One could use a lot of tags to sum up 189-pound Boulder senior Max Wessell. He’s the kid who spent his sophomore year traveling the globe for judo and wrestling, taking classes online. He’s fluent in Germany and has his own website, .
Just don’t call him the judo- wrestler guy, even if having a background in the discipline has made him the top-ranked wrestler in his weight and has him going to Lehigh University.
“I just didn’t want to be known as ‘the judo guy,’ really,” Wessell said. “I didn’t ever like it really when people would say that about me. I wanted to be a good wrestler, not a good judo-wrestler.”
Wessell (38-0) cruised into the quarterfinal round with a pin of Central of Grand Junction’s Jaron Sparks in 1 minute, 53 seconds.
Snider gets past early challenge.
Ponderosa 145-pound senior Jake Snider (38-1), who is the only wrestler in any classification vying for a fourth state title, withstood a feisty start from Lakewood junior Donovan Busnardo to build a 5-0 lead in the first.
Snider took control from the top position in the second period, rolling Busnardo for a pin at the 2:48 mark.
Returning champs move on.
All of the returning state champs in every class advanced to the second round.
In Class 5A, Chatfield’s 130-pound junior Tony Peña (41-1), a state champion last year at 4A Conifer and undefeated this season against 5A competition, went deep in his match against Northglenn junior Vance Feliciano. Peña labored in the first period, led just 2-0, then scored three more takedowns in the second to go up 8-2 entering the third. When Peña finally scored back points it was the end of things, as he stuck Feliciano with 25 seconds remaining.
Conifer 140-pound junior Travis Himmelman made short work of his first step toward a second state title. Himmelman flew at Pueblo East sophomore Lawrance Lucero for a double-leg takedown, and stuck him for a pin in 36 seconds.
In 4A, Lewis-Palmer senior Dan Barringer improved to 42-0 with a pin at 1:57 over Cheyenne Mountain sophomore Jeremy Grooms. Windsor’s Nathaniel Garcia (24-0) stayed perfect with a 21-4 technical fall victory over Matt Castellanos of Castle View.
Montrose senior Jordan Passehl moved to 40-0 with a pin at 3:57 over Mesa Ridge’s Alex Kazee.
Of the seven returning champs in Class 2A, four of them won via fall. Wiggins’ Kohl Knutson won by pin in 52 seconds.
Three female qualifiers lose.
Five girls have qualified for the state tournament, and three this season, all at Class 2A 103 pounds.
While no girl has won a match, two managed to score points in Thursday’s preliminaries, and all three will have opportunities today to advance through consolations.
Soroco’s Lauryn Bruggink lost a 9-2 decision, Byers’ Areil Oster dropped a 12-4 major decision and Meeker’s Cody Phau suffered a 15-0 technical fall. Bruggink is the only girl to qualify more than once. She made it in 2009 too.
Addington still perfect.
Florence’s Matt Addington protected two streaks when the Class 3A 160-pound senior pinned Holy Family’s King Medlin in 1 minute, 27 seconds. Of the nine returning 3A state champions, Addington (47-0) is the only one going for a third state title.
