Jonathan Andreatta, right. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — Jonathan Andreatta’s quest for redemption took all of 50 seconds to get underway.
After failing to capture his third state title last season, the John Mall senior was all business in the first round of the Class 2A state wrestling tournament. He beat Cheyenne Wells’ Jade Cozart in less than a minute to advance to the second round, which will begin on Friday.
“I just wanted to get out there and get the pin,” Andreatta said. “I wanted to get rested up for tomorrow.”
He’s coming off a disappointing loss to Quenton Montague in last year’s 120-final. He hasn’t competed at Pepsi Center since that loss, and walking around the catacombs did bring back some tough memories of that defeat.
“Walking through these halls, I’ve had some recurring nightmares,” he said. “That kind of sucked, but I’ve practically forgotten about that and I’m ready for this year.”
And he has shown that on the mat. Andreatta’s loss in that state title match is his last loss in high school competition.
When looking to get back to that top spot on the podium, he came into the 2016-17 season tackling only the obstacle directly in front of him.
“I’m just focused on the quarterfinals,” he said. “I’m just taking it one match at a time. It’s just another day.”
He’ll be back on the mat Friday at 9:30 a.m., taking on Cameron Holmes from Wiggins. Holmes advanced with a 15-4 major decision over Chris Lovato from Hotchkiss.
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Pin stats
Paonia’s Trevor Smith had the fastest pin of the 2A/3A prelims — it took him 10 seconds to win his first-round match in the 2A 285-pound bracket.
Rocky Ford’s Jacob Rodriguez had the first match of the day at 2A 106 pounds, and he made it a short one. The senior, a two-time champion, pinned Rye’s Zachary Ruiz in 14 seconds.
Rodriguez’s teammate, Carlos Magdaleno, pinned his opponent in 15 seconds at 160 pounds.
One other wrestler, Trenton Armintrout of Norwood/Nucla, had a pin in less than 20 seconds. He won his first-round match in 19 seconds.
Trinidad’s Jesus Diaz had the fastest pin in 3A’s first round, winning in 27 seconds.
There were a total of 100 pins in during the 2A/3A prelims, including 27 that happened in less than a minute.
Meeker and Paonia each had seven pins as a team.
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Notables
Natalie Benavides. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Natalie Benavides of Del Norte, the lone female qualifier at the state tournament this season, was pinned in her first-round match by Meeker’s Sheridan Harvey. She moves to Friday’s consolation round. Benavides is the eighth girl to ever qualify for the state tournament.
Platte Valley leads the 3A team race after the prelims with 21 points. Defending champion Valley is in second with 19.5, following by Jefferson (19). La Junta and Sheridan are tied in fourth with 16 points.
Rocky Ford is out front in the 2A standings, leading with 37.5 points. Meeker (30) is second, followed by Paonia (28), John Mall (26) and Fowler (20).
Alamosa’s Isaiah Delacerda, wrestling in 3A’s 113-pound division, began his quest for a third title with a pin of Fort Lupton’s Derrian Jaramillo in 1:35.
Fort Lupton’s Jody Sandoval II pinned Eaton’s Jackson Contreras in 33 seconds at 3A 126. Sandoval is a two-time champion.
The 285-pound bracket in 3A figures to be highly competitive. Among the field: Mullen’s Sam Deseriere, a returning champion who is unbeaten; Sheridan’s Ricky Ayala, another returning champion; and Bayfield’s Sam Westbrook, another unbeaten. All three won their first-round matches.
Each of the 11 returning champions and four unbeaten wrestlers in 2A and 3A won their first-round matches.
It’s an event unlike any other in Colorado high school sports. This week, 896 wrestlers will convene at Pepsi Center with each one looking for individual glory at the 2017 state wrestling tournament.
Their individual wins will also play a factor in determining four overall team champions. But in the midst of those 896 competitors vying for solo titles and the four teams that will emerge with state championship trophies, there are plenty of storylines worth watching at Pepsi Center.
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Class 2A
(Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Rocky Ford leads the field with 14 state qualifiers and looks to make a run at the 2A team title. Jacob Rodriguez will look to get his third individual title as he came away with wins at 106 pounds in 2015 and 2016. He once again competes at that weight class and is 33-4 on the season.
Two undefeated wrestlers will take the mat for 2A this week. Jonathan Andreatta (126) of John Mall and Limon’s Kaleb Gaede (220) will look to end their seasons with an unblemished record.
