|
Photo by
Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel & Daily
Sun
Regis' Pasha Tabatabai, top, closes in
on a pin of Sand Creek's Tommy Martin
Feb. 10 in the 160-pound championship
match at the Class 5A Region 3
tournament at Loveland High School.
Regis had three regional champions and
six of the 20 total state qualifiers for
Aurora out of the region.
|
 |
 |
Photo by
Courtney Oakes/Aurora Sentinel & Daily
Sun
Grandview's Tyler McGoffin, right, holds
onto Aurora Central's Daniel Armijo Feb.
10 in the Region 3 135-pound
championship match at Loveland. McGoffin
won a 3-2 decision and along with
103-pound regional champion Eric Wilson
will lead eight Grandview wrestlers into
the state tournament.
|
|
|
AURORA STATE WRESTLING QUALIFIERS BY
SCHOOL |
Aurora Central (4): Ivan Mondragon
(103); Phillip Nguyen (112); Ricardo
Villalobos (119); Daniel Armijo (135)
Cherokee Trail (2): Dustin Brown
(112); Daniel Jordan (152)
Eaglecrest (2): Josh Neuberger (119);
Ryan Olvera (135)
Grandview (8): Eric Wilson (103);
Mike Balagna (112); Patrick Brown (125);
Josh Starr (130); Tyler McGoffin (135);
Bryce Lucherini (145); Daniel Ramirez (152);
Cody Gilmore (heavyweight)
Rangeview (2): Adam Jerome (135);
Clayton Frawley (140)
Regis (6): Danny Bieshaar (125); John
Hooper (140); Brian Rubenstrunk (152); Pasha
Tabatabai (160); Matt Strohm (171); Ryan
Tauer (heavyweight)
Smoky Hill (3): Nolan Myers (119);
Austin Jones (189); Keefe Owens
(heavyweight)
|
|
Aurora teams love 5A Region 3 tournament
Four squads in Loveland group have 20 of city's 27 total
qualifiers in 5A and 4A
By Courtney Oakes
The Aurora Sentinel & Daily Sun
LOVELAND | Aurora wrestlers didn't find a lot of success at
regional tournaments across the state Feb. 10, but the four
city teams in the Class 5A Region 3 group at Loveland High
School made up for it.
Aurora Central, Grandview, Rangeview and Regis came away
with a total of 20 qualifiers for the Feb. 15-17 5A state
tournament at the Pepsi Center, while Aurora's other five
teams produced just five. Cherokee Trail got two wrestlers
through the 4A Region 2 competition at Widefield.
In Loveland, Grandview had eight qualifiers - headed by
regional champions Eric Wilson at 103 pounds and 135-pounder
Tyler McGoffin - and finished second in the team chase with
174 pounts, just seven behind Brighton. Despite the
graduation of a slew of talented seniors, including state
champions Jon Brascetta and Curtis McNary, the Wolves
qualified one more wrestler for state than last year.
Surprising Regis grabbed six state slots, with three of them
coming as regional champions in John Hooper at 140 pounds,
Pasha Tabatabai at 160 pounds and heavyweight Ryan Tauer.
Matt Strohm lost in the final seconds of the 171-pound title
match. Danny Bieshaar at 125 pounds placed fourth, and
152-pounder Brian Rubenstrunk earned his trip with a
thrilling wrestleback victory.
Aurora Central has four wrestlers headed to state and three
made it to regional championship matches, but Phillip Nguyen
(112), Ricardo Villalobos (119) and Daniel Armijo (135) all
were defeated. Armijo lost for the first time since
Christmas when McGoffin edged him 3-2. Ivan Mondragon took
third at 103 pounds.
Rangeview's Adam Jerome and Clayton Frawley each placed
fourth and earned trips downtown. Jerome appeared at state
as a sophomore, but fell short last year. Frawley will
wrestle at the Pepsi Center for the first time.
In Region 2 at Legacy High School, Smoky Hill placed fifth
with 101 points. Two Buffaloes made it to the regional
finals, but both 119-pounder Nolan Myers and 189-pounder
Austin Jones were beaten by opponents from host Legacy.
Myers suffered just his third loss of the season when Adam
Dunne edged him 3-2, but earned his second consecutive state
berth. Jones got his first, though Nick Bauman pinned him in
3:33 in the regional championship match.
Heavyweight Keefe Owens makes it three Smoky Hill
qualifiers, advancing losing by pin in the third-place
match. Nick Shamburg was beaten by Standley Lake's Daniel
Nissen in a 140-pound wrestleback with a trip to state on
the line.
Gateway was shut out of state, as 145-pounder Justin Freeman
lost in the third-place match to Thornton's Kyle Johnson and
then was pinned by Boulder's Boost Lover in a wrestleback.
Eaglecrest, Overland and Hinkley engaged in Region 3 action
at Northglenn High School, and the Raptors had the only two
state qualifiers to come through the brackets.
Senior Ryan Olvera earned his third trip to state by placing
third at 135 pounds, while 119-pounder Josh Neuberger
punched the ticket for his first trip to compete at the
Pepsi Center. Olvera lost to Durango's Rhett Breed - ranked
No. 1 at 135 - in the semifinals, but rebounded for third.
Neuberger was fourth.
Overland's Stephen Stahl qualified for state as a
heavyweight last season, but dropped to 215 pounds this
season and couldn't earn a return trip to state in his new
class. Hinkley, returning to the mats this season after not
having a team for 2005-06, had no qualifiers.
At Widefield, Cherokee Trail had multiple wrestlers qualify
for the 4A state tournament for the first time in school
history. Both freshman 112-pounder Dustin Brown and junior
152-pounder Daniel Jordan took third to accomplish the feat.
Kimball Jordan, the Cougars' lone state qualifier last
season and the team's only senior, couldn't get back.
|
