“I just choked at state, that’s what I did.”
Denver East’s Maya Nelson, the only girl in the state wrestling tournament this year, said there are “no excuses” after losing in the Class 5A preliminaries Thursday at the Pepsi Center. She fell 5-2 at 120 pounds to Prairie View’s Keynan Davis, a familiar foe who controlled the match from start to finish.
It will be at least another year before Colorado has a female champion.
Nelson, in her second state appearance and accomplished on the amateur level, heads into Friday’s consolation rounds with hopes of placing, which would be a first. A year ago, she became the first girl to win a big-school match in advancing to the quarterfinals.
“(Davis) was ready and I wasn’t,” said Nelson, now 31-6 this season. “He’s a great contender and he deserves it.”
