It seems almost unfair that the most defining moment in Tucker Lane’s prep wrestling career was a defeat.
In the rousing showdown of the 2005 state tournament, Lane, then a sophomore, was defeated 6-5 in the 189-pound final by four-time state champion Torben Walters of Crowley County.
That match is what most people recall when they talk of Lane, who is seldom seen during the regular season outside of the few Western Slope tournaments tiny Class 2A Nucla attends each season.
Never mind Lane won state titles in the 171 division as a freshman and took the 215-pound weight class last season when he pinned Dex Cure of Wray early in the third period.
Although Lane is the odds-on favorite to win his third state title this season, most probably aren’t aware he carries a 4.07 grade-point average and will wrestle next fall for Nebraska, where he plans a double major in broadcast journalism and education. With a career prep mark of 112-4, Lane took third this summer at the junior nationals in North Dakota.
With a love for English and mathematics, Lane will try to become the first four-time champion at Grand Junction’s prestigious Warrior Classic tournament in December.
Although his amazing blend of size, speed, strength and technique has been dominant from the get-go and improves each season, Lane never has really garnered the same attention he did at the Pepsi Center his sophomore season.
So, does that loss to Walters define him? Yes, but only because he allows it to.
“I have done great things and I’m going to do great things. That Torben match was a little blemish,” said Lane, who weighs 235 pounds and plans to wrestle in the heavyweight division this season. “I’ve learned so much from that match, and it’s made me better. It’s helped me define my career.
“Whenever I’m training and stuff, I think about my losses. What would I do different? I try to remember how I felt afterward.”
Although winning on the mat is something the son of an Army and professional wrestler was born to do, Lane isn’t obsessed with the thought of losing. It’s the challenge that piques his interest and fuels his desire to be a collegiate and international champion.
Take last season, when Lane went 37-1 with his only loss coming against Zane Taylor, a three-time state champion from Utah now playing football for the Utah Utes. Taylor weighed 275 and Lane 205, but he went the distance with the 6-foot-3 senior before losing 5-4.
“I want to take on all the challenges to make me improve as a better wrestler,” Lane said. “There are more important things than going undefeated.”
Like fishing for trout, which Lane loves to do, or adding to his collection of more than 15,000 football cards, or watching college football, which he hopes to do one day for a major television network in addition to coaching wrestling.
There is also comparing the size of his arms with younger brother Stryker, who took sixth last season as a freshman in the 189-pound weight class. (Tucker has the arm size, but Stryker has him on height.)
Father Larry wrestled professionally after the Army under the moniker Red Dog Lane. He now jokes that Tucker and Stryker grew up too fast and the only child he has left to wrestle is freshman sister Mollie.
But even Mollie has wrestling connections. She shares the same birthday (July 9) and thus a similar name to uncle Rollie Lane, a longtime coach from Nampa, Idaho, who is in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame in Stillwater, Okla.
It’s not hard to imagine the possibility of Tucker’s name joining Rollie’s in the future. What a defining moment that would be.
The big picture: Breaking down the wrestling scene
Class 5A
Unless you live on the south side of Parker and bleed cardinal and gold, Ponderosa coach Tim Ottmann is the bearer of bad news: “I think we’ll be in the hunt again,” he said.
That would be for the Mustangs’ fifth Class 5A team title in a row.
Although the Mustangs made last season’s team race look easy when they topped second-place Wasson by 71 points, things should be tighter.
Sophomore Zeke Hofer is Ponderosa’s only returning champion. He should wrestle at 119 pounds after winning the 103 title. Ian Heinisch, a 189-pound champion as a junior, no longer is enrolled. Senior Patrick Armstrong (160) placed second at 145. Sophomore Daniel Kelly was third at 112. Senior Jesse Snider, third at 140, is a three-time state placer. And senior T.J. Heffron (171) is a returning qualifier.
Beyond that, Ottmann will trust replacements from a talented junior varsity squad and a tough tournament schedule to toughen up the deep roster.
Ponderosa again will wrestle in highly competitive national tournaments in Ohio and Nevada and will take on Goddard (Kan.) High School, ranked 38th in the nation, in a dual meet.
Loveland is on the radar, and it’s not just because of junior phenom Tyler Graff, already a two-time state champion with a 75-1 mark. Although Graff was the Indians’ lone state placer from last season, the Indians have experience in junior Ethan Saffer (215), Luke Vandenburg (189) and senior Mike Bockelmann (160), who qualified as a sophomore. Loveland could have another phenom in 152-pound freshman Evan Knight.
Heavyweight champion Marcus Felker of Thornton returns as a senior. The Trojans, who placed eighth last season, also have Evan Atencio back at 103 after the senior placed fourth last season. Seiji Hashimoto placed fifth at 130 but could wrestle anywhere from 140 to 152, coach Mike Pantoya said.
“I’m going in with three aces and, hopefully, I can catch a pair downtown (at state),” Pantoya said.
In addition, Pomona senior Willie McClure (171 pounds) is the only other 5A returning state champion.
Senior Casey Cruz, who placed second last season at 135, is the only returning state placer for Wasson.
Chaparral has senior Matthew Murphy, who placed fifth at 152, and Brighton returns junior Paul Montoya (second place at 103) and sophomore Alonzo Montoya (sixth place at 112).
Pine Creek bumps up to 5A with four returning state qualifiers, including state placers Kory Johnson (112 pounds) and Ben Hicks (189).
