Pomona's Raymond Robledo is looking to win another state championship this year at 132 pounds.
Photo by Carl Auer
has done the hard part. The Lobos advanced 13 of a possible 14 wrestlers to the Class 5A state tournament.
Now, do the Lobos have what it takes to knock off some of the other favorites at the Pepsi Center (Thursday-Saturday)?
Pomona (Arvada) has to be considered a favorite with 10 wrestlers in the fold including defending champion
Raymond Robledo (132 pounds).
Reigning title-holder
Pine Creek (Colorado Springs) brings nine wrestlers, as does
Fossil Ridge (Fort Collins) and perennial power
Ponderosa (Parker). Six other squads bring at least seven wrestlers.
But Rocky Mountain advanced three more than anyone else, meaning solid finishes across the board could equate to a team title.
"We have so many good kids, and we've been together so long and worked so hard," said Rocky Mountain's
Konnor Schmidt, the Region 3 winner at 160 pounds. "We know how much everybody has put into it, and we're like family. You could tell in my match, because all my teammates were rooting for me, and it was just as much for them."
The classification features eight returning champions and six undefeated wrestlers. Two of those are
Greeley West athletes, two others from
Coronado (Colorado Springs). Greeley West's
Emilio Martinez is a two-time defending champion (at 103 in 2011; 126 last season) and carries a 20-0 mark into the 126-pound bracket.
Austin Waterman, who more resembles a UFC heavyweight, was a champion at 220 last season. He has moved up to 285, where he carries a 40-0 mark.
Coronado brings eight wrestlers including unbeaten 106-pound defending champ
Trenton Watson (43-0), and two-time, defending-champ
Adrian Cordova, who has moved up to 120 this season.
Class 4AThe power of the north is plenty apparent. Defending-champion
Windsor brings 12 wrestlers,
Broomfield 11 and
Thompson Valley (Loveland) 10. But while those numbers are gaudy, only two wrestlers of those combined 33 are reigning champs.
Both belong to Broomfield, and both are seeking a third title:
Drew Romero (now at 113) and
Phil Downing (now at 145).
However, don't lessen Windsor's chances just because the Wizards don't have any returning champs. New ones could soon arise.
"These guys know that this is the time of the season where you have to peak," Windsor coach Monte Trusty
told Windsor Now! "We have a lot of self belief. They also know they're going to be in for the biggest fight of their life (for another team title), and they love it.
"We've talked about the past being history, though. We know it's time to crank it up."
One cut below the northerners in qualifiers is
Discovery Canyon (Colorado Springs), but the Thunder is not a cut below in regards to talent.
A.J. Rees, bound for Iowa State, is aiming for his third state crown. Having already won at 112 and 113, Rees is competing at 120 this season.
Last year's 120 champ is Discovery Canyon teammate
Steve Turner, who now is wrestling at 132.
Of note,
Arvada's Garet Krohn (26-0) will be aiming for a third title. He's won at 152 and 182 and will look to wrangle in the 195-pound crown this season. The classification's other undefeated wrestlers are
Weld Central (Keenesburg) 106-pounder
Dalton Robinson (38-0) and
Eagle Valley (Gypsum) 220-pounder
Andy Armstrong, who checks in at 36-0.
Class 3AIt should qualify as no surprise that
Alamosa and legendary coach Gary Ramstetter are back at the forefront. Along with
Brush and
Valley (Gilcrest), the Mean Moose bring a classification-best 10 wrestlers to the Pepsi Center.
Oddly, none of the three bring along a defending champ, but Alamosa has won the past two team crowns and is as safe a bet as any to repeat. The Mean Moose have won nine team titles in Ramstetter's 32 years at the helm.
"I guess the '88 (title) is the one I remember most, the first one," Ramstetter
told the Pueblo Chieftain. "Up to that time, I thought it was impossible."
The classification features six returning champs, but none that are aiming for a third title. One of those is
Sheridan's Levi Maes, who last season captured his school's first wrestling title since 1974. He has moved up from 106 to 120 this season.
3A's undefeated wrestlers are
Trenton Piatt of
Olathe (40-0 at 120) and
Thane Smith of
Salida (36-0 at 195).
Class 2AReigning champ
Paonia again is represented by 13 wrestlers, tied with Rocky Mountain for the most in any classification. Included is
Jesse Reed, who won at 113 last season as a freshman and has moved to 120 this season.
Reed, who missed the first month of the season with an undisclosed injury, is one of only two returning champs in 2A, joining
Rocky Ford's Adam Baca, who has moved from 120 to 126.
Baca (27-0) is one of four undefeated wrestlers in the class, with the most significant other being
Eads shot-put star
Taylor Weirich, who is 36-0 at 160.
Swink's Austin Coy (18-0) and
Hayden's Ryan Domson (10-0) have wrestled abbreviated schedules.
If Paonia repeats this season, it won't be because they are riding the coattails of last season's squad. The Eagles lost their opening dual of the season to
Fruita Monument, which drove that point home.
"That loss to Fruita in the first dual was the best thing for us," Paonia coach Andy Pipher
told the Grand Junction Sentinel. "It made the kids realize they are not last year's team. They have to make their own way."
