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2/27/2008 3:58:00 PM |
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Photo by Courtney Oakes/The
Aurora Sentinel
Aurora Central senior Daniel
Armijo, right, gets a pat from
Trojans' coach Conrad Parra
after a 135-pound consolation
match on Feb. 23 at the Class 5A
state wrestling tournament at
the Pepsi Center in Denver.
Armijo placed fourth.
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Photo by Courtney Oakes/The
Aurora Sentinel
Smoky Hill senior Nolan Myers,
right, gets a hug from
Buffaloes' coach Jim Opperman
after a 125-pound consolation
semifinal victory at the Class
5A state wrestling tournament at
the Pepsi Center in Denver.
Myers placed fourth.
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Wrestling: Suffering wrestlers earn some state
satisfaction
Myers, Armijo end wait to climb medal podium
By Courtney Oakes
The Aurora Sentinel
Redemption was bittersweet for Smoky Hill's Nolan
Myers and Aurora Central's Daniel Armijo at the
Class 5A state wrestling tournament.
Both finally ended their previous disappointment by
earning their way onto the medal stand - each taking
fourth at 125 pounds and 135 pounds, respectively -
but they also couldn't help but think what could
have been if things had gone slightly different at
the Pepsi Center.
Myers lost a 4-3 nailbiter to Ponderosa sophomore
Zeke Hofer in the semifinals to keep him out of the
championship, a match he dominated save for the
final score, while Armijo suffered two close losses
to Ponderosa freshman Austin Gabel.
"It was pretty intense, but you get some and you
lose some," said Myers, who finished with a 43-7
record after losing a 10-6 decision to Standley
Lake's Gavin Peters in the third-place match.
"There's always room where I could have done better,
but I'm pretty happy."
Myers underwent a transformation this season with
the help of new coach Jim Opperman and proved
himself a member of the state's elite group of
wrestlers. He finished with more than 100 wins in
the past three seasons.
Opperman could tell his standout enjoyed making his
way on the podium, but felt he could have been a lot
higher.
"When you come down here, you are coming to win the
whole thing," Opperman said. "Nolan had a match in
the semis that we felt could have gone the other
way. He's happy with where he finished, but he's
also disappointed. He wrestled his best stuff this
weekend."
Armijo also held his own against some powerhouses
after a disappointing result last year. He lost 4-1
to Gabel in the quarterfinals and lost to him again
2-1 in the 135-pound third-place match
"After I lost, I was upset, but now it's hit me,"
said Armijo, who hopes to wrestle at the Colorado
School of Mines next year. "I placed at the biggest
tournament of the year. I was looking forward to
this and I did it."
Overland junior Joshua Christopher returned to the
state tournament, where he went 1-2 while wrestling
for Montbello.
Christopher sat out half the season after
transferring, so he came into state with a record of
just 13-7. He nearly stunned eventual finalist Tino
Laureles of Rocky Mountain in the first round before
getting pinned, but won three of his last five
matches - two by way of pin - to take sixth.
"There were some matches I know I should have won,"
said Christopher, who lost to Ponderosa sophomore
Steven Kelly in the fifth-place match. "Next year, I
know I'm going to push myself to the limits and try
to take first or second. I'm not going to be
satisfied with third or fourth, not in my senior
year."
Grandview senior Bryce Lucherini came into the
tournament determined to better the fourth-place
finish his brother Matt had at 160 pounds in 2006,
but he ended up in sixth at 152.
Lucherini won his first match against Northglenn's
Derek Stearns before a 7-0 quarterfinal loss to
eventual finalist Stephone Kling of Ponderosa. He
picked up big wins over Poudre's Zach Bekkedahl and
ThunderRidge's Garrett Stowall in the consolation
round before he was stopped by Lewis-Palmer's Chad
Stich in the consolation semifinals.
Douglas County's Ryan Swanson pinned Lucherini in
the fifth-place match. |
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