“What’s the offseason schedule like?” the Sand Creek High wrestling coach was asked Friday morning, as the mats at Ball Arena began to bustle again.

“There is no offseason,” Betterman said.

This weekend, three wrestlers from Sand Creek High, a public school in Colorado Springs, advanced to or beyond the girls’ 4A semifinals of the Colorado state wrestling championships at Ball. All three wrestle for a girls’ program in its very first season of existence. All three, improbably, are freshmen: Peggy Dean (100 pounds), Stella Isensee (105 pounds), and Karris Carter (130 pounds). All three came by way of the Betterman Elite Wrestling Club, a youth academy in Colorado Springs run by Betterman’s husband Joe, a former Team USA wrestler.

Sand Creek wrestlers only actually attend classes in person on Monday and Wednesday during the school year, Betterman said. On Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, they arrive at the Betterman Elite gym at 8 a.m., practice from 9-11, shower, eat lunch, do online classes, and then have a second training session at 4:30 p.m. They take roughly one month off from this schedule in August. Last spring, the academy sent Dean and others — then in eighth grade — to Tallin, Estonia, for the largest wrestling tournament in Europe.

Dean won a gold medal.

“When we’re looking at the big goals, we’re looking at the Olympics for Peggy Dean, Karris Carter, all those girls,” Betterman said. “So these are just little stepping stones we’re hitting. We don’t put a lot of pressure on winning state titles and these little things.

“Those little things just happen, when you have those high expectations, and those high goals.”

Youth movement

Sand Creek’s triumvirate of prodigies is just a microcosm, truly, of a wide array of younger contenders at the 2026 state wrestling championships this weekend. Eleven different freshmen wrestlers advanced to the semifinals at Ball Arena in the 5A boys’ and girls’ brackets alone.

It’s indicative of a larger trend in Colorado and beyond. To be a powerhouse wrestling program, schools “have to have a feeder program,” as Betterman said — a youth club in the area that can pipe in young talent ready to reach a state stage from Day 1.

“Back in my day, it was the local tournaments,” said 37-year-old Pueblo East head coach Tyler Lundquist. “Now the guys are in bigger buildings than this from 5 years old, until they’re in high school. So the show’s not too big for them, most of these guys.”

Take Air Academy freshman Dylan Saba, a young man whose father wrestled and whose mother, Hillary Wolf Saba, was a two-time Olympian and whose brother Michael is committed to NC State for wrestling. Earlier this season, as Air Academy coach Brandon Lucero recounted, Saba was matched up with reigning 4A 106-pound state champion Tristan Pino, of the Sand Creek High boys’ team.

“This is a normal match for me,” Saba told Lucero, as Lucero recalled. “This is normal.”

Saba, Lucero said, pinned Pino in the second period of the match.

“I take every guy the same. Doesn’t matter … I just trust myself, and I know I’m good enough to beat, I think, anyone in the country,” Saba said Friday.

This extended to state, where Saba has been cutting down from 126 pounds to 120 pounds in preparation since January. This was not a strategy to avoid a more difficult matchup; instead, Saba and Lucero were running directly towards two-time state champion Drake VomBaur of Severance. The goal? Try and beat the toughest possible draw to set Saba up to four-peat at state championships throughout his high school career, a feat only accomplished by 34 wrestlers in Colorado prep history.

“If we get this one, I think he’s going to be pretty tough to stop,” Lucero said. “Which is why we kinda hit the toughest kid (in VomBaur), I could say, could be pound-for-pound in the tournament — to go kinda push that and see if we could do it.”

Saba has a wrestling mat in his basement, and started when he was 4. He is a unicorn at Air Academy, which does not have a traditional feeder youth club. It’s “tough,” as coach Lucero said, to compete with programs in Colorado that do. So from August until November, Lucero drove his wrestlers every day, 45 minutes up I-25 to train at Black Fox Academy, which feeds talent to 5A powerhouse Ponderosa High School.

‘There is no offseason’

It’s become impossible to become a wrestling power in Colorado and beyond, Lucero said, if programs don’t train year-round. Especially if they don’t have a relationship with a youth club.

“It’s making me old fast,” Lucero said. “It����ap taken a lot of life out of me, because you’ve gotta turn around really fast, and get kids good quickly.”

At Pueblo East — the favorite in the boys’ 4A bracket — Lundquist holds sessions four days a week in all seasons of the year. They will practice again on Monday, just two days after the state finals. This is a race for advancement, and a race to keep up. And Lundquist has a self-described “blue-chip” talent in freshman Uriah Duran, whose father runs one of the “bigger youth clubs in Pueblo,” Lundquist said.

Duran advanced to the boys’ 4A 113-pound finals after beating Severance sophomore Tatum Garcia 10-0 by major decision Saturday. The freshman is an instinctual wrestler, Lundquist said, who doesn’t need much coaching beyond managing clock and cautions.

“It����ap very rare that you see a guy — let����ap say, 132 pounds and up as a freshman — having high success,” Lundquist said. “But these smaller-weight guys, right, I mean, their athleticism and their savvy, it just seems to get better and better and better and better.”

Freshman success in heavier-weight classes became less rare this weekend in Colorado, though, as Pomona’s Donovan Symalla toppled Grandview senior Jonathan Montes Gonzalez 4-1 to advance to the final of the boys’ 5A 157-pound class. Symalla began wrestling at the Pomona Wrestling Club, a direct feeder for Pomona’s program, when he was 8. He’s “worn a Pomona singlet forever,” as head coach Sam Federico said.

“I don’t know if he’s going to win this tournament,” Federico said earlier Friday, of Symalla. “He’s got some seniors that are in the semifinal that are really good … I mean, at this point, they’re good, and they’re men.