Class 4A
Some people still might not know much about Northridge wrestling, but that could change this season. Although a relatively young program, the Grizzlies could be ready to build on their fourth-place finish with eight returning state qualifiers, including four placers.
First-year coach Juan Vallejos is cautious. When asked whether he has talked about winning the team title in a class full of powerhouses, Vallejos said he brought it up once – and that’s it.
“I think we’re getting a lot of attention, which I don’t necessarily like, but it’s OK,” Vallejos said. “It’s good for the kids; good for the program.”
Zack Melendez (119 pounds), Terence Salazar (152) and Lance Mijares (171) are senior athletes with state tournament experience. Tim Saucedo (heavyweight) placed second last season, and Justin Gonzales (140) and Easton Ramirez (135) both placed third. Melendez (119) placed second in 2005.
Broomfield, third a year ago, is led by returning 215 champion senior David Marone, sophomore Gabe Gomez (second at 103), junior Eric Mortensen (qualified at 112), junior Cory Casady (second at 119) and sophomore Cody McAnich (qualified at 125).
Although the numbers seem to hint at a changing of the guard, the old guard should still be salty. Defending champion Alamosa returns four qualifiers, three who placed, two champions who are prep All-Americans – Sonny and Cody Yohn. Sonny, a senior bound for top-ranked Minnesota, won at 189 and was the 171 champion as a sophomore. Cody, a junior, won last season at 152.
The brothers won their respective weight classes at the Monster Match national tournament in Denver in early November and are the de facto leaders of a fairly young Mean Moose squad.
Said Alamosa coach Gary Ramstetter: “Those younger guys are going to pretty much wrestle up to their potential because Cody and Sonny are on the team.”
Pueblo South and Moffat County each return four state qualifiers.
Other returning 4A champions are sophomore Dale Shull (37-0) and junior Saul Guerrero, both from Fort Lupton.
Class 3A
Wide open? Depends on who you ask.
“I think it is,” Olathe coach Harvey Starbuck said. “Just looking around, Roosevelt should be tough, but after that it’s a big scramble.”
Said Roosevelt coach Mike Pallotto: “There are some good teams, but I don’t know if I would call it wide open.”
Here’s what we know:
* Defending champion Monte Vista lost three state champions to graduation, but still has three state placers.
* Second-place Roosevelt has 11 returning lettermen, seven who went to state. It also has a sophomore transfer from Oklahoma, Nick Urban.
* Third-place Burlington and 215-pound stud Brian Hendricks dropped to 2A, thus opening the door for the senior-laden Olathe Pirates.
* Only two state champions return: Olathe’s Bryson Gray (112) and St. Mary’s junior Ethan Martinez (119).
“There are a lot of variables,” Starbuck said.
The early favorite is Roosevelt. Seniors P.J. Gallegos and Tim Frank each finished second, and sophomores Dan Frank (fifth at 119) and Brandon Montoya (fifth at 140) will look to improve.
The RoughRiders finished 2006 with six freshmen in his starting lineup.
Patriot League foes Brush, Eaton, Platte Valley and University figure to be contenders. Brush returns three state placers, including senior Cody Cole (third at 112).
Olathe is the favorite out west, but Gunnison should be tough again. The Cowboys return three state placers.
Monte Vista’s impressive showing at state won’t be short-lived. The Intermountain League’s Pirates are young but experienced with juniors Justin Prieto (third at 125), Zach Trujillo (fifth at 112) and senior Zach Scholl (fifth at 145).
Class 2A
The smallest class presents the greatest potential at the Pepsi Center. First, Limon senior Kevin LeValley will look to join the select list of four-time state champions, after finishing No. 3 in style with a 17-1 technical fall victory in the final match of his 42-0 junior campaign.
Without question, the state’s best wrestler is Nucla senior Tucker Lane. However, visions of him meeting Hendricks are gone – Hendricks will remain at 215; Lane has bulked up and will be at heavyweight.
Meeker’s Joe LeBlanc and Merino’s Ross Brunkhardt both will be in search of title No. 3. It was LeBlanc (winner as a sophomore and junior) who ended Brunkhardt’s dream of being a four-timer last year by earning a 5-2 decision in the 152-pound championship match.
Also, Dove Creek’s Grant Hobbs (103), Antonito’s Daniel Espinoza (112) and Arrupe Jesuit’s Lance Gallegos will try to defend their titles.
The balance of power in 2A remains on the Western Slope, but unlike the recent past, Paonia and Meeker, the past two state champs, are not the favorites.
The San Juan League’s Dove Creek, Dolores (Dustin Weitzel, Drake Smith and Mikey Swigart) and Nucla (five state placers) will take turns beating up each other, something that could prepare each for a run at a state title.
Coach Shane Baughman’s Bulldogs are led by Hobbs and sophomore Colten Huskey, third at 119. Senior Denny Beanland, who missed all of last season, returns with seven state qualifiers.
Rocky Ford finished just 3.5 points behind Paonia last season, and despite the loss of four of its seven state placers, the Meloneers are a team that seems to be a perennial figure in the 2A mix since dropping down last season. Chris Sweizer, Jacob Jurney and Brock Freidenberger provide coach Mike Jurney a solid nucleus to build around in 2006-07.
– Compiled by Brian Forbes and Jon E. Yunt
* This story has been corrected. Because of a reporter’s error, this story initially reported the Ponderosa High School wrestling team is going after its fourth Class 5A team title in a row. Ponderosa has won the past four titles.
