T.J. Shelton pins Custer County’s Edgar Pedigo in the quarterfinals on Friday. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
DENVER — Meeker senior T.J. Shelton, who is aiming for a fourth wrestling championship, cruised to the semifinals with a win on Friday morning.
Shelton, wrestling in Class 2A’s 170-pound bracket, pinned Edgar Pedigo of Custer County in 1:12 to secure the quarterfinal win. He also pinned his opponent in the first round.
Shelton is set to face Jeramiah Hillman in the semifinals, which begin around 7:15 p.m. on Friday. Hillman has also pinned both of his opponents in the first two rounds.
Greeley Central’s Ben Euresti rallies from down 12-0
Ben Euresti had himself a quarterfinal comeback.
He found himself down early to Pueblo County’s Nathan Bonham, a freshman who was favored coming into the 106-pound quarterfinal match. And in no time, Bonham showed exactly why. Before Euresti knew what had happened, he found himself down 5-0 and knew that he had to start turning things around.
“He was so long that I had to adjust my style to see what he was doing,” Euresti said. “He gave me a perfect little head right there and I took advantage of it.”
By that point, Bonham had a 12-0 lead. But Eurseti was able to get Bonham’s shoulders on the mat and register a pin despite nearly being the victim of a technical fall.
The Greeley Central junior will face Windsor freshman Will Vombaur in the 4A semifinals Friday night.
Ponderosa’s Hunter Matney ends Tomas Gutierrez’s bid at third title
The plan for Ponderosa junior Hutner Matney was simple: keep it close.
He was able to do just that in his 5A 120-quarterfinal battle with two-time state champion Tomas Gutierrez. The Pomona senior held a 2-1 lead in the third period, but little did he know that Matney had him right where he wanted him.
“I could feel him start to wear down a little bit,” Matney said. “That’s when I turned it on and went full speed.”
This is Matney’s third year at the state wrestling tournament and he has never won a championship. He fell in the 106-pound finals in 2015 to Pomona’s Dayton Marvel.
After taking down Gutierrez in Thursday’s early session, he feels good about his odds at coming away with with the 5A 120 title.
“The kid I wrestle next (Poudre’s Job Greenwood) I’ve beaten so I should be good to go there,” Matney said. “Then it’s just one-by-one, match-by-match.”
Mountain View’s Kaley Barker wins in consolation bracket
Mountain View’s Kaley Barker. More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Kaley Barker, who became the seventh girl to wrestle at the state tournament Thursday, won her first round consolation match on Friday afternoon.
Barker pinned her opponent, Evergreen’s Connor Williams in 4:00. She now advances to the second round of the consolation bracket and will face Thompson Valley sophomore Kasey Gault on Friday night.
Of the seven girls who have qualified for state, just two — Soroco’s Lauryn Bruggink in 2010 and Grand Valley’s Cody Pfau in 2013 — have ever won multiple matches.
Defending champion Rocky Ford sits in second place in the 2A team race. Enriquez Romero won his consolation match on Friday. More photos. (Dan Mohrmann/CHSAANow.com)
Meeker trailed Rocky Ford by 2.5 points after the first day of competition on Thursday. But, with five wrestlers advancing to the semifinals and two more advancing in the consolation bracket, the Cowboys have jumped into the team lead with 63 points following the early session on Friday.
Rocky Ford, the defending champion, is now second with 59.5 points, while Centauri remains in third with 58.
Meeker has won eight team wrestling championships, the most recent coming when it captured 2A in 2005. That was actually the third of three-straight titles.
Valley aiming for a third-straight 3A title
Valley has won the past two team championships in 3A, and the Vikings seem intent on doing it again.
The team led the 3A race after the first day of competition, and it remains there following the quarterfinals. Valley has placed six wrestlers into the semifinals and has 64 points.
Dolores Huerta has moved up to second place in 3A with 51.5 points.
The most recent three-time champion was Paonia (2012-14) in 2A. And prior to Valley’s run in 3A, Alamosa won three-straight 3A titles from 2011-13.
