Four wrestlers from Aurora boys programs qualified for state championship matches in the 2022-23 season — more in a single season for quite some time — but a state championship eluded the city for a second straight campaign.
Eaglecrest junior Adonias Cantu, Regis Jesuit sophomore Garrett Reece, Grandview senior Max Kibbee and Vista PEAK senior Ezekiel Taylor all earned spots on the big stage at Ball Arena during the championship session of the three-day tournament, however, each were turned away in his quest for a crown.
In all, 11 boys from six Aurora programs finished in the top six at their respective weights and the majority appear on the 2022-23 Sentinel Colorado All-Aurora Boys Wrestling Team, which is based primarily on state and postseason performance.
Here’s a look at the top boys in each weight class for the season:
106 pounds: Adonias Cantu, jr., Eaglecrest — The junior went from junior varsity last season to wrestling for a Class 5A state championship in one season, an incredible rise that also saw Cantu earn a sixth-place finish at the rugged Reno Tournament of Champions. Cantu won the championship of his school’s Armando Rodriguez Tournament of Champions and earned a trip to state as the runner-up from the Region 4 tournament. The Centennial League’s Lower Weight Newcomer of the Year won his first three state matches and came up just short in the finals, where he dropped a 7-5 decision to Pomona’s Zaidyn Quinonez. Cantu finished the season 39-9.
113 pounds: Jay Everhart, jr., Cherokee Trail — Everhart got back to the Class 5A state tournament for a second straight season after a season in which he placed at numerous tournaments, including a seventh-place result at the massive Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament before winter break. He finished in third place at the Region 2 tournament to punch his ticket to state, where he opened with a six-point loss to Chaparral’s Declan Strait, a state champion the previous season. After a win in the consolation bracket, Everhart lost to eventual fifth-place finisher Isaiah Sisneros of Lakewood. He finished 31-10 and made the All-Centennial League first team at his weight.
120 pounds: Ethan Diaz, jr., Eaglecrest — The Centennial League’s first team performer in his weight class, Diaz had a strong season that saw him settle in at 120 after the winter break after he competed in higher weights earlier in the season. Diaz won the championship of Castle View’s SaberCat Slam and placed third at the Valley Classic Invitational and second at the Class 5A Region 4 meet, which earned him a spot in the state tournament. He won his first two matches at Ball Arena and lost a two-point decision in the semifinals and then another two-point loss in the consolation bracket put him in fifth place with a final record of 35-8.
126 pounds: Alijah Gabaldon, soph., Eaglecrest — Gabaldon, a transfer, was a big addition to the Eaglecrest lineup when he joined after winter break. He won his weight class at the school’s Armando Rodriguez Tournament of Champions and was a regular placer at subsequent tournaments, including the champion of the 5A Region 4 tournament after he defeated Pine Creek’s Elijah Banks, who would go on to place fourth at state. Gabaldon (26-6) won half of his four matches at state and dropped a two-point overtime decision to Grand Junction Central’s William Dean with a spot in the placing round at stake.
132 pounds: Garrett Reece, soph., Regis Jesuit — Reece finished on the medal podium for the second time in as many trips to state, but he was a few steps higher this year with a runner-up finish. He won the championships of the Arapahoe Invitational, the Northern Colorado Christmas Classic, Northglenn Norse Invitational, Continental League Championships and Class 5A Region 3 meet, while he also made the final of the loaded 5 Counties tournament in California. Reese picked up wins in the first three rounds at state (including a decision over Cherokee Trail’s Chance Matthews in an all-Aurora quarterfinal) to make the state championship match, where he lost by fall to Ponderosa’s Jacob Myers to finish 43-4.
138 pounds: Jonathan Montes Gonzales, fr., Grandview — The only freshman on the All-Aurora team, Montes Gonzales had an impressive debut season in which he was the All-Centennial League first teamer at his weight and qualified for the Class 5A state season. He got better as the season went along and in the last weeks of the season, he finished as the runner-up at the Mile High Classic and then won the championship of the Region 3 tournament to get to state, where he finished 2-3. The three losses sustained by Montes Gonzales at Ball Arena came to the champion, fourth-place and fifth-place finishers as he ended 36-10.
144 pounds: David McCurdy, soph., Grandview — In the only weight class in which Aurora didn’t have a state qualifier in Class 5A or 4A, McCurdy worked his way up from junior varsity into the varsity lineup in January. He wrestled six matches in the 5A Region 3 tournament and placed sixth to complete a season in which he was 20-12.
150 pounds: Ryan Curran, jr., Regis Jesuit — Of Aurora’s three Class 5A state qualifiers at the weight, Curran was the only one to win at match. During the regular season, he finished third at the Smoky Hill Buffalo Invitational, the Northglenn Norse Invitational and the Continental League Championships, while his trip to state came from a third-place finish in the Region 3 tournament. Curran lost his opening round match, then picked up a victory on the consolation side of the bracket before he suffered his second defeat, which gave him a 26-15 final record.
157 pounds: Thayne Lundy, jr., Eaglecrest — The All-Centennial League first teamer in his weight class — which he settled into in late January after he wrestled much of the season at 165 pounds — qualified for the state tournament. Lundy earned a spot at Ball Arena with a third-place finish at the Region 4 tournament and opened with a 23-second pin in the opening round. He lost to eventual state champion Daniel Long of Adams City in the quarterfinals, however, and saw his season end at 38-12 with a loss by decision in the consolation bracket.
165 pounds: Charlie Herting, soph., Grandview — An injury sidelined Herting in the postseason last year, but he made the most of his first state trip by placing third in his weight class at the Class 5A state tournament. During the season, Herting gained momentum as the season went along and he finished as the runner-up at the Arvada West Invitational, followed by a third-place showing at the Mile High Classic. Eventual state champion Levi Deaguero stopped Herting in the 5A Region 3 tournament championship match, but he still made state, where he finished 4-1 — with the only loss coming in the semifinals to Pomona’s Dante Hutchings — to finish 42-9. He was the All-Centennial League first teamer at his weight.
175 pounds: Ellis Williams, sr., Cherokee Trail — Williams was a returning Class 5A state qualifier who broke through to get onto the medal podium with a fourth-place finish after a strong season. His season included third-place finishes at the Westminster and War Horse invitationals and he rose towards the end of the season to win the championship of the 5A Region 2 over Pomona’s Maddux Najera, who he would see again at the state tournament. Williams went the long way after losing in the quarterfinals, but finished 4-2 at state — including a loss in the rematch with Najera in the third-place match to compete a 34-12 season in which he shared All-Centennial League second team honors.
190 pounds: Max Kibbee, sr. Grandview — The most loaded weight class in Aurora saw two finalists in Kibbee in 5A and Ezekiel Taylor of Vista PEAK in 4A, along with fourth-place 5A finisher Greg Brooks of Rangeview. During the season, Kibbee defeated both of the other placers — including Brooks in the state semifinals — and made the finals before he lost by fall to Legacy’s Quinn Funk to finish the season 35-6. The All-Centennial League first teamer’s season included a championship at the Mile High Classic, plus a third-place finish Arvada West Invitational, where he lost to 4A state champion Bