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Members of the 2008-09 Aurora Sentinel
All-City Wrestling team, back row from left,
Grandview senior Penn Wade and Grandview
senior Jake Chatham, Grandview senior Enes
Ozekin and Gateway senior Brent Willis,
front row from left, Gateway senior Renato
Fierro and Gateway senior Justin Freeman,
Grandview senior Michael Balagna and
Grandview senior Eric Wilson and Eaglecrest
senior Dan Moore and Grandview junior John
Godin pose on April 6 in the wrestling room
at Grandview. (Heather A. Longway/The Aurora
Sentinel)
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2008-09
Aurora Sentinel All-City Wrestling Team |
103 pounds
Chris Buccieri, Cherokee Trail, soph.
112 pounds
John Godin, Grandview, jr.
119 pounds
Eric Wilson, Grandview, sr.*
125 pounds
Michael Balagna, Grandview, sr.
130 pounds
Dan Moore, Eaglecrest, sr.
135 pounds
Josh Christopher, Overland, sr.
140 pounds
Zach Atencio, Regis, sr.
145 pounds
Brent Willis, Gateway, sr.*
152 pounds
Justin Freeman, Gateway, sr.*
160 pounds
Renato Fierro, Gateway, sr.
171 pounds
Gordie Pisciotta, Regis, jr.
189 pounds
Enes Ozekin, Grandview, sr.
215 pounds
Penn Wade, Grandview, sr.*
285 pounds
Jake Chatham, Grandview, sr.
Honorable mention
Greg Conrardy, Cherokee Trail, jr.; John
Crowley, Regis, fr.*; Gage Fell, Eaglecrest,
jr.; Collin Gorham, Cherokee Trail, jr.; Ethan
Hales, Cherokee Trail, jr.; Jeff Ibanez, Aurora
Central, sr.; Ben Jordan, Cherokee Trail, jr.;
Hunter McGuinnis, Rangeview, jr.; Matt Meyer,
Smoky Hill, sr.; Shawn Miller, Smoky Hill, sr.;
William Montrey, Aurora Central, soph.; LaDaris
Mungin, Gateway, jr.; Phillip Nguyen, Aurora
Central, sr.; Andrew Onorato, Regis, jr.; Matt
Ritz, Eaglecrest, sr.; Powell Slinkard, Regis,
sr.; Joshua Starr, Grandview, sr.
* — State placer
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Wrestling: Wolves lead All-City
wrestling hunt
Four state placers, six Grandview
wrestlers part of Aurora's mat best in 2008-09
By
Courtney Oakes
The
Aurora Sentinel
Aurora couldn’t match the three state championships it won at
last season’s Class 5A state wrestling tournament, but plenty of
city wrestlers distinguished themselves on the Pepsi Center
mats.
Grandview senior Eric Wilson — the only one of the city’s 2008
state winners to wrestle at this year’s state meet — got back to
the finals, but he couldn’t beat Northglenn’s Philip Grout a
second time on the big stage.
Wilson tops four state placers among the 14 members of the
2008-09 Aurora Sentinel All-City Wrestling team, which
is based primarily on performance at the Feb. 19-21 5A state
tournament at the Pepsi Center.
Grandview — which won its seventh straight Centennial League
championship — landed six wrestlers on the all-city team,
including five who helped the Wolves tie for 11th.
Leading the way again was Wilson, a University of Missouri
signee who finished his prep career with three top-three places.
The four-time state qualifier took third at 103 pounds as a
sophomore, first at 112 pounds last season and second this
season at 119 pounds.
Wilson’s 43 wins this season —
against just five losses, including two to Grout — boosted his
four-year total to 139, the second-most in school history
behind Ryan Budd (150). Wilson was Aurora’s only regional
champion.
The Wolves’ other placer was senior
Penn Wade, who won a city-best four matches to take fifth at
215 pounds in his second state trip. He was 40-9.
Rounding out Grandview’s all-city
contingent is junior John Godin (33-12 at 112 pounds), senior
Michael Balagna (27-12 at 125 pounds), senior Enes Ozekin (12-12
as the city’s only state qualifier at 189 pounds) and
heavyweight Jake Chatham, who was ranked in the top five all
season, but didn’t make state out of a tough regional group.
Gateway matched Grandview with two placers, as seniors Justin
Freeman (152 pounds) and Brent Willis (145 pounds) took fourth
and sixth, respectively, for the Olys, who were 20th as a team.
Freeman went 3-2 in his second state trip and lost in overtime
in the semifinals. He finished 33-9 on the season. Willis took
advantage of a long-awaited trip to state by winning three
matches to finish 31-6. The Olys’ third all-city member is
senior 160-pounder Renato Fierro, who finished one win short of
the placing round. In just his second year of wrestling, Fierro
was 26-9.
Regis’ one state placer —
freshman John Crowley — missed the all-city team after losing to
Freeman in the consolation semifinals, but senior Zach Atencio
(140 pounds) and junior Gordie Pisciotta (171 pounds) represent
the Raiders. Atencio and Pisciotta each went 1-2 at state to
finish 35-9 and 31-9, respectively.
Cherokee Trail sophomore Chris Buccieri (103 pounds), Eaglecrest
senior Dan Moore (130 pounds) and Overland senior Josh
Christopher (135 pounds) round out the all-city team.
Christopher placed sixth in 2008, but couldn’t duplicate that
performance, going 2-2 to finish 30-5 on the season.
Buccieri helped Cherokee Trail to a big Centennial League debut
and he won twice at the Pepsi Center to finish 35-8 overall. He
fell one win short of earning a chance to place.
Moore won twice in his first state trip to finish with 104
career victories.
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