“And Donovan doesn’t drive a car yet, you know what I mean?”

He did not need a license, however, to beat Gonzalez on Friday night. And Federico anticipates freshmen in Colorado are only going to get “tougher and tougher” as years pass and youth feeders grow, a sentiment shared by a host of coaches in the area.

“The level of wrestling, it doesn’t stop,” Betterman said. “It keeps elevating every year, because of programs like this.”

Air Academy freshman Saba wants to four-peat. Lundquist thinks Pueblo East freshman Duran can four-peat. Sand Creek High athletic director Mario Romero thinks the girls’ program can challenge for a state title in two years, once they import more talent from Betterman Elite.

The only thing that might be standing in the way of this youth movement, ultimately, is the youth underneath them.

“I can definitely sense it,” Dean said, after advancing to the girls’ 4A 100-pound final Friday.

“I obviously want the younger people to become better than me, and the people younger than them to become better than them. The competition, and the levels, are definitely rising.”

No. 8 Pine Creek (5-3) vs. Regis Jesuit (4-4)

When/where: 6:30 p.m. Friday at Kellogg Stadium

Last meeting: Pine Creek 28, vs. Valor Christian 14, Oct. 26, 2024

Streaming/Radio: , 92.5 FM

Regis Jesuit gets another shot at a statement win with Pine Creek coming to Aurora. Three of the Raiders’ four losses have come against teams currently ranked in the Post Preps Top 10, and the other was to an out-of-state power. Now they’ve got Pine Creek and No. 5 Legend to close out the regular season and are sitting on the edge of getting to host a first-round game in the 5A state playoffs. Pine Creek’s three losses are also to current Post Preps Top 10 teams, and the Eagles have work to do in order to vault back into the top 8 of the CHSAA seeding index and earn a first-round bye.

Grandview (4-4) vs. Eaglecrest (6-2)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Legacy Stadium

Last meeting: Grandview 38, vs. Eaglecrest 15, Oct. 25, 2024

Streaming:

Eaglecrest may not be in the Post Preps Top 10, but the Raptors are No. 7 in the ranking system that matters most — the CHSAA seeding index. That means the Raptors have a shot at earning a first-round bye in the 5A state playoffs if they manage to win out. Easier said than done, of course, with Grandview and Arapahoe on the docket the last two weeks. Grandview is smarting after a 14-7 loss to Cherokee Trail and could use another win if it wants to host a first-round playoff game — especially with Cherry Creek looming in Week 10.

CLASS 4A

Frederick (6-2) vs. Monarch (6-2)

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at Spangenberg Field

Last meeting: Monarch 21, at Frederick 20, Oct. 25, 2024

Streaming:

A league title will be on the line for the second straight year when Frederick and Monarch meet in Lafayette. The Coyotes won the last meeting and are 4-1 over their last five games with Malakhi Payne, uh, bringing the pain with 798 yards and 11 TDs rushing. The junior RB will need to produce more of that to trade haymakers with Frederick’s explosive offense. Matt Loyd’s Golden Eagles are averaging 39.5 points per game over their current six-game win streak, with the senior combination of QB Preston Kissinger (1,406 yards, 15 TDs on 79.2% passing) and SB Sonny Delpizzo (1,637 total yards) doing much of the damage.

Bear Creek (6-2) vs. Ponderosa (5-3)

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at EchoPark Stadium

Last meeting: Ponderosa 41, at Bear Creek 0, Oct. 25, 2024

Streaming:

Ponderosa finds itself back in the 4A mix after posting back-to-back shutouts of Highlands Ranch and Golden. Jaron Cohen’s Mustangs have risen all the way to No. 11 in the latest CHSAA seeding index and could climb higher with a win over Bear Creek. The Bears are trying to get right after losing two straight to Golden and Heritage, the last a 35-21 setback that saw Heritage pull away with a 21-point third quarter. Tom Thennel has turned things around in his return to Lakewood, but the Bears’ hopes of hosting a state playoff game may rest on winning this one.

No. 1 Dakota Ridge (8-0) vs. Golden (6-2)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Marv Kay Stadium

Last meeting: Dakota Ridge 47, vs. Golden 21, Oct. 25, 2024

Dakota Ridge and Golden head to the Colorado School of Mines campus to renew a series that’s gone the Eagles’ way seven of the last nine years. Dakota Ridge is chasing its third unbeaten regular season in the last six seasons, and has looked invulnerable through eight weeks. The Eagles have beaten all eight of their opponents by double-digit margins, getting touchdowns from their defense and special teams with regularity. With Golden coming off a shutout loss to Ponderosa, the Demons must turn things around quickly.

Cheyenne Mountain (7-1) vs. Grand Junction (6-2)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Stocker Stadium

Last meeting: Grand Junction 32, at Cheyenne Mountain 15, Oct. 25, 2024

Streaming:

Nobody has been able to stop the Cheyenne Mountain offense through eight weeks. Even in their lone loss of the season, the Red-Tailed Hawks managed to put 45 points and 350 rushing yards against No. 8 Sand Creek. The bigger challenge will be stopping a Grand Junction attack that’s dangerous in its own right. The Tigers have scored 138 total points since a shutout loss vs. No. 5 Durango, with senior RB Matthais Martinez-Santana averaging 10.7 yards per carry over that period. First to 40 wins?

