11-1	121	2	2-0
3	Sand Creek (1)	10-1	102	3	2-0
4	Pueblo South	11-2	93	7	3-0
5	D’Evelyn	9-2	86	4	2-0
6	Thomas Jefferson	9-4	79	6	2-1
7	Pueblo East	11-3	66	9	2-0
8	Denver South	9-6	38	10	1-1
9	Air Academy	10-3	37	5	1-1
10	Longmont	10-2	32	8	2-1
Others receiving votes:
Golden 11, Cheyenne Mountain 7, Glenwood Springs 2, Montrose 1, Pueblo Central 1.
Dropped out
None.

Class 3A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Holy Family (13)	12-0	130	1	2-0
2	Colorado Academy	10-0	107	2	2-0
3	Jefferson Academy	10-1	102	3	0-1
4	Faith Christian	7-4	79	4	0-1
5	Colorado Springs Christian	5-3	56	5	2-0
6	Brush	6-4	47	9	2-0
7	Aspen	7-2	42	8	2-0
8	The Pinnacle	6-2	41	7	1-0
9	Centauri	9-3	38	–	2-0
10	Bishop Machebeuf	6-3	30	–	1-0
Others receiving votes:
Moffat County 16, Classical Academy 9, Kent Denver 8, Denver Science & Tech 6, Alamosa 2, Monte Vista 1, St. Mary’s 1.
Dropped out
Kent Denver (6), Moffat County (10).

Class 2A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Ignacio (8)	9-0	138	1	1-0
2	Sanford (1)	9-1	128	2	2-0
3	Yuma (2)	8-1	113	3	2-0
4	Lutheran (4)	5-4	100	4	1-1
5	Akron	7-1	82	5	2-0
6	Resurrection Christian	9-2	74	6	1-0
7	Haxtun	8-1	40	9	2-0
8	Simla	8-1	37	8	2-0
9	Peyton	8-2	36	10	2-0
10	Rye	9-2	29	7	1-1
Others receiving votes:
Denver Christian 13, Front Range Christian 8, Holyoke 8, Sedgwick County 6, Crowley County 5, Swink 4, Custer County 2, Hotchkiss 1, Telluride 1.
Dropped out
None.

Class 1A
RK	TEAM	W-L	PTS	PVS	LW
1	Caliche (9)	9-0	90	1	2-0
2	McClave	8-1	74	3	1-0
3	Hi-Plains	8-1	73	2	2-0
4	Vail Christian	6-1	59	4	1-0
5	Holly	7-3	48	5	2-1
6	Shining Mountain	9-2	38	7	2-1
7	Norwood	6-2	35	8	1-0
8	Cheyenne Wells	7-2	29	6	1-1
9	Cheraw	5-2	18	9	1-1
10	Briggsdale	4-2	11	–	1-0
Others receiving votes:
Primero 7, South Baca 7, Arickaree 6.
Dropped out
Primero (10).

January 20, 2014

Top-10 boys basketball schedule for the week of Jan. 20

A complete schedule and scoreboard for boys basketball’s top-10 teams this week.

Go to: 5A | 4A | 3A | 2A | 1A
[divider]

Class 5A
1	Denver East	12-3
1	Fri: W 91-62 vs. (4A 6) Thomas Jefferson
2	Fossil Ridge	15-0
	Tues: W 97-41 at Fairview
	Thurs: W 74-28 vs. Legacy
	Fri: W 69-44 at Horizon
3	Regis Jesuit	13-2
	Tues: W 69-40 vs. Littleton
	Fri: L 48-63 vs. Chaparral
4	Cherry Creek	11-4
	Wed: L 45-52 at Smoky Hill
	Fri: L 41-50 at (8) Overland
5	Eaglecrest	12-3
	Tues: W 62-43 at Cherokee Trail
	Fri: W 80-57 vs. Smoky Hill
6	Mountain Vista	14-1
	Tues: W 86-65 vs. Rock Canyon
	Fri: W 80-49 vs. Littleton
7	Arapahoe	10-3
	Wed: L 55-57 at Mullen
	Fri: W 61-57 vs. Grandview
8	Overland	10-5
	Wed: L 73-76 at Grandview
	Fri: W 50-41 vs. (4) Cherry Creek
9	Dakota Ridge	10-4
	Tues: L 62-66 at Ralston Valley
	Thurs: L 42-55 vs. Lakewood
	Sat: W 62-44 at Pomona
10	Monarch	13-2
	Tues: W 66-39 at Poudre
	Thurs: W 61-45 vs. Greeley West
	Fri: W 46-44 at Fort Collins

