By late Saturday night, the little town of Paonia on the Western Slope hopes its high school wrestling team will have made a big impression.
As the state tournament begins Thursday, eyes will be fixed on 126-pound senior Jesse Reed as he tries to become the lone wrestler this season and just the 18th in Colorado’s history to win four wrestling state titles.
It’s a rare accomplishment indeed, but the team could accomplish something that has been done fewer times than that.
“The buzz (in town) is about the team,” Paonia coach Andy Pipher said. “The team is going for its fourth title in a row. That’s only been done nine times in the state of Colorado.”
If Paonia wins the Class 2A team title, it will be the first school to accomplish that feat since Ponderosa won seven straight in Class 5A from 2003-09.
The Paonia Eagles have 10 wrestlers in the tournament, including three returning state champions in Reed, junior Bo Pipher (138 pounds) and senior Zach Milner (160).
Bo could bring the Pipher family state title count up to seven with a win. His father, Andy, uncles Chuck and Clint and cousin Charlie all were state champions.
“We’re ready as we can be. Just go over there, wrestle one match at a time, have some fun and see what happens,” Andy Pipher said.
Reed, whose father, Bobby, was a two-time state champion in the late 1970s, admitted last year after capturing his third title that he was thinking about the four-peat.
Reed isn’t the only returning wrestler with multiple titles. Meeker junior T.J. Shelton and seniors Jareb Aziz of Centauri and Jacob Trujillo of Grand Junction Central are all going for their third straight. In total, there are 26 returning champions from 2014.
Arvada West, which won the 5A title last year, returns two state champions in seniors Payton Tawater (152) and Devin Rothrock (220).
In 4A, Pueblo County sophomore twins Grant and Hunter Willits are seeking their second state titles at 113 and 138 pounds, respectively.
Valley, which won its first-ever team state wrestling title last year in 3A, has two returning champions in Ruben Lucero (132) and Brendan Gonzales (160).
Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or