No. 4 Broomfield (7-1) vs. No. 6 Riverdale Ridge (8-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Riverdale Ridge Stadium

Last meeting: Broomfield 22, vs. Riverdale Ridge 13, Oct. 25, 2024

Streaming:

Is Riverdale Ridge ready to join 4A’s elite? The Ravens have feasted on a schedule that, through eight weeks, includes nary a team with a winning record. The combined record of their eight opponents: 11-52. Now, the Ravens get a chance to prove they’re ready for prime time with the reigning 4A champion Broomfield Eagles coming to Thornton. Riverdale Ridge has shut out three opponents this season and is giving up an average of just 5.6 points per game. Do that against the high-powered Eagles (40.0 points per game), and the rest of 4A will take notice.

CLASS 3A

No. 6 Lutheran (5-2) vs. No. 3 Holy Family (6-1)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Mike G. Gabriel Stadium

Last meeting: Lutheran 42, vs. Holy Family 35, Oct. 25, 2024

They sit on opposite ends of the Denver metro, but Lutheran and Holy Family have created one of 3A’s better football rivalries in recent years. The two programs have met five times since 2020, with Holy Family holding a 3-2 edge, including a 3A championship game win in 2023. Now they meet with a league championship likely up for grabs, with both teams coming off back-to-back shutout victories. Holy Family has a pair of big-game wins over Mead and Roosevelt on its resume. Lutheran needs one of its own to climb into the top eight of the CHSAA seeding index.

No. 5 Mountain Vista (5-0) vs. No. 4 Valor Christian (4-1)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Valor Stadium

Last meeting: Mountain Vista 62, vs. Valor Christian 21, Oct. 4, 2024

Radio: 92.5 FM, Altitude Radio

A year ago, Mountain Vista blasted Valor Christian for its first win against the 5A juggernaut in nine tries. No doubt, Valor has had this game circled ever since. With junior quarterback Marquise Reese taking over this fall, Vista has shown it has staying power. But knocking off Valor two years in a row is a tall order. The Eagles are coming off a stunning 38-14 loss at No. 2 Ralston Valley that saw them get shut out in the second half. If Valor wasn’t already focused on revenge, that result surely got its attention.

No. 8 Pine Creek (3-2) vs. No. 6 Legend (4-1)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at EchoPark Stadium

Last meeting: Legend 24, at Pine Creek 7, Oct. 5, 2024

Streaming:

Legend and Pine Creek finished 1-2 in the 5A Southern League standings a year ago. Whoever wins this one will be in the driver’s seat after the first week of league play. Legend rebounded well from an overtime loss to No. 3 Arvada West, routing Castle View, 55-13, last week. The Titans offense is as explosive as any with Boston College commit DJ Bordeaux (1,406 total yards) taking snaps. Pine Creek had trouble stopping top-ranked Cherry Creek a week ago. More troubling, the Eagles were shut out for the first time in the MaxPreps era (since 2004).

No. 9 Grandview (3-2) vs. Arapahoe (2-3)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at LPS Stadium

Last meeting: Arapahoe 25, at Grandview 13, Oct. 4, 2024

Streaming:

Who will be the team to challenge Cherry Creek atop the Centennial League? The winner of this game has finished either tied for first or second in the standings each of the past four years. Grandview is battle-tested, with its two losses coming to No. 2 Ralston Valley and No. 6 Legend. The Wolves outscored their last two opponents 81-10 following those setbacks, with RB Chris Blanks running for 240 yards combined. Arapahoe has won three straight in this series, but is 0-2 against ranked 5A opponents.

CLASS 4A

Heritage (3-2) vs. No. 7 Golden (5-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at NAAC Stadium

Last meeting: Heritage 28, vs. Golden 7, Oct. 3, 2024

Streaming:

Are the Golden Demons for real? This test against a talented Heritage Eagles squad should reveal a lot. While Golden enters the matchup unbeaten, the Demons’ five opponents have a combined record of 2-25. Heritage hasn’t lost to a 4A opponent, with its two losses coming to Littleton rivals Arapahoe and Columbine. The quarterback matchup between Heritage senior Jamison Seese (1,443 total yards) and Golden junior Thatcher Matthews (1,128) should be a good one.

Ponderosa (3-2) vs. No. 1 Dakota Ridge (5-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at Jeffco Stadium

Last meeting: Dakota Ridge 14, vs. Ponderosa 0, Nov. 22, 2024

Streaming:

The top-ranked Eagles looked every bit the 4A title contender through a nonleague gauntlet that included wins over two 5A teams (Chatfield and Cherokee Trail), a top-10 3A team (Pomona) and an out-of-state squad. Now comes a rugged 4A South Metro League schedule against teams with a combined 20-5 record. While Ponderosa accounts for two of those losses, the Mustangs just beat Falcon and 5A Chaparral by an 83-43 margin. Junior QB Noah Anacleto threw for 651 yards and 10 TDs in those wins. With three receivers (Blake Katsoff, Derek Niday, Troy WcWhorter) already over 300 yards this season, he’s got weapons.

Bear Creek (5-0) vs. Highlands Ranch (4-1)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Halftime Help Stadium

Last meeting: Highlands Ranch 43, at Bear Creek 20, Oct. 4, 2024

Streaming:

Speaking of the 4A South Metro League, Bear Creek and Highlands Ranch meet in a clash of rising 4A powers that could have a big impact on playoff seeding down the line. Bear Creek blew out every team it faced in a breezy nonleague schedule (5-20 combined record) behind prolific junior QB Riley Wilson (1,284 yards, 16 TDs passing). Now, the Bears are 5-0 for the first time in 20 years and looking to avenge last year’s loss to Highlands Ranch. The Falcons, 4-1 for the second straight season, are fitting in nicely at the 4A level. Considering who’s left on the schedule, a win here would be big.

