Mike Thompson doesn’t oppose thinking the unthinkable. After recently watching a day of upset-filled college football, Legacy coach Thompson couldn’t help but wonder if that kind of chaos could find its way into Class 5A wrestling.
That’s just the reality these days for every program not located on the south side of Parker.
Which is where, under the guidance of coach Tim Ottmann, Ponderosa will be after its sixth consecutive team title this season. With that kind of tradition and another stable of strong wrestlers, the Mustangs remain the class of the state and the standard against which all others’ success will be measured.
And what’s so special about a sixth? That would match the state mark for consecutive team titles set by North from 1944-49.
Doesn’t Ponderosa’s dominance have to end — or at least wane — sometime?
Legacy jumped into the fray last season as the Lightning scored 100-1/2 points to place second. The Lightning returns eight state qualifiers this season, including state placers in 112-pound junior Chris Wessel and 130- or 135-pound senior Vince Gallegos.
“We got a good group of young kids coming in,” Thompson said. “I would expect us to have more placers this year and hopefully be a little more of a thorn for Ponderosa.”
Legacy also has experience at the upper weights in Shawn and Dustin Jenkins. Shawn made the 215-pound bracket last season as a freshman, and Dustin competed in the heavyweight division. Both went 0-2 at the Pepsi Center.
“Last year, he was a freshman with the strength of a junior,” Thompson said of Shawn Jenkins. “Shawn is coming in as a sophomore, and he’s going to be able to push kids around.”
Grand Junction’s Robert Tucker heads up any discussion of the upper weights. Tucker, a senior, went 42-3 last season en route to winning the 215-pound weight class with a 7-2 decision over Ponderosa junior Jake Ottmann.
Ottmann returns for the Mustangs, as does returning 145-pound champion Jake Snider, a sophomore. The Mustangs also bring back two-time state placers in juniors Daniel Kelly and Zeke Hofer. Stephone Kling placed fifth last season at 140, and he should wrestle at 152 this season. Senior Taylor Stam returns at the heavyweight classification.
Northglenn, which finished ninth last season, returns three state qualifiers, including defending champion Philip Grout and finalist Jacob Terada.
Grout, a junior, went 40-2 last season and won the 112-pound weight class after placing third in 2006 in the 103 division. Terada, a senior, was pinned in the 171-pound title match last season by Coronado standout Micah Burak. Senior Ryan Bratton won his first state match at 140 pounds last season before dropping into the consolation bracket.
Loveland’s Tyler Graff (130 pounds) is looking for his fourth individual title, and Pomona senior Nick Jones returns after winning the 119-pound title last season.
CLASS 4A
Another Yohn places Alamosa as favorite
Cody Yohn’s wrestling career continues to know just one direction: forward.
“It’s just an incremental thing, and he wrestles a lot,” longtime Alamosa coach Gary Ramstetter said of Yohn’s improvement. “I don’t see any major jumps. It’s incremental, and it’s always up.”
Look for Yohn to occupy the 171-pound weight class this season as he goes after his third individual state title before embarking on a collegiate career at Minnesota, where he will be a teammate of older brother Sonny.
Cody Yohn placed second this year at the junior nationals and heads up Alamosa, which has won the past two state team titles.
The Mean Moose also return senior Jesse Meis, state champion last season at 103.
Northridge should be in the mix of top teams after scoring 125-1/2 points last season to place second. Defending heavyweight champion and senior Tim Saucedo anchors the Grizzlies, who also return second-place finishers Patrick Gomez (171 pounds) and Justin Gonzales (145) and fifth-place finishers Drake Huggans (160), Derek Vasquez (152) and Easton Ramirez (140).
Broomfield can boast its own loaded stable with one returning state champion, four additional state placers and another three state qualifiers. Senior Cory Casady championed the 140-pound weight class and will anchor a group of placers that includes Jerry Huff, Ryan Trujillo, Eric Mortensen and Nick Zissimos.
Pueblo West, fourth a year ago after placing five wrestlers at state, returns four of those wrestlers and five additional state qualifiers. The Cyclones have high expectations for upper-weight standouts Mike Ross and Tony “Tiger” Chavarria.
After losing to Moffat County senior and eventual runner-up Nick Navaratil, Chavarria went on to win the consolation bracket of the 189-pound weight class. Ross lost an 11-2 major decision in the 171-pound final to Greeley Central’s Brice Wolf.
