DENVER | The grueling regular season schedules for the Grandview and Cherokee Trail boys wrestling teams paid off with their performance Thursday in the first two rounds of the Class 5A state tournament at Ball Arena.
The Wolves (six) and Cougars (three) combined to send nine into the semifinals slated for 6 p.m. Friday, while Vista PEAK Prep junior Ian Bacon made it double figures for Aurora area qualifiers as he earned his first trip to the final four.
Grandview went into the tournament projected to finish in third place as a team and that’s where Ryan Budd’s team sits after the first round and quarterfinals, after which senior Charlie Herting (175 pounds), juniors Jonathan Montes Gonzales (150) and Gunner Lopez (157) and sophomores JR Ortega (113), Braxston Widrikis (144) and Leland Day (285) remain in contention for championships.
All six guaranteed themselves a place in the top six, while Herting and Montes Gonzales put themselves a victory away from a chance to wrestle for a state championship for a second straight season. Herting was the 165-pound state champion last season, while Montes Gonzales finished as the 150-pound runner-up.
Also one victory from a chance to defend a title is Cherokee Trail sophomore Cooper Mathews, last season’s 106-pound winner who moved up to 120 pounds and is again a semifinalist for coach Jeff Buck’s Cougars.
Mathews’ brother, senior Chance Mathews, is part of the final four at 138 pounds, while senior Mateo Garreffa is a semifinalist at 190 pounds for a second straight season.
Bacon — whose twin sister Amelia made it to the semifinals of the 5A girls tournament at 125 pounds earlier in the evening — overcame a comeback bid by Ponderosa’s Jeremiah Waldschmidt (a state finalist last season) with a pin by fall in the final seconds of their 120 quarterfinal to join elite company.
Eaglecrest senior Alijah Gabaldon (126 pounds), Cherokee Trail junior Ryan Everhart (150) and Grandview sophomore Oz Nowick (215) earned opening round wins before losing in the quarterfinals, so they will move into the second round of the consolation bracket.
The remaining 16 5A state qualifiers — plus the combined from Gateway and Hinkley in the 4A tournament — who lost in the opening round will need three wins on the back side of their respective brackets to make the placing round.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2025 CLASS 5A BOYS WRESTLING STATE TOURNAMENT
Feb. 13 at Ball Arena
Team scores (through quarterfinal round): 1. Ponderosa 95 points; 2. Pomona 93.5; 3. GRANDVIEW 64.5; 4. Poudre 47.5; 5. Pine Creek 44.5; 6. Fruita Monument 44; 7. Brighton 37; 8. CHEROKEE TRAIL 31.5; 9. Centaurus 20; 10. Erie 19; 11. Legend 16; T12. Chatfield 15; T12. ThunderRidge 15; 14. Denver East 14; T15. Central G.J. 12.5; T15. Chaparral 12.5; 17. Broomfield 12; 18. Arvada West 11.5; 19. Northglenn 11; 20. Vista Ridge 10; 21. VISTA PEAK PREP 9; T22. Greeley West 8; T22. Legacy 8; T24. Mountain Vista 7.5; T24. Rocky Mountain 7.5; T26. Fountain-Fort Carson 6.5; T26. Monarch 6.5; T28. Fossil Ridge 6; T28. Loveland 6; 30. Arapahoe 5; T31. EAGLECREST 4; T31. Denver North 4; T31. Prairie View 4; T31. Valor Christian 4; T35. Adams City 3; T35. Mountain Range 3; OVERLAND, REGIS JESUIT and SMOKY HILL no score