CLASS 3A

No. 6 Holy Family (3-1) vs. No. 2 Mead (4-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Mead HS

Last meeting: Mead 22, at Holy Family 15, Oct. 4, 2024

Good luck getting into the end zone vs. Mead. Only two have done so through four games, and both of those TDs came in the second half of blowouts. The degree of difficulty goes up a notch this week, however, with the Mavs welcoming Holy Family to Longmont for both teams’ nonleague finale. Holy Family is coming off a stunning 35-14 loss at Pueblo East. Prior to that, the Tigers had been averaging 39.0 points per game. Cut down on the turnovers — Pueblo East had four takeaways last week — and these Tigers are dangerous.

No. 10 Eagle Valley (6-0) vs. Steamboat Springs (4-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Gardner Field

Last meeting: Eagle Valley 49, vs. Steamboat Springs 14, Oct. 4, 2024

There is only one matchup of unbeatens in the entire state Friday night, and shockingly enough, it’s happening in Steamboat Springs. While Steamboat Springs is chasing its first 5-0 start to a season in 16 years, Eagle Valley has already matched the program’s highest win total in 10 years. Eagle Valley senior Keaden Lake (773 all-purpose yards, 16 TDs) is a touchdown waiting to happen. A sturdy Steamboat Springs defense (7.25 points allowed per game), led by ball-hawking safety Luke Jordan (6 INTs), awaits.

Cherokee Trail (1-1) vs. No. 5 Mountain Vista (3-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at Halftime Help Stadium

Last meeting: Mountain Vista 42, at Cherokee Trail 0, Sept. 13, 2024

Streaming:

A week after taking down ThunderRidge, Cherokee Trail can make an even bigger statement against another Highlands Ranch program. Senior Logan Posey has been a man possessed through two games, running for 352 yards and four TDs on 37 carries, including 115 yards in a loss to Pine Creek in Week 1. The Cougars will need more of that if they want to keep the ball away from Mountain Vista’s explosive offense.

Skyridge-Utah (4-0) vs. No. 1 Cherry Creek (3-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Stutler Bowl

Last meeting: Skyridge 24, vs. Cherry Creek 14, Aug. 30, 2024

Streaming:

Could the Cherry Creek Bruins actually be … underdogs? With the Skyridge Falcons, , coming to Greenwood Village, that might be the case. The Lehi, Utah, program is 90-18 since 2017, with four state title game appearances and one state championship. The Falcons beat Cherry Creek a year ago and are led by an FBS recruit at quarterback in dual-threat Kaneal Sweetwyne. One thing is for certain: Creek’s defense will be put to the test.

No. 3 Ralston Valley (2-0) vs. Mullen (1-1)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at De La Salle Stadium

Last meeting: Ralston Valley 27, vs. Mullen 0, Sept. 13, 2024

Is Mullen football back? The Mustangs hung with California power Crean Lutheran for three quarters in their season opener, then beat Castle View 30-13 a week later behind a salty defensive effort. Mullen now embarks on a three-week gauntlet that starts with Ralston Valley’s visit and is followed by a trip to Valor Christian and a home meeting with Regis Jesuit. RV has scored 76 points through two weeks, with senior quarterback Zeke Andrews (649 total yards, 8 TDs) picking up right where he left off in 2024.

Loveland (2-1) vs. No. 7 Pine Creek (1-1)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at D20 Stadium South

Last meeting: Pine Creek 41, at Loveland 14, Sept. 13, 2024

The Loveland team that lost its season opener to Pueblo West is not the same one heading south this week. The Red Wolves were missing multiple starters in that 17-7 setback. Since then, they’ve beaten 5A Fossil Ridge and 3A Mountain View, the latter by a score of 72-0. Junior QB Jackson Gebhardt started both Loveland wins and threw for 435 yards and three TDs combined. A rested and sturdy Pine Creek defense awaits after a bye, with junior RB Xavier Lukes coming off a 213-yard outburst.

No. 4 Legend (3-0) vs. No. 6 Arvada West (3-0)

When/where: 7:30 p.m. Friday at Jeffco Stadium

Last meeting: Arvada West 25, vs. Legend 7, Nov. 2, 2018

Streaming:

Fresh off a 34-33 escape at Fairview, the Arvada West Wildcats welcome Boston College quarterback commit DJ Bordeaux and the Legend Titans to Jeffco Stadium. Bordeaux has 806 total yards and 13 TDs (10 passing, 3 rushing) through three weeks, while the Legend defense has posted two shutouts and seven takeaways. A-West has an explosive offense as well, with Navy running back commit Adrian Symalla averaging 121 rushing yards per game. But can the Wildcats keep up with the Titans?

CLASS 4A

No. 6 Heritage (1-1) vs. Northfield (1-1)

When/where: 6 p.m. Thursday at Evie Garrett Dennis Stadium

Last meeting: Mesa Ridge 50, vs. Northfield 47, Sept. 6, 2024

This game got a lot more interesting after Northfield pulled off a stunning 10-7 upset of Mesa Ridge last week — a game that featured three Nighthawks interceptions. The Northfield defense allowed just 149 total yards in that win. But the degree of difficulty goes up a notch against a dangerous Heritage offense led by QB Jamison Seese and pile-driving senior RB Mo Thenell (443 total yards). The Eagles are looking to get right after losing to 5A rival Arapahoe in the annual Milk Jug Classic.