Wolf, a junior who finished 42-2 last season and placed fifth as a 145-pound freshman, heads up a Wildcats squad that includes returning state champion and senior Scott Schaeffer. Schaeffer finished 41-5 last year.
Fort Lupton, ninth overall last season, is aiming for a top-five finish behind senior Saul Guerrero, who should wrestle at 135 after winning the 130s last season with a 5-2 decision over Samuel Soto of Fort Morgan.
Fort Morgan should be in the top mix, and coaches down south are wary of a Pueblo County program.
Dale Shull, runner-up last year at 112 and state champion in 2006, also returns for the Blue Devils and should wrestle at the 130-pound weight class for his senior season. Fort Lupton also returns state qualifiers in juniors Fabian Guerrero (215 pounds this season) and Angelo Giron (160).
CLASS 3A
Florence welcomes rare early strong start
Forgive Florence wrestling coach Bob Masse if he is a little giddy about the start of the season this weekend.
“It’s the first time in I can’t tell you how long that we’ll have everybody on the mat for the first weekend,” he said.
In the football-happy town of Florence, the Huskies bowed out of the state playoffs early, giving Masse an extra few weeks to get his team in wrestling shape. But it’s not those extra weeks in November that are going to make the difference. It’s the countless hours his team has put in since the end of the last season that could prove to be the difference.
Masse had nine wrestlers place last season en route to a third-place finish, and six of those (Andrew Addington, Nate Halpin, Tony Magno, Scott Campbell, Jon Medley and Tanner Wilcox) return in search of the Huskies’ first state wrestling title. With kids wrestling in the offseason in Delaware and Nebraska in addition to scores more coming in and spending countless hours in the weight room, Masse is hopeful it all pays off.
“It’s kind of like football; the little things like that really pay off at state,” said Masse, who has 42 kids in his wrestling room.
If the Huskies are going to break through, they are going to have to go through perennial power Roosevelt to get it done. Roosevelt, like Florence, brings back 10 state qualifiers and six placers, including 125-pound defending champion Dan Frank.
Defending champion Brush was impressive in its run to the state title last season, but the Beetdiggers will have their work cut out if they hope to repeat. After crowning four state champions and placing five more, coach Dave Uhrig brings back just two placers in Cole Kimble (140 pounds) and Daniel Rubalcaba (189).
“We’re off and running whether we’re ready or not,” Uhrig said.
The list of returning state champions in Class 3A is longer than it was a season ago, from just two up to five. Gabrian Martinez of St. Mary’s (103), Frank, Centauri’s Mitchell Polkowske (135), Platte Valley’s David Clark (189) and Highland’s Austin Kinnison (heavyweight).
CLASS 2A
Wiggins gets back among top contenders
They’re back.
The Wiggins Tigers really never went anywhere, but the state’s premier small school wrestling factory in the early half of this decade has its best team in years and is primed for its first title since winning its fourth straight in 2002.
After the state’s smallest classification enjoyed its most decorated season of individuals in years (notably four-time champion Kevin LeValley of Limon, Nucla’s Tucker Lane and Meeker’s Joe LeBlanc), the attention this year goes back to what could be a very tight team race.
Wiggins finished 10th last season, but the Tigers return their entire lineup. Just two Tigers placed, heavyweight Kyle Pollock (third) and 189-pounder Israel Garay (fifth), but third-year Wiggins coach Dave Croissant is hopeful.
“We even added quality freshmen,” he said.
Newcomer Buddy Watson (103 pounds) was a perfect 18-0 last year in junior high.
Defending team champion Dove Creek returns just two of its seven placers, Colton Huskey (135) and Braiden Banks (215), and will have its work cut out to defend.
Rocky Ford also had seven placers, but the Meloneers are a little more fortunate and figure to be in the mix with four returning. David Garcia, Steven Herrera, Roy Farris and Matt Harmon give coach Mike Jurney a solid nucleus in the middle of his lineup. Filling in the holes will be crucial.
The third team that figures to be in the mix is Paonia. The Eagles, who carried the flag for two seasons after ending Wiggins’ reign, will look to Mark Bejarano, Devon Brown and John Hinton to carry them back to the top of the mountain.
Just three state champions return to the mat this season and two of those could be three-timers when all is said and done in 2009. Juniors Hugh Hardman of Norwood and Stryker Lane, Tucker’s little brother, of Nucla went a combined 74-4 last season on the wrestling-rich Western Slope. Wray’s 103-pound champion, Drew Ritchey, is the other returning champion.