The 2A class is the only one that saw a girl qualify for the state tournament. Del Norte’s Natalie Benavides will be the lone representative for a group of competitors that has only grown in recent years. This is the ninth year in a row that a girl has qualified for the state tournament and Benavides is the eighth girl to reach the tournament.
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Class 3A
(Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
The race for the team title in 3A might be one of the most fun to watch during the tournament. Kevin Shaffer and Tim Yount broke down the team race in Tuesday’s preview, with Yount thinking that the race will be between Valley and Alamosa.
Seven returning state champions are in the field in 3A with Alamosa’s Isaiah De La Cerda and Fort Lupton’s Jody Sandoval each going for their third.
A unique showdown could be looming in the 285 final as Mullen’s Deseriere and Bayfield’s Sam Westbrooke are both undefeated on the season. If the two meet in the championship bracket it will be in the final. Deseriere beat Westbrooke in a 10-5 decision in the second round of state last year.
They provide the only scenario where not all the undefeated wrestlers in the class can leave Pepsi Center without a loss.
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Class 4A
Hunter Willits. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
The 4A brackets might contain most of the intriguing stories of the week. All eyes will be on Pueblo County’s Hunter Wilits as he tries to become the 20th wrestler in state history to win a fourth state championship. His brother Grant is aiming to come away with his third.
The 113 bracket could see a showdown of two returning state champions as sophomores Jace Trujillo (Pueblo East) and Will Vombaur (Windsor) are each looking to become two-time champions. Trujillo won the 113-pound title last year while Vombaur came away with the 106 crown.
There was also some shakeup in the 285 bracket on Tuesday as Montrose’s Sam Distel had to withdraw from the tournament due to an injury. The bracket was redrawn and with Distel, the top seed, out of the competition, it’s really anyone’s title to claim.
Glenwood Springs’ Myles Wilson is also looking to finish off a remarkable two-year run. Wilson won state at 170 last year, going undefeated on the season. He remains undefeated this season and if he comes away with a win at 182, it will conclude one of the more memorable two-year spans in wrestling history.
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Class 5A
The 5A brackets have eight returning state champions looking to repeat. Only Poudre’s Jacob Greenwood is a two-time champ looking to claim his third title.
(Dennis Pleuss/Jeffco Athletics)
Brighton leads the field with 12 qualifiers and will look to hold off a very talented Pomona team that is looking for its third title in five years.
If Castle View’s Malik Heinselman and Tate Samuelson can win their respective state championships at 106 and 170, they will enter their senior seasons next year with a chance to complete two-straight undefeated seasons.
These stories and plenty of others will be told out over the next several days.
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.
It’s Dayspring Christian’s week to shine in the Class 2A CHSAANow.com volleyball rankings.
Powered by sweeps over Gilpin County and Dawson, the Eagles are the new No. 1 team in the rankings. They are the only new No. 1 team in any class this week.
Paonia, who sat at No. 1 a week ago, dropped only one spot to No. 2.
Yuma made a noticeable jumping, gaining three spots to land at No. 3. There were no new teams in the 2A poll this week.
Rock Canyon held its spot as the top team in 5A, but it was Arapahoe, not Fossil Ridge, coming in at No. 2. The Sabercats dropped one spot to land at No. 3.
Loveland was the lone newcomer in 5A, joining the rankings at No. 10.
Lewis-Palmer and Cheyenne Mountain remained at No. 1 and No. 2 respectively in this week’s 4A poll.
The two traditional volleyball powers will face-off Thursday in a game that will in all likelihood decide the Pikes Peak Athletic Conference Championship.
Montrose jumped into the 4A poll at No. 9, the only newcomer this week.
Like 5A and 4A, the top team in the 3A poll went unchanged as Eaton holds a firm grip on that spot.
Valley made the big jump this week to land at No. 3, two spots better than last week’s rankings.
Pagosa Springs (No. 9) and Coal Ridge (No. 10) were the two newcomers to the 3A poll.
Fleming hung on to the No. 1 spot in 1A with Kit Carson still biting its heels at No. 2.
Weldon Valley (No. 4) and Nucla (No. 5) each gained a spot from a week ago.
There were no new teams in the 1A poll.
The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. Polls are released each Monday.
Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. New voters can sign up by emailing rcasey@chsaa.org. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.