Pueblo County in control of 4A
The Willits brothers aren’t going just for individual titles. Their run to the semifinals has Pueblo County in the lead for the 4A team title with 82 points as semifinals are slated to begin Friday night.
Greeley Central trails by only eight, sitting at 74 points.
Cheyenne Mountain, Mesa Ridge, defending 4A team champion Thompson Valley and Pueblo East are all locked in a battle for control of third place with the four teams being separated by only seven points.
Pomona has a grip on 5A race
Pomona was ranked No. 1 in 5A by On The Mat for most of the season. Through the first two sessions at state wrestling, the Panthers are living up to that billing.
Pomona led the team race after Day 1 action, and continues to do so following Friday’s early session. The Panthers have 59 points, ahead of second-place Legacy (46). Ponderosa sits third with 44.5 points.
Arvada West, the two-time defending champion, is 21st with 14 points.
The Panthers’ last title came in 2013, just prior to Arvada West’s recent run.
Returning champs, unbeatens continue to roll
Each of the returning champions in 4A and 3A moved to the semifinals. Likewise, all of the unbeaten wrestlers in each of those classes, as well as 2A, also advanced.
2A featured seven returning champions, and five undefeated wrestlers. Six returning 2A champions are still alive. On Friday, Limon’s Jayden Hilferty (285 pounds) lost in the quarterfinals. Only one 2A wrestler, Paonia’s Bo Pipher, a 145-pounder, is a returning champion who is also unbeaten at 46-0.
In 3A, there are six returning champions, as well, and three unbeatens. Likewise, the classification only has one returning wrestler who is unbeaten: Dalton Robertson of Weld Central, who is now 43-0 in the 182-pound field.
In 4A, there are 10 returning champions and five unbeatens. Two, Thompson Valley’s Parker Simington (160) and Fort Morgan’s Toby McBride (285), fit into both categories.
The 5A returning champions took a hit. As noted above, two-time champ Tomas Gutierrez fell to Ponderosa’s Hunter Matney. His teammate, Dayton Marvel lost to Riley Garner-Orr of Grand Junction Central on a 4-2 decision. Heading into semifinals, three returning champions remain.
There were no unbeaten wrestlers in 5A heading into the tournament.
Notables
Pueblo County’s Grant Willits. More photos. (Ryan Casey/CHSAANow.com)
Pueblo County’s Grant Willits, on a mission after missing weight at state a year ago, advanced to the semifinals with a 6-0 win over Windsor’s Sam Zdenek in the 4A 126 bracket. Willits was a champion two years ago at 106 pounds.
Willits’ twin brother, Hunter, himself a two-time champion, moved to the semifinals with a 10-0 major decision over Colin Saiz of Denver South at 4A 152.
For the fourth year in a row, Cherry Creek will have at least one Finesilver brother wrestling in the semifinals. This also marks the third-consecutive tournament that at least two of the Finesilver brothers have made the semifinals. This year, twins Josh (126) and Matt (152) have both advanced.
Of the schools with one qualifier, just five advanced their lone wrestler to the semifinals: Dolores, Holy Family, Centaurus, Douglas County, and Horizon.
The semifinals in all classes will begin at 7:15 p.m. at the Pepsi Center. The 2A/3A consolation bracket resumes at 5:45 p.m., and the 4A/5A consolation does so at 7:15 p.m.
T.J. Shelton of Meeker (top) has a chance to become Colorado’s 19th four-time wrestling champion this weekend. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com)
[dropcap]O[/dropcap]ne year ago, Meeker’s T.J. Shelton had the opportunity to witness the whirlwind weekend belonging to Jesse Reed.
Reed had the spotlight shining bright upon him last February at the state wrestling tournament in Denver. The Paonia senior became the 18th individual to capture four state championships, and moments after winning, received a standing ovation while accepting his medal.
