LAFAYETTE | The Grandview boys wrestling team has high hopes for the upcoming Class 5A state tournament and succeeded at a tournament many consider as even tougher Saturday.
For the first time, the Wolves claimed the championship at the Top of the Rockies Invitational, an impressive multi-classification collection of teams from multiple states that has descended annually on Centaurus High School for nearly three decades.
Grandview amassed 6.5 points more than perennial state champion Pomona to finish atop a field of 41 scoring teams, which also included locals from Vista PEAK Prep and Smoky Hill. Coach Ryan Budd’s teams had a trio of champions in juniors JR Ortega (126 pounds) and Leland Day (285) among seven top-six placers.
For Day, it was a second straight title at the rugged tournament and it ended in a championship match victory over Cherry Creek’s Oz Nowick, his former teammate. Day went into the tournament as the top seed and pinned his first three opponents in the opening period before a 4-1 win over Cody Kills On Top of Hardin (Montana). Once in the finals, Day earned a 7-1 win over Nowick, who he defeated for the third time.
Ortega went into the 126 pound bracket (up from the 120 class in which he is ranked No. 1 by On The Mat) as the top seed as well and absolutely cruised to the championship with a string of five wins by technical falls that ended with an 18-3 victory over Pueblo East’s Alex Herburger.
Lopez proved his top seed in the 165 pound bracket was justified with a performance that included a mix of pins and technical falls that put him into the finals against Monarch’s Levi Carlucci, who he topped by 4-1 decision.
The fourth finalist for Grandview was junior Anthony Segura, who was the No. 22 seed in the 138-pound bracket. Three straight wins by fall landed Segura a spot in the championship match against Pomona’s Angel Serrano, who prevailed via 20-4 technical fall.
Senior Jonathan Montes Gonzales (157) and junior Braxston Widrikis (144) both earned third place and junior Christian Skov (175) finished fourth for the Wolves.
Vista PEAK Prep’s 23.5 points put it in 32nd with help from senior Ian Bacon, who placed fourth at 120 pounds. He rebounded from a loss to top-seeded Drake Vombaur from Severance in the quarterfinals with three straight wins on the consolation side to make the third-place match, which he lost to 12-8 to Eli Archibeque of Rio Rancho (New Mexico).
Smoky Hill finished two points and two places behind Vista PEAK Prep in 34th and was paced by junior Jovani Galvan, who placed fourth at 138 pounds. Galvan — ranked No. 4 in 5A at 138 by On The Mat — went in as the No. 8 seed and won four matches before he dropped a 3-0 decision in the third-place match.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2026 Top of the Rockies Invitational
Jan. 16-17 at Centaurus H.S.
Team scores: 1. GRANDVIEW 207 points; 2. Pomona 200.5; 3. Hardin (Montana) 160.5; 4. Pueblo East 157; 5. Roosevelt 126.5; 6. Ponderosa 114; 7. Cheyenne East 108; 8. Eaton 106.5; 9. Broomfield 106; T10. Erie 96.5; T10. Rio Rancho 96.5; 12. Garden City 66; 13. Chaparral 61.5; 14. Brush 60.5; 15. Fort Morgan 58.5; 16. Fort Lupton 56; T17. Legacy 55; T17. ThunderRidge 55; 19. Riverdale Ridge 54.5; 20. Severance 53.5; 21. Greeley Central 53; 22. Cherry Creek 52.5; 23. Jefferson 51; 24. Monarch 48; 25. Legend 46; 26. Thompson Valley 45; 27. Platte Valley 39.5; 28. Rocky Ford 37.5; 29. Durango 36; 30. Boulder 34.5; 31. Abraham Lincoln 30.5; 32. VISTA PEAK PREP 23.5; 33. Centaurus 22; 34. SMOKY HILL 21.5; 35. Eagle Valley 20.5; 36. Pagosa Springs 19.5; 37. Wellington 17.5; 38. Pueblo Central 16; 39. Mountain View 6; T40. Arvada West 3; T40. Fairview 3