No. 10 Ponderosa (1-1) vs. 3A No. 7 Roosevelt (1-1)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Roosevelt High

Last meeting: Roosevelt 42, at Ponderosa 24, Sept. 12, 2024

A year after the Rough Riders rolled into Parker and hung 21 fourth-quarter points on Ponderosa in a stunning 42-24 victory, the Mustangs make a return trip looking for revenge. Pondo responded to a Week 1 loss at Palmer Ridge with a 40-0 drubbing of Rampart that featured 390 total yards, nine tackles for a loss and three sacks. Roosevelt is looking for the same sort of response after the Rough Riders lost 41-26 at Holy Family last week.

Pueblo West (2-1) vs. 3A No. 6 Lutheran (1-1)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Lutheran High

Last meeting: Pueblo West 47, vs. Lutheran 21, Sept. 13, 2024

The Lutheran Lions survived a 26-25 nailbiter at Fort Morgan last week and now get a Pueblo West team coming off a 17-7 loss at 3A No. 2 Pomona. The Cyclones were limited to just 167 total yards in that loss, but they had their way with Lutheran a year ago down in Pueblo. Lutheran senior QB Eli Abramson may have found a go-to target in sophomore Tav Burt, who reeled in five passes for 127 yards in last week’s win at Fort Morgan.

No. 9 (1-0) vs. No. 3 (1-0)

When/where: 7 p.m. Thursday at EchoPark Stadium

Last meeting: Legend 21, at Grandview 14, Aug. 30, 2024

Streaming:

There are debuts, and then there’s whatever you call Boston College commit DJ Bordeaux’s first game as Legend’s starting QB last week vs. Fruita Monument: 237 yards and five TDs on 12-of-15 passing with 43 yards rushing and a TD. Grandview has a future college QB of its own in Idaho commit Blitz McCarty. Scoreboard operator, prepare thyself.

No. 1 (1-0) vs. (1-0)

When/where: 5 p.m. MT Friday at Austin-Tindall Sports Complex, Orlando, Fla.

Last meeting: N/A

Streaming:

In what’s become an annual rite of passage for Creek, the Bruins head out of state to take on another prep power in Sarasota, Fla.’s Cardinal Mooney. The game will be played on neutral ground near Orlando, but only one team is crossing two time zones. The Cougars have won 24 games and one state title over the past two seasons. And just like Creek, they have a four-star defensive tackle in Notre Dame-bound senior Elijah Golden.

No. 4 (10-2 in 2024) vs. (1-0)

When/where: 6:30 p.m. Friday at Tiger Stadium

Last meeting: Ralston Valley 48, vs. Erie 38, Aug. 30, 2024

Streaming:

After slapping 67 points on Brighton in a Week 0 victory, the Erie Tigers welcome the Mustangs, looking to further establish themselves as contenders in the 5A realm. These two engaged in a wildly entertaining shootout in Week 1 last season, and more of the same could be on tap Friday. Does Mustangs quarterback Zeke Andrews dare test Oregon State commit Braylon Tolliver, who already has one pick-six in 2025, in the Erie secondary?

No. 2 (1-0) vs. No. 6 (0-1)

When/where: 6:30 p.m. Friday at Lou Kellogg Stadium

Last meeting: Valor Christian 17, vs. Regis Jesuit 0, Aug. 30, 2024

Streaming:

Valor Christian went into a deluge last week in the Springs and came out a soaking-wet winner vs. Pine Creek, thanks in large part to the all-everything talents of senior Cash Spence (three TDs). Now comes a visit to Regis, where the youthful Raiders are in the midst of a three-game trial by fire that included Cherry Creek in Week 0 and Arizona juggernaut Brophy College Prep in Week 2. Regis has won two of three in this annual showdown of private school powers.

(1-0) vs. (8-4 in 2024)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at LPS Stadium

Last meeting: Mountain Vista 35, vs. Arapahoe 0, Aug. 30, 2024

Streaming:

Mountain Vista’s Marquise Reese showed life after record-breaking QB Austyn Modrzewski can be just fine after leading the Golden Eagles to a 49-45 win over California power Liberty last week. The junior QB threw for 410 yards and five TDs in his debut start, with receivers Ja’Pree Jennings (9 catches, 119 yards) and Brooklyn Bailey (4-134) both topping 100 yards. Arapahoe has long been known for its stingy defense. That’ll be tested on Friday.

CLASS 4A

No. 7 (8-4 in 2024) vs. No. 4 (10-2 in 2024)

When/where: 7 p.m. Friday at Don Breese Stadium

Last meeting: Palmer Ridge 44, at Ponderosa 7, Aug. 29, 2024

This is the fifth meeting between these two 4A rivals since 2021, and Palmer Ridge has won each of the previous four. That includes a 44-7 thrashing of the Mustangs in last year’s season opener in Parker. With both teams making significant replacements on both sides of the ball, this game should offer an early glimpse at each team’s status as a title contender.

(8-4 in 2024) vs. No. 1 (11-2 in 2024)

When/where: 7:30 p.m. Friday at Jeffco Stadium

Last meeting: Chatfield 38, vs. Dakota Ridge 23, Aug. 30, 2024

Streaming:

Dakota Ridge has had this one circled on the calendar for quite a while. Nearly 365 days to be exact. “A lot of people say it����ap not a rivalry anymore, but we’re here to change that narrative,” CSU commit and starting Dakota Ridge lineman Jace Winchester said of 5A Chatfield earlier this month. The Chargers have beaten Dakota Ridge four straight times, but this Eagles team is loaded and motivated to make an early statement.