Not long after, Shelton further cemented his own bid to join the four-timers club by capturing his third consecutive crown on the very same mat. Now, headed into this weekend’s state tournament at Pepsi Center in Denver, Shelton is just four victories away from joining Reed and 17 others in cementing his name into the record books.
“I’m sure its been in the back of his mind, probably since he won it as a freshman,” Meeker coach JC Watt said. “I think anytime anyone wins state as a freshman the four-time talk certainly creeps into your head.”
Shelton brings a 38-1 record into the Class 2A 170-pound bracket. The tournament gets underway Thursday afternoon with 3A and 2A running first-round matches at 3 p.m., followed by the 5A and 4A classes at 7:15 p.m.
Quarterfinals are Friday morning, with the semifinals running at 7:15 that night. The Parade of Champions, which precedes the championship finals, is at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday.
The previous two state tournaments have each seen a wrestler claim a fourth title. Broomfield’s Phil Downing accomplished the feat in 2014, and Reed did the same a year ago.
Since 2003, 10 wrestlers have joined the four-timers club. In 2004 and 2005, a pair of four-time champions were crowned.
That said, winning four in a row is a hurdle most do not get the chance to clear. After all, it says something that only 18 individuals have wrestled their way to the top since Montrose’s Bob Thompson first did it from 1956-59.
“There’s just so many things – injuries, grades, all kinds of stuff has to be taken into account,” Watt said. “Winning one of them is hard. Winning four of them is a monumental task.”
Meeker brings 10 state qualifiers to Denver this weekend. The Cowboys finished second to Rocky Ford a year ago by just three points.
Watt said the squad isn’t going to be consumed by how many points are accumulated during the tournament.
“We kind of look at it a little different. Each kid does their best,” Watt said. “We don’t put a lot of pressure on the kids over the team title. We just ask each kid to go out and do their best and the team score takes care of itself.”
Rocky Ford leads 2A with 12 state qualifiers headed into Pepsi Center. Hotchkiss brings 11, followed by Centauri and Meeker with 10 each. John Mall junior Jonathan Andreatta (120 pounds) and Paonia senior Bo Pipher (145) are each seeking a third state title.
[divider]
Class 5A
After finishing as the runner-up in each of the previous two state tournaments, Pomona is in a good position to come away with its first crown since 2013. The Panthers lead all 5A programs with 12 state qualifiers, followed by Adams City with 10.
Pomona has a pair of returning state champions in Tomas Gutierrez (120) and Dayton Marvel (132). Gutierrez will be pursuing a third state championship.
Class 4A
Maybe the most intriguing classification comes in 4A, where four individuals have the opportunity to claim a third state title in a row.
Discovery Canyon’s Sam Turner (138), Pueblo County’s Hunter Willitts (152), Thompson Valley’s Parker Simington (160) and Fort Morgan’s Toby McBride (285) each have two titles under their belts. Willitts is the only junior in the group.
Five wrestlers are undefeated on the season, and seven schools have at least 11 state qualifiers. Defending champion Thompson Valley qualified nine and has two returning champions; 2015 runner-up Pueblo County is bringing 12 and has four state champions in the lineup.
Greeley Central and Pueblo West qualified 13 individuals each.
Additionally, Mountain View sophomore Kaley Barker is set to become the seventh girl to compete at the state wrestling tournament. She’ll compete in the 106-pound bracket.
Class 3A
Two-time defending champion Valley taking will be taking 12 individuals to the tournament. One of those representing the Vikings though is senior Macoy Flanagan (170), who brings a 47-0 mark into the tournament. With four victories, he would tie the state record held by Bennett’s Josh Miller for the most wins in a season at 51.
Berthoud’s Jimmy Fate (160) and Weld Central’s Dalton Robertson (182) are each chasing a third state title. Berthoud qualified 13 individuals, including defending champions Fate and Chad Ellis (195). Eaton and Platte Valley each qualified 11 and Lamar will bring 10.
