Grandview holds the No. 6 spot in the last On The Mat Class 5A team rankings of 2023 and is joined by Eaglecrest at No. 10 and Cherokee Trail at No. 11.
With matches and tournament set to resume on the other side of Colorado’s mandatory winter break, seven of coach Ryan Budd’s Wolves appear in the 5A rankings, topped by junior Charlie Herting, who is No. 2 at 165 pounds. Grandview has won every dual match it has competed in this season and pitched shutouts in two of them. The Wolves competed in the Reno Tournament of Champions prior to winter break and finished 14th in a loaded field of teams from a multitude of states.
Coach Javier Quintana’s Raptors have five ranked wrestlers (all in the top 10 of their respective weights) and four of them sit in the top five (2022-23 finalist Adonias Cantu is No. 3 at 120 pounds, Thayne Lundy and Dalton Leivian are No. 4 at 175 and 190, respectively, and Ethan Diaz is No. 5 at 126 pounds).
Eaglecrest and Grandview meet in a big Centennial League dual Jan. 11.
Coach Jeff Buck has one of two wrestlers from Aurora programs with current No. 1 rankings from On The Mat, as freshman Cooper Matthews holds that spot in the 106-pound weight class. Matthews has four losses, but all have come in close decisions and his brother, Chance, is ranked No. 2 at 138 pounds.
In all, Cherokee Trail has six ranked wrestlers.
Regis Jesuit junior Garrett Reece, a returning state finalist, is the other Aurora area wrestler to hold a No. 1 ranking, which he has at 150 pounds. Reece won the championship of the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament prior to break and he’s won every match he’s had this season, including half at 157 pounds.
Three other wrestlers for coach Dan Wrona’s Regis Jesuit team hold spots in the rankings.
Vista PEAK Prep has 4A ranked wrestlers in Ian Bacon (No. 11 at 120 pounds) and Joseph Maes (No. 11 at 285), Smoky Hill has Dashawn Jenkins, who is No. 6 in 5A at 113 pounds, while Overland has the No. 15-ranked wrestler at 157 pounds in James Rada Scales.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