CLASS 3A

No. 3 (10-2 in 2024) vs. No. 6 (9-4 in 2024)

When/where: 4 p.m. Friday at Trailblazer Stadium

Last meeting: Green Mountain 19, at Windsor 13, Aug. 29, 2024

Streaming:

A year ago, this game served notice that the Rams were in good hands with new head coach Anthony Rankin taking over the Green Mountain program. Now it will be an early indicator of whether or not the Rams can reload after losing senior quarterback Simon Lunsford and several weapons. A potential matchup to watch: Green Mountain edge rusher and UC Davis commit Corbin Wade vs. Windsor offensive lineman and Oklahoma commit Deacon Schmitt.

Note: All stats taken from .

Welling, a sophomore from Heritage, won both the Class 5A 100- and 200-meter dashes Saturday in the CHSAA state track and field championships at Jeffco Stadium.

She held off Fossil Ridge junior Addyson Smith in a photo finish in the 100. Welling’s time, 11.75 seconds, was a new personal best and the fastest time in the state this season. Valor Christian junior Ellie Londo, who won this race a year ago, finished behind the lead duo but was disqualified.

“I honestly didn’t know who won. It was so close,” Welling said. “I wasn’t sure if I leaned enough, or if she leaned more, or what was going on. Looking up and seeing my name, it felt pretty good. I love racing here.”

Welling caught the running bug before the start of her freshman year. But she was DQ’d last year because of a false start.

The incredible finish to her sophomore season continued in the 200, when she again held off Smith with a personal best time of 23.96 seconds.

“I don’t think it����ap fully hit me yet,” Welling said. “This is everything I wanted and more this year. I’m just feeling great right now.”

The girls hurdles crème de la crème. A year after the graduation of Grandview elite hurdler Gabriella Cunningham left a void in the event, Ponderosa senior Payton Becker and Fountain-Fort Carson junior Alexa Queen left no doubt about who the top girls hurdlers in Class 5A are.

Becker, a Wyoming commit, won the 5A 100-meter hurdles in 13.79 seconds, edging Queen, who came in at a personal record 13.99. Then Queen, who remains uncommitted but has the talent to run in college, got Becker back in the 300. Queen ran 41.66 and Becker ran 41.73, both of those marks being PRs. Queen took an early lead in the 300, and Becker closed the gap at the end but couldn’t catch up.

The two hurdlers hugged in a moment of mutual respect following the 300 hurdles.

“I messed up the first half of the (300) race, because I psyched myself out on the first couple hurdles, stuttered and lost a lot of momentum,” Becker said. “The back part of the race, I was playing catch up, but I’m proud of myself for how hard I fought.”

Queen said, “not winning in the 100 hurdles motivated me to come back and get (the 300).”

“This is my last race today, and I was going to empty the tank,” Queen said. “I knew it was going to hurt no matter what when I finished, so I might as well be proud of myself afterwards.”

In the Class 4A 300-meter race, Niwot senior Reese Casper set the standard for Colorado this year with a 41.35 to win the title by over a second over runner-up Reagan Falletta of Pueblo East. The Kansas State commit also won the 4A 100-meter hurdles in 14.22.

Another triple sweep for 1A star: Even when she can’t stop winning, Roxy Unruh finds some nits to pick.

Unruh, a junior from Cheyenne Wells, romped through the girls Class 1A 100, 200 and 400 meters finals Saturday. She set a new 1A meet record in the 200 and 400, breaking … her marks from last year.

But there was that pesky 100.

“There’s always something you can always improve on, right?” Unruh said. “I was really proud of my start. It was beautiful, honestly. But I was so happy with my start, I forgot my second zone of acceleration.”

Still, Unruh is now a three-time state champion in the 100 and 400, with two more individual titles in the 200. And she’s got another year to continue collecting medals and continue to improve her record-setting times.

“This year, I got a lot better mentally, not even the conditioning,” Unruh said. “Once you learn how to run the races the right way, it is life-changing.”

A school resource officer received a tip about a student bringing a device to the school south of Parker at around 9:28 a.m.,

The officer and found a suspicious device in their backpack.

Ponderosa High School was evacuated and searched by a bomb team and an explosive detection dog and no other devices were found, the sheriff’s office said. Students were allowed to return to class after the building was cleared at around 11:40 a.m.

Spokesperson Cocha Heyden declined to release further details about the device and said the case is still being investigated.

This is a developing story and may be updated.

The Eagles won their third title in the last four years after finishing second to Mead last season. Senior Julian Espinoza won at 126 pounds, sophomore Deven Lopez won at 132 and senior Niko Fernandez won at 138 as Pueblo East placed 10 of its 13 qualifiers.

RELATED: Colorado state wrestling tournament 2025 results and coverage, Day 3

“The key to our program is ‘iron sharpens iron,'” Pueblo East head coach Tyler Lundquist said. “The senior class, they only know state championships or state runner-ups. They know the work that needs to be done. The new kids coming in, they either have to get better or they get beat up all day. And we just keep that ball rolling.”

Lopez cruised to a 9-4 decision over Palisade’s Kadin Mulford. That put the sophomore halfway to the four-peat after a crown at 126 last year, despite wrestling this weekend with a ruptured tendon in his right middle finger.

“We’re just gritty, hard workers who don’t come from much, but we’re willing to go out there and put our all into it,” Lopez said. “That����ap what matters most at the end of the day.

“… People have said I should be a four-timer since before I got to high school. Everyone expects so much out of me, and I want to prove them right.”

In the last calendar year, Lopez took third at Fargo Nationals in Greco-Roman, fifth at high school nationals in Virginia Beach, and third at folkstyle nationals.

“I’m looking to do even greater things this upcoming summer,” Lopez said.

Big-school Most Outstanding Wrestlers. Ponderosa senior De’Alcapon Veazy and Mountain View senior Isaiah Harrison were named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Wrestler in Class 5A and Class 4A, respectively.

