FORT COLLINS — If anybody is the poster child for Greeley Central’s wrestling team, it’s Brice Wolf. The 171-pound senior has been the picture of perfection this year. Wolf, who had won 31 matches entering the 4A Region 1 tournament at Fossil Ridge, showed no signs of slowing up.
The only problem was that his opponent in Saturday’s championship final, Fossil Ridge’s Tom Eachus, did show signs of slowing down, thanks to an injured knee. The result was an anticlimactic forfeit victory for Wolf. Furthermore, the six points he won were enough to secure the Wildcats the team title.
Greeley Central won with 176 points. Berthoud finished second (168), followed by Windsor (147), Fossil Ridge (139.5) and Prairie View (136). The championship is the first in coach Eric Penfold’s tenure.
“We didn’t come in here, I didn’t come in here, thinking we were going to be in the race for a team title,” Penfold said. “We wrestled our butts off. Our kids beat kids they weren’t supposed to beat. We got a little lucky in some spots, but we’ll take that. We’ll take that every day.”
The Wildcats held a three-point lead entering the evening, but both Greeley Central and Berthoud had eight wrestlers competing. Neither team could find the momentum it needed.
A 17-3 decision for Jacob Atwood at 125 pounds over Windsor’s Austin Harris gave the Wildcats some breathing room, but Berthoud came back with Alex Sadlo’s pin at 130. Sadlo built an 8-2 lead before his opponent, Joe Maestas of Skyview, cut it to 8-7. Feeling motivated not only to score points for his team but to win for his older brother, Graeden, who couldn’t wrestle at 125 after having knee surgery Wednesday, Sadlo scored the pin and regional title.
“I knew I had to get a pin for our team. I was just going to ride it out, but I knew I needed to get these points,” Sadlo said.
The loss was the first in 14 matches this season for Maestas.
Berthoud got seven more points with consolation victories at 140 (Brandyn Wahlert) and 160 (Nick Henderson), but Wolf’s forfeit victory at 171 all but sewed up Greeley Central’s team trophy. The Wildcats also took third at 152, by Dylan Contreras.
As for Wolf, his goal was to win at regionals and earn a top seed at the state tournament. He won regionals, but not the way he would have liked.
“I would have (liked to wrestle for the title). It would’ve been my choice,” he said.