Pomona’s Tomas Gutierrez (red) goes for the pin during the Top of the Rockies. (Brian Miller/CHSAANow.com)
LAFAYETTE – It’s no secret why Pomona and Pueblo County are the top-ranked wrestling teams in the state’s two biggest classifications.
The Panthers and Hornets put their depth and talent on display at the Top of the Rockies tournament Saturday night at Centaurus High School. Both schools sent five individuals into the finals, with Class 5A Pomona coming away with the team trophy with 209 points and one champion.
Pueblo County took second with 189 points, with Grant and Hunter Willits finishing first for the Hornets. Legacy had two champions and placed third. Grandview and Poudre rounded out the top five.
“It feels good, but it’s just preparation for the state tournament,” said Pomona’s two-time defending state champion Tomas Gutierrez. “I come here every year and we compete every year, and it’s just that stepping stone to the tournament in February.”
Gutierrez downed another defending state champion in 3A’s Jody Sandoval II of Fort Lupton by an 8-3 decision at 120 pounds.
The Panthers are on a mission after finishing second to Arvada West in the 5A team standings at the state tournament in each of the previous two years.
“We have one goal in mind right here and we’re putting ourselves in the best positions to see the best competition,” Pomona coach Sam Federico said. “We have all year, for one tournament – that’s the state tournament. We’re pushing hard. We’ve been second two years in a row and we don’t like it.”
Colton Yapoujian (106 pounds), Theorius Robison (126), Jason Romero (145) and Brandon Micale (220) placed second for Pomona.
The Willits twins were on top of their game Saturday night. Grant pinned Robison in three minutes, 11 seconds and Hunter posted a hard-fought 8-5 decision over Cherry Creek’s Matt Finesilver in a match-up of defending state champions.
“Matt Finesilver is such a great wrestler. As you can see he has a tank like no other. He can wrestle for hours it seems like,” Hunter Willits said. “That pushes me right there.”
Josiah Nava (113), Justin Davis (132) and Chris Sandoval (138) were runners-up for Pueblo County. The Hornets were without Donovan Rincon, currently ranked first in 4A at 195 pounds, who is working his way back from injury.
“It’s a great tournament to go to as a team – great competition for the state tournament, which is around the corner,” Hunter Willits said. “It’s perfect timing and the perfect tournament to prepare us for state.”
Legacy’s Ryan Deakin was the tournament’s outstanding lower-weight wrestler after finishing first at 138 pounds. Deakin scored a late takedown to break a tie and earn an 8-6 decision over Chris Sandoval.
Weld Central’s Dalton Robertson was the outstanding upper-weight wrestler. The top-ranked wrestler in 3A at 182 pounds and a two-time state champion, Robertson took down another undefeated wrestler in Legacy’s Matt Hebel, 10-1.
“My friends always give me a hard time because I’ve won state and go undefeated, but they always say I don’t go to any tough tournaments,” Robertson said. “They always say how they come here and get their matches where they lose at, so it means a lot to come in here and finally prove them wrong.”
Robertson and Jody Sandoval were the only 3A wrestlers from Colorado in the finals.
“There’s tough wrestlers everywhere,” Robertson said. “5A gets all the credit for being tough, and they are pretty stout there too, but every now and then there’s some 3A wrestlers that come in and make a point.”
Other winners included Pueblo East’s Andrew Lucero at 106; Mountain Range’s Louie Romero (113) and Zach Martinez (145); Poudre’s Jacob Greenwood (132); Thompson Valley’s Parker Simington (160); Broomfield’s Connor Ventura (170); Legacy’s Nolan Funk (195); and Ponderosa’s Cohl Schultz (220).
In a battle of defending state champions at heavyweight, Fort Morgan’s Toby McBride scored a 6-2 decision over Pueblo East’s Jacob Robles.
