A number of other schools joined a movement to turn on their stadium lights Tuesday night as they sought to provide a source of hope for their students.
Started on Monday night in Colorado, five stadiums turned on their lights for a short period of time to show students they were thinking of them, even as schools remained closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many more joined in Tuesday as the movement spread. Among those taking part in #BeTheLightCO on Tuesday were:
The lights are on at North Stadium tonight for all Adams 12 Five Star student-athletes. In a world full of uncertainty right now, we hope this provides some hope that this too shall pass. Take care of yourselves and stay healthy. We miss you all. #bethelightCO@Adams12@CHSAApic.twitter.com/dKQkKEWK4s
— Five Star Athletics & Activities (@5StarActivities) April 1, 2020
— University Bulldogs (@udogathletics) April 1, 2020
Sierra:
Let these lights be a beacon of hope & assurance that we are always thinking of our students! With these uncertain times we will always have them in our hearts & minds! #BeTheLightCO#DoingMyPartCOpic.twitter.com/L79jhk4zpn
Cedaredge Bruins! We believe in our students, and we are here for this awesome community. To honor Bruin Country, the lights at the stadium will be turned on every Tuesday from 8:00-8:30pm until we are back! Hang in there and know we are thinking of you! #bethelightCO@chsaapic.twitter.com/pqPHDaIL6j
Responding to a challenge brought by @AdamCHSAA, and @CaraSyers AHS will light the field each night from now until the end of Wish Week as a symbol of how much we are missing each Warrior, and in recognition of how isolation may impact each of us. We love you all. #bethelightCOpic.twitter.com/w5yZ5c0FeO
DENVER — For the Wray Eagles, the night started with redemption. It ended the same way as last year’s state wrestling tournament; with an all-time record.
For the 14th time, the Eagles are the wrestling champion of Colorado. It’s a number that for the foreseeable future will go unmatched as was their 13th title that they claimed on this very same weekend a year ago. It’s also the third consecutive title for the Eagles.
“They set their goals the beginning of the year and the whole team’s been working their butts off and it’s nice to see it paid off,” coach Matt Brown said. “Last year we went 0-4 in finals and I think that shocked them a little bit and I think they went after a little harder this year.”
The difference in this win was the early emotional boost that came with it. In the second match of the night on the Class 2A mat, senior Cade Rockwell made up for last year’s painful defeat in the 113-pound title match. When the final whistle blew, the pain of last year and weight of defeat lifted away as his arms extended into the air.
It capped a remarkable tournament run where the Eagles had wrapped up the team title before they marched their four title contenders out in the Parade of Champions. They finished with 162.5 points. Rocky Ford was the runner-up with 123.5 points.
“Our team is great,” Rockwell said. “We all love each other. All we care about is wrestling and sticking up for going to each other all the time.”
For a year Rockwell worked through the sweat and tears. Midway through his match he had to add so blood into the mix. Despite a stoppage to attend to a bloody nose, he kept his focus on Cedaredge’s Lane Hunsberger and built a 12-2 lead as the final whistle blew, his hand was raised with a 12-2 major decision victory.
“He was talking to me the whole match on top and you have to let it go,” Rockwell said. “You wrestle your match and you humble yourself and you do the best you can.”
Rye’s Michael Atencio, the cause of Rockwell’s anguish from a year ago, also walked off the floor at Pepsi Center with a victory and a second state championship. He claimed the 120-pound championship. A junior, Atencio has a chance to become a three-time champion at next year’s tournament.
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Oran Huff out of Lyons derailed a different bid for a third title. The defending champion of the 126-pound bracket, he held off Cedaredge junior Trey Geyer, a 2019 state champion at 120 via a 4-1 decision. Had Geyer won the match, he would’ve looked to 2021 for a chance to claim a fourth title.
“I knew I could beat him,” Huff said. “Just like last year I came out with confidence in my coaching and my training and my ability. That’s what it takes.”
It wasn’t too long after Huff’s win that a fourth state title opportunity made its way to Mat 2. John Mall’s Wesley VanMatre battled to a 10-3 decision win over Lyons’ David Gardner.
VanMatre’s title victory will certainly be a chapter in one of the most historic nights of Colorado wrestling history. He shared the honor with three other competitors marking 2020 the year that the most four-time champions were crowned.
It’s just one aspect of this year’s competition that makes the event special, an event where Wray walked into Saturday night with a 14th team title already in hand. It might be the most in state history, but Brown would never allow the quantity to water down the significance of the achievement. Tyler Collins also claimed a title at 152 and four other Eagles found their way to the podium..
“The time they put in and all the offseason stuff made this group special,” he said. “It’s an awesome group to be a part of.”
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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]
Class 2A
RK
TEAM
PVS
1
Wray
1
2
Cedaredge
3
3
Rocky Ford
2
4
Paonia
–
5
Lyons
5
6
Buena Vista
4
7
Highland
7
8
Hotchkiss
9
9
John Mall
6
10
Centauri
8
Dropped out
Hayden (10).
Class 3A
RK
TEAM
PVS
1
Alamosa
5
2
Valley
2
3
Jefferson
1
4
Pagosa Springs
4
5
Lamar
3
6
Eagle Valley
8
7
Weld Central
7
8
Sterling
–
9
Skyview
–
10
Eaton
–
Dropped out
Berthoud (6), Fort Morgan (9), Platte Valley (10).