Veazy, who was not eligible to wrestle on varsity last season after transferring from Fort Wayne Snider, was unstoppable. He tech-falled his first opponent, Chaparral’s Angus Garvey, then had first-period pins of ThunderRidge’s Sloan Schilling in the quarterfinals and Poudre’s Ryder Clarkson in the semifinals.

His 190-pound finals opponent, Erie’s Carson Hageman, didn’t fare much better as Veazy pinned him in the second period. The Michigan commit came up just short of his vow to “pin everybody” in the �ٴdzܰ��Բ�����Գ���but was satisfied with his performance and he achieved his first state title. Veazy was fourth and runner-up in his two seasons competing in Indiana.

“I held (Garvey) there for a good minute, and I thought I had the pin — he was pretty stuck, if you ask me,” Veazy said with a smile. “It felt good to come out here and show off the hard work I’ve been putting in, and that it’s paying off.

“These last two years were just in preparation for the next level. No time was really wasted (from being ineligible due to a CHSAA ruling), and more opportunities opened up, even though I wasn’t able to compete last year. … I believe I can go out there to Michigan and make a run my freshman year.”

As for Harrison, he became the first Mountain View wrestler to win three state titles with his 21-3 dismantling of Palisade’s Teagan Young in the 120-pound finals. That tech fall followed a 43-second pin in the semifinals and a pair of tech falls (18-3 and 17-2) in the first two rounds.

The performance capped a sparkling 53-0 season. The Wyoming commit said his dedication to the sport changed after placing fifth at state as a freshman.

“My freshman year, I wasn’t quite mature yet, and I didn’t take the sport very seriously,” Harrison said. “… I also wasn’t taking school very seriously at the time and didn’t have the best grades. My coaches talked to me and really motivated me to do better in school, and told me that wrestling could take me places if I bought in. So I did.”

After Harrison’s first state title, he took second at Fargo Nationals that summer, and he hasn’t looked back.

VomBaurs get 10. Severance’s Drake VomBaur claimed a 4-1 decision at Class 4A 113 pounds over Pueblo East����ap Manuel Amaro, giving the sophomore his second state title.

Between him, brothers Will and Vance (former Windsor stars) and their dad Ben (a former prep standout in Washington), the storied VomBaur wrestling family now has 10 high school state titles to their name.

Drake said his goal is to add muscle this summer — to move up a couple of classes, but also for two separate but equally important reasons.

“I don’t want to be a little man forever — I’m going to want a wife someday, and she’s not going to want some shrimp,” VomBaur quipped. “And I need to beat my dad.”

Double Bacon. Vista PEAK Prep juniors Ian Bacon and Amelia Bacon became the first Colorado brother-sister twin tandem to claim state titles in the same year.

Ian topped the Class 5A 120-pound bracket, beating Cherokee Trail’s Cooper Mathews with a second-period pin. Shortly after, Amelia won the Class 5A 125-pound bracket, triumphing over Castle View’s Zaret Silva Lopez in a 5-4 thriller.

After Amelia’s win, she found her brother/practice partner in the underbelly of Ball Arena and cried tears of joy in his arms.

“When Ian pinned (Mathews), I just started crying,” an emotional Amelia said. “I don’t even know how I composed myself to wrestle.”

But she did, pulling out a dramatic reversal from the bottom position with 11 seconds left in the third period. That broke a 3-3 tie.

“I knew if every once in a blue moon I could escape from Ian, I could do it in that moment and get a lead,” Amelia said. “I have the best training partner in the world.”

“I have the best training partner in the world,” Ian clapped back.

The twins’ big moment came only a few years after they started taking the sport seriously in the summer following eighth grade. Ian went 1-2 at the state tournament each of the last two years before emerging this weekend, while Amelia lost in the consolation round as a freshman and then was runner-up last year at 120.

Ian and Amelia are basically the same weight and also have the same shoe size (7.5) and height (5-foot-5). Now, they both have gold, too.

“We’re going to work as hard as we can to do it again next year,” Ian said.

They are the reigning, undisputed Colorado high school wrestling dynasty. And so the juggernaut rolls on.

Pomona won its seventh straight Class 5A wrestling title, and ninth in the last 10 years, Saturday at Ball Arena. The Panthers were neck-and-neck with fellow powerhouse Ponderosa for much of the tournament but dominated the final day to pull away.

Big Black was a perfect 15 for 15 across the consolation semifinals, consolation finals and finals on Saturday, including 5 for 5 in the night’s title matches.

“It’s a good day because that’s not easy to do,” Pomona head coach Sam Federico said. “We redeemed some losses today, we beat some really good kids. Every year is different, and just because you won last year doesn’t make this year easy. And it wasn’t.”

You sure about that, Sam?

With the trophy in hand again, the Panthers are one championship shy of tying Ponderosa’s record of eight straight from 2003 to 2010. With the wind at its back, Pomona can tie that mark next season, and break it in 2027. Along the way to what could end up being a historic run, the Panthers set the state tournament record with 278.5 points two years ago and then won again last year despite going only 1 for 6 in their finals matches.

Who’s going to stop them? Ponderosa, now runner-up five years in a row, is the only one that has sniffed them in the last half-decade. Pomona, a Class 3A school in most sports, continues to wrestle way above its enrollment (1,133, according to CHSAA’s latest figures).

The last team to beat Pomona at state was Grand Junction in 2018, when the Tigers edged the Panthers by a mere 5.5 points. Pomona’s expansive youth program continues to plug state-tournament-ready freshmen into the program, while its dynasty status also makes it an attractive destination for open enrollment and transfers.

