GREELEY — Kyle Pollock has his own thoughts on Pac-10 expansion. The Wiggins heavyweight wrestler is going to attend Stanford, after all.
“I was thinking of that, actually,” Pollock said. “(Colorado) doesn’t have a wrestling program, but I was wondering about where Oklahoma and Oklahoma State are going to be. They have some top-notch wrestling programs there. That will make it tough on our region.”
Before he could worry about Pac-10 expansion and move on to the next chapter of his life, Pollock had another high school match to wrestle.
One of four Wiggins seniors on the Blue team, Pollock scored a 9-1 major decision over Mountain Range’s Alex Mackenzie on Saturday at the Colorado High School Coaches Association’s 54th annual All-State Games.
His win and a victory from Wiggins’ Kohl Knutson at 171 pounds helped the Blue team defeat the Red team 29-14 at Butler-Hancock Sports Pavilion.
Chaparral’s Kurtis Nelson (119 and 130 pounds) and Kris Nieto of Olathe (135 and 140) pulled double duty and produced four of the Blue’s seven victories.
At 119, Nelson pinned Rocky Ford’s Ricky Long in 3 minutes, 8 seconds. At 130, Nelson won an 11-3 major decision over Mountain Range’s Cameron Apodaca.
“I felt pretty good,” Nelson said. “I’ve been working out, keeping my cardio up. I knew this was coming soon, so (Friday) and the day before I just got myself mentally ready. It’s a little bit of a jump, but last year I wrestled at 130, so I’m used to the weight.”
Nobody may have felt more familiar with Saturday’s surroundings than the Wiggins wrestlers, including 160-pounder Aaron Erker and 215-pounder Tyler Davis.
“It’s fun. It’s the last time we’ll ever be together. All these guys are seniors,” said Knutson, who will wrestle for Colorado Mines in college. “These are my best friends since way back when we started wrestling.”
BLUE 29, RED 14
119 pounds: Kurtis Nelson, Chaparral (Blue) p. Ricky Long, Rocky Ford (Red), 3:08
135: Kris Nieto, Olathe (Blue) p. Hunter Pinon, Heritage (Red), 2:07
152: Steven Kelly, Ponderosa (Red) major dec. Aaron Erker, Wiggins (Blue), 10-1
171: Kohl Knutson, Wiggins (Blue) dec. Bryce Dunkelberger, Mountain Range (Red), 5-1
215: Derek Good, Ponderosa (Red) p. Tyler Davis, Wiggins (Blue), 1:11
285: Kyle Pollock, Wiggins (Blue) major dec. Alex Mackenzie, Mountain Range (Red), 9-1
130: Kurtis Nelson, Chaparral (Blue) major dec. Cameron Apodaca, Mountain Range (Red), 11-3
140: Kris Nieto, Olathe (Blue) dec. Michael Miller, Heritage (Red), 5-1
160: Caleb Wyatt, Hotchkiss (Red) major dec. Aaron Erker, Wiggins (Blue), 10-1
215: Joey Schoenberger, Fountain-Fort Carson (Blue) dec. Derek Good, Ponderosa (Red), 7-4