[divider]
Individual Results: 106 – Andrew Lucero, Pueblo East, maj. dec. Colton Yapoujian, Pomona, 12-2; 113 – Louie Romero, Mountain Range, dec. Josiah Nava, Pueblo County, 5-4; 120 – Tomas Gutierrez, Pomona, dec. Jody Sandoval II, Fort Lupton, 8-3; 126 – Grant Willits, Pueblo County, pin Theorius Robison, Pomona, 3:11; 132 – Jacob Greenwood, Poudre, maj. dec. Justin Davis, Pueblo County, 13-5; 138 – Ryan Deakin, Legacy, dec. Chris Sandoval, Pueblo County, 8-6; 145 – Zach Martinez, Mountain Range, dec. Jason Romero, Pomona, 7-4; 152 – Hunter Willits, Pueblo County, dec. Matt Finesilver, Cherry Creek, 8-5; 160 – Parker Simington, Thompson Valley, tech. fall Seth Green, Cheyenne East, 20-5; 170 – Connor Ventura, Broomfield, dec. Jeremiah Ellerd, Brighton 8-7; 182 – Dalton Robertson, Weld Central, maj. dec. Matt Hebel, Legacy, 10-1; 195 – Nolan Funk, Legacy, pin Kevin Doughty, Cheyenne East, 2:25; 220 – Cohl Schultz, Ponderosa, pin Brandon Micale, Pomona, 2:26; 285 – Toby McBride, Fort Morgan, dec. Jacob Robles, Pueblo East, 6-2.
The 2015 football players of the year. From left: Dylan Dixon of Eads; Keegan Wentz of Buena Vista; JoJo Domann of Pine Creek; Dylan McCaffrey of Valor Christian; Daniel Martin of Pueblo East; Kelton McCoy of Bayfield; Trey Walter of Sedgwick County. (Photos: Jack Eberhard/JacksActoinShots.com; Bill Cronin; Matt Daniels/MattDanPhoto.com; Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com; Jeff Tucker; and Sedgwick County HS)
The 2015 all-state football teams are presented by CHSAANow.com, ColoradoPreps.com and MaxPreps.
These teams were created following a lengthy process which included nominations from leagues and then a vote of coaches.
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
[divider]
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.
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.
“I got a little homesick for first place,” the Weld Central junior wrestler said.
He remedied that on Saturday, winning his second state title with a 3-2 victory over a defending state champion, Valley’s Brendan Gonzales, in the Class 3A 160-pound division.
Robertson won his first state title as a 106-pound freshman. Last year he finished fifth at 126.
He’s grown seven inches between his freshman and junior years, part of the reason for the jump in weight class.
“But the big thing is I like to eat,” he admitted.
In fact, he was under weight for all of his matches this season.
In the 132-pound class, Robert Lucero of Valley, last year’s 126-pound champion, took on Mead’s Sage Budd, the 4A state titlist in the same weight class.
The two had met only once before, durring the summer, with Budd taking a one-point victory late. This time, it wasn’t so close as Budd built up a 5-0 second-period lead on the way to a 9-2 victory.
Lucero was originally given credit for a takedown in the first but after the two went out of bounds the referee reversed the decision.
He finished the season unbeaten at 46-0.
Jimmy Fate of Berthoud and Joseph Prieto of Holy Family wrestle in the 145-pound 3A final. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
Two matches later, at 145, Jimmy Fate, who won the 4A 138-pound title last year, went up against Joseph Prieto of Holy Family, the 3A 138-pound champ.
They had met three times previously this season, with Fate winning all by comfortable decisions.
Leading 3-0, Fate allowed an escape to start the third.
“I love to wrestle on my feet,” he said of going to the neutral position. “It’s kind of my strong suit.”
The strategy worked as he went to win 7-3.
Also earning their second straight state 3A crowns were Conrad Cole of Brush at 126, Joel Contreras of Sterling at 152,
Valley held a 13-point lead over Brush in the team race entering Saturday night’s championship matches. That was fortunate for the Vikings as they lost all three of their finals bouts.
Valley won its second straight state team crown, finishing with 126.5 points, five points ahead of Brush. The Beetdiggers won two of their three championship matches.
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)
