Of the 14 weight classes decided at the 2016 Class 5A state wrestling tournament, just four of the classification’s championships were won by seniors.
It’s going to be more of the same faces — and the same powerhouse teams — who will headline the Class 5A season and eventually star at the state tournament Feb. 16-18 at the Pepsi Center.
In the race for the team title, defending champion Pomona is favored. The Panthers graduated just one of their eight place-winners from last winter and feature sophomore Theorius Robison, last season’s champion at 126 pounds, in addition to senior Jason Romero (runner-up at 145) and senior Cameron Gonzales (runner-up at 170), among others. Gonzales recently underwent ankle surgery after an injury sustained in the 5A football semifinal but might be back in time for regionals.
“All those placers from last season would also like to achieve the goal of being a state champion,” Pomona coach Sam Federico said. “Our key to success this season is going to be hard work.”
But the other usual suspects — minus Pine Creek, which finished fourth as a team and had three individual champions last year but moved down to 4A this season — are also well-equipped to dethrone Pomona.
Poudre, which tied a program-best finish with a second-place showing last season, is headlined by a two-time state champion in junior Jacob Greenwood. His sophomore brother, Job Greenwood, took fourth at 120 last year and is joined by Weston Mayer (220), David Bekkedahl (145) and Brody Lamb (113).
“The biggest key for us is not only guys getting to the state tournament but advancing and placing,” Poudre coach Barrett Goyer said. “And last year, the reason we took second was because a lot of the bonus points we got — guys didn’t just win matches, but they were getting major decisions and tech falls, and that really helped us in the standings.”
Ponderosa is also dangerous, as the Mustangs took third last season and is shooting for its 11th championship. Sophomore Cohl Schultz is Ponderosa’s leader after capturing the 220-pound title last year, when he went 51-1, did not lose a match in Colorado and pinned every one of his state tournament opponents in the first round.
“Cohl’s goal is always a state championship, and it’s also now about him setting the example for the right way to go about things in the wrestling room,” Ponderosa coach Corey McNellis said. “He did lose one time last year out of state at the Ironman in Ohio, so one of his big goals for this season is definitely to win that, win the rest of the out-of-state tournaments we go to and then come home to Colorado and win another state title.”
Although the Mustangs will be without the talents of Hunter Matney this season — the senior is out for the year after a serious arm injury caused by a miter-saw accident — other contributors such as Mosha Schwartz (fourth at 106 last year), Parker Benekas (fourth at 126), Jayden Woodruff (fourth at 145) and heavyweight Darby Johnson all have the capability to earn big points at state.
Outside of the top three favorites, Grandview, Cherokee Trail, Grand Junction and Legacy will also be competitive. Grandview is on an upward trajectory under head coach and alum Ryan Budd; Cherokee Trail brings back state qualifiers in senior Max Gonzales (runner-up at 220 last year), senior Zeke Silva (fourth at 182) and sophomore David Rivera (sixth at 126); and both Grand Junction and Legacy return enough talent to be in the mix at state.
“We try to build every year by increasing our opportunities in the off-season and by getting kids to buy into the program at a young age,” Cherokee Trail coach Jeff Buck said. “We’re seeing more kids coming up through our youth program, and lots of local programs are doing that. Because even with the success we had last year, we can’t just be satisfied with just going downtown. We want to be satisfied with standing on top of the podium.”
Other returning individual state champions to keep an eye on include Lakewood junior Gabriel Dinette, Castle View junior Malik Heinselman, Grand Junction junior Josiah Rider and Mountain Vista senior Trenton Schultz.
