Arvada – Ponderosa’s Ian Heinisch came into the Arvada West Invitational hoping to be more active on the mat. It’s safe to say he accomplished his goal.
The junior and defending state champion pinned all four opponents at Saturday’s tournament, earning a first-period fall against Poudre’s Sam Gorton in the finals to win the 189-pound division.
“Lately I’ve been trying to be a lot more aggressive,” said Heinisch, who took the state crown at 160 pounds last year. “I’m more technical, but I’ve been trying to get some aggression and work it in with that.”
Heinisch was one of five Mustangs to take home tournament titles as Ponderosa dominated the 16-team field. Freshman Zeke Hofer opened the night with a controversial 4-3 victory at 103 pounds after being granted a penalty point when Northglenn’s Philip Grout was cited for stalling late in the third period.
Marcus Nelson (135 pounds), Jesse Snider (140 pounds) and Pat Armstrong (145 pounds) also landed first-place ribbons. Nelson claimed a state title in 2004 at 125 pounds but failed to claim a second crown last year.
Ponderosa is seeking its fourth straight state championship as a team and its sixth in the past decade. The Mustangs finished with 217 points, outdistancing second-place Chaparral by more than 60 points.
“I thought we looked pretty good,” coach Tim Ottmann said. “I think we won some close matches, and I think our middle guys stepped it up a bit from what they had been previously doing.”
Poudre’s Anthony Doyle scored a takedown with three seconds left in the match to secure a 3-1 victory over Thompson Valley’s James Rowell in the 125-pound final.
Pomona’s Trevor Schuch kept a flawless record intact with a 5-4 double-overtime win against Thornton’s Seiji Hashimoto. Schuch, who improved to 8-0 this season, was granted the deciding point after Hashimoto failed to escape.
Schuch’s teammate Willie McClure also impressed, pinning Ponderosa’s T.J. Heffron in the second period to claim the 171-pound class. Heffron and 215-pound Drew Crosier were the only two Mustangs to earn a spot in the finals and lose.
While Ponderosa appears well-positioned to continue its state dominance next month at the Pepsi Center, Ottmann said the team needs to improve its depth before it can be compared to his recent championship squads.