Class 4A
1	Valor Christian	13-3
1	Off this week.
2	Thompson Valley	14-1
	Tues: W 82-60 at Silver Creek
	Fri: W 61-51 vs. (10) Longmont
	Sat: W 56-47 at Cheyenne Mountain
3	Sand Creek	11-2
	Tues: W 49-46 at Discovery Canyon
	Fri: L 63-67 vs. Falcon
4	Pueblo South	13-2
	Fri: W 63-54 at Pueblo Central
	Sat: W 80-64 vs. Elizabeth
5	D’Evelyn	11-2
	Wed: W 76-69 vs. Wheat Ridge
	Fri: W 97-45 vs. Arvada
6	Thomas Jefferson	10-5
	Wed: W 85-40 vs. Manual
	Fri: L 62-91 at (5A 1) Denver East
7	Pueblo East	12-3
7	Fri: W 67-65 at Canon City
8	Denver South	10-7
	Wed: W 97-44 vs. Adams City
	Fri: L 69-70 at Denver West
9	Air Academy	12-3
	Tues: W 60-40 vs. Lewis-Palmer
	Fri: W 78-36 vs. Discovery Canyon
10	Longmont	11-3
	Tues: W 71-33 at Mountain View
	Fri: L 51-61 at (2) Thompson Valley

Class 3A
1	Holy Family	13-0
1	Fri: W 66-35 vs. Peak to Peak
2	Colorado Academy	11-0
2	Tues: W 73-55 at Peak to Peak
3	Jefferson Academy	12-2
	Tues: L 48-65 at (2A 4) Lutheran
	Fri: W 70-30 at Manual
	Sat: W 56-48 at Northridge
4	Faith Christian	9-4
	Tues: W 57-49 at (10) Bishop Machebeuf
	Fri: W 57-50 vs. Kent Denver
5	Colorado Springs Christian	6-3
5	Fri: W 86-33 at Florence
6	Brush	8-4
	Tues: W 65-53 vs. Fort Morgan
	Fri: W 58-32 at Valley
7	Aspen	8-2
7	Fri: W 45-28 vs. Gunnison
8	The Pinnacle	8-2
	Tues: W 73-30 vs. Lake County
	Fri: W 86-68 vs. The Academy
9	Centauri	10-4
	Fri: L 39-52 vs. Monte Vista
	Sat: W 71-34 vs. Dolores
10	Bishop Machebeuf	6-5
	Tues: L 49-57 vs. (4) Faith Christian
	Fri: L 58-60 vs. (2A 4) Lutheran

Class 2A
1	Ignacio	11-0
	Tues: W 59-38 at Pagosa Springs
	Sat: W 55-31 at Ridgway
2	Sanford	10-1
	Thurs: W 60-23 at Crested Butte
	Sat: vs. Del Norte
3	Yuma	10-2
	Tues: W 63-57 vs. Holyoke
	Fri: W 66-45 vs. Merino
	Sat: L 50-60 at (5) Akron
4	Lutheran	7-4
	Tues: W 65-48 vs. (3A 3) Jefferson Academy
	Fri: W 60-58 at (3A 10) Bishop Machebeuf
5	Akron	9-1
	Fri: W 85-62 at (7) Haxtun
	Sat: W 60-50 vs. (3) Yuma
6	Resurrection Christian	11-2
	Tues: W 80-47 vs. Heritage Christian
	Fri: W 75-41 at Denver Academy
7	Haxtun	8-2
7	Fri: L 62-85 vs. (5) Akron
8	Simla	8-2
8	Wed: L 47-48 vs. (9) Peyton
9	Peyton	10-2
	Wed: W 48-47 at (8) Simla
	Thurs: W 61-51 vs. Kiowa
10	Rye	10-2
10	Fri: W 49-45 at Rocky Ford

Class 1A
1	Caliche	11-0
	Fri: W 70-44 at Fleming
	Sat: W 61-31 vs. (10) Briggsdale
2	McClave	10-2
	Tues: W 77-33 at Manzanola
	Fri: L 32-34 vs. Kit Carson
	Sat: W 63-51 at Springfield
3	Hi-Plains	10-1
	Tues: W 64-43 vs. Stratton
	Sat: W 70-47 at Arickaree
4	Vail Christian	8-1
	Wed: W 83-78 at Soroco
	Fri: W 58-49 vs. Hayden
	Sat: vs. Sargent
5	Holly	9-3
	Fri: W 51-44 vs. Walsh
	Sat: W 47-38 at Kit Carson
6	Shining Mountain	9-3
6	Tues: L 66-67 vs. Jim Elliot Christian
7	Norwood	6-4
	Fri: L 46-71 at Telluride
	Sat: L 34-35 at Dove Creek
8	Cheyenne Wells	9-2
	Tues: vs. Wallace County (Kan.)
	Fri: W 63-40 at Eads
	Sat: W 59-38 at Genoa-Hugo
9	Cheraw	6-3
	Fri: L 51-53 at Wiley
	Sat: W 60-34 vs. Edison
10	Briggsdale	6-3
	Tues: W 67-46 vs. Pawnee
	Fri: W 43-34 vs. Prairie
	Sat: L 31-61 vs. (1) Caliche

January 20, 2014

Top 5A teams wrestle at tough Arvada West Invite

Arvada West wrestling Invitational — 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.”

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.

“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.

[divider]