Pomona’s champions on Friday were freshman Lincoln Valdez at 106 pounds (beat ThunderRidge’s Emmett Alexander 5-1), junior Angel Serrano at 138 (beat Cherokee Trail’s Chance Mathews 5-4), junior Derek Barrows at 144 (beat Ponderosa’s Mikey Lopez 4-2), junior Kalob Ybarra at 165 (beat Fruita Monument’s Will Stewart) and junior Emmitt Munson at 175 (beat Vista Ridge’s Wesley Coddington).

Those four returning Panthers from last year’s team all got redemption after coming up just short of their respective crowns. Serrano was third in 2024 at 138, Barrows was third at 144, Munson was second at 157 and Ybarra was second at 190.

Meanwhile, Pomona’s unmatched depth — the Panthers brought all 14 wrestlers to state, and 10 of them finished third or better — racked up points on the back side of the bracket. Logan Dellow was third at 113, Zaidyn Quinonez was third at 120, Tyler Capps was third at 150, Emerson Claeys was third at 190 and Maddux Najera was third at 215.

Pomona finished with 235 points, while Ponderosa was second with 202 points, and Grandview a distant third with 137.5.

“We’ve been in that 220 to 280 range consistently, and if somebody is going to beat us, they’re going to have to score points like that,” Federico said. “Our kids have a lot of pride in wrestling hard for each other, and you see that when our kids come back and get third after tough losses in the semifinals.”

Pomona clinched the title early in the night after Serrano’s gritty win at 138. The junior credited Federico and the rest of the Pomona coaching staff for continuing to elevate the program to new heights. Pomona now has 12 total titles, tied with Alamosa and Rocky Ford for second-most all-time behind Wray’s 16.

“In the practice room, (Federico) pushes us to the limit because he knows what we can do, and at the same time, he is always there as support,” Serrano said. “We’ve got to just stay humble, and we can keep this thing rolling.”

Perhaps the most notable thread from a storyline that keeps repeating itself annually at Ball Arena came from the Panthers’ phenom freshman. Valdez, who wrestled for the Pomona youth program all growing up and won every youth state championship since he was five, delivered a 5-1 victory that he hopes is the first leg of a four-peat dream.

“I’ve grown up with this team, and Sam has been like (a father figure) to me for a long time,” Valdez said. “It means the world to be able to put my two cents into the pot.”

Valdez’s feat is all the more impressive considering the 15-year-old came back shortly before the season from open heart surgery.

He had the operation in the summer to address a heart abnormality, as his right coronary artery didn’t pump blood to his body as fast as it should have. The result was episodes of fatigue and fainting throughout middle school until doctors finally told him he needed surgery to fix his heart or he’d have to quit wrestling.

That was a quick decision for Big Black’s newest star.

“I chose to give wrestling my life because that’s what it deserves,” Valdez said. “Wrestling is life. It was an easy decision, especially for a chance to be a part of this program.”

Mikey was driving home from Ave Maria Catholic Church with his dad, Mike Lopez, and his two older sisters. Danielle Lopez had just passed away on Oct. 4 following a two-year battle with a rare form of cancer called leiomyosarcoma, and Mike wasn’t sure if his son still wanted to wrestle in his upcoming national tournament, the Super 32 Challenge.

“It was a hard decision for me to even ask him if he wanted to wrestle and still go out to North Carolina,” Mike Lopez recalled. “But that Sunday after we got out of mass, he said, ‘Mom wanted me there, so that’s where I’m going to go.’

“Since that day, he’s been on a mission on the mat to honor her, knowing that she’s still here watching him do what he loves to do.”

Mikey is Ponderosa’s lone returning state champion. The 17-year-old won the 126-pound title as a sophomore in 2024 and now looks to repeat that feat in the 144-pound bracket this weekend at Ball Arena.

The junior acknowledged that this season has felt “different and just weird” without his mom in the stands. The moment he hugged her after winning the title last year is now more bittersweet than ever.

But Mikey has used her memory and a message she gave him shortly before she died, to push him forward.

“Before she passed, we had that talk where she told me that she would always be with me out on the mat,” Mikey said. “That’s really important for me to remember because when I feel her there, I’m more comfortable out there.”

Mikey is 13-6 this year and overcame a concussion suffered at the Doc Buchanan Invitational in early January to return to action in time for regionals. He won the regional title last weekend and is now on a likely collision course for a championship showdown on Saturday night with Pomona’s Derek Barrows. The Panthers junior, who was third at 144 last year, is the bracket’s top seed.

No matter what happens, Mike believes his son “won by just being out there” this weekend.

“There’s going to be lots of crying on Saturday night,” Mike said. “The emotions will take over at that point because he didn’t give up, and we did everything we could to honor her.”

Ponderosa coach Jarion Beets echoed that sentiment.

“You can turn to a lot of things when dealing with grief and as a kid, you might not have the outlet that you need, and feel alone,” Beets said. “But his passion for wrestling has propelled him to deal with it in a positive way to help (Danielle) be remembered.”

Beyond this weekend, the Lopez family is currently in the process of starting a foundation in Danielle’s honor. The foundation would be funded by a couple of summer wrestling camps, possibly at Ponderosa and Cherokee Trail, and would award an annual scholarship to fund athletic involvement for a wrestler or athlete who has lost a parent.

“Now I know and understand how after something tragic like this happens, the financial burden is not easy,” Mike said. “Even if you have life insurance or a retirement fund, keeping on going in a sport is expensive. I see quickly how a kid can get pushed away from doing the sport they want to do. Our foundation will be aimed at helping kids like that, to still wrestle, compete for a club or (play a different sport).”

Donations to help the Lopez family can also be made through their GoFundMe page at .