The Finesilver name has been a staple at the Colorado state wrestling tournament for the past few years.
In 2014, twins Mitch and Zach capped off their prep careers winning state titles at 126 and 138 pounds, respectively. Now the two are wrestling at Duke University, and their younger brothers are tasked with carrying on the family tradition.
Cherry Creek’s Josh and Matt — also twins — are working to build upon their brothers’ foundation. The juniors have stepped out of their older siblings’ shadows and have established themselves as talented wrestlers in their own right.
“This is the first year in their high school career that their brothers are not there, and that has allowed them to step into a leadership role, to lead their team and not just be a part of their brothers’ team,” Cherry Creek coach Michael Luhring said. “It’s been fun to see them mature and take the reins.”
While Josh (46-5) won’t get a chance to go for the state title Saturday — he lost a 13-4 majority decision to Ponderosa’s Hunter Matney in a Class 5A 106-pound semifinal Friday night — he will have a chance to place for the first time in his career Saturday.
Matt (46-3), who jumped up to the 132-pound class this season, will have a chance for redemption after winning his semifinal match with a 12-1 majority decision over Arapahoe’s John Daniel. Matt finished runner-up at state at 113 pounds last year. He will face Pomona sophomore Jason Romero for the title.
“It’s always in the back of my head. I don’t want to make regrets, but I just try to learn from my mistakes,” he said.
Matt has not struggled with that 19-pound jump — rather he’s embraced it, saying, “In my household, it’s just a tradition to eat as much as we can.”
Said Luhring: “He grew a lot from 13s to 32s when really he could compete with the 38-pounders. He’s cutting a little bit of weight. He put on a little bit of weight. He’s having fun being a bigger guy.”
Friday proved to be fruitful for another set of twins. Holy Family seniors Julien and Joseph Prieto both advanced to the finals of the 3A 138- and 145-pound weight classes. For Matt and Josh, they’re taking the advice of another set of successful twins for Saturday’s matches.
“(Our brothers) just told us we prepared for this, we’ve seen bigger competition, just take it as another match,” Matt said.
Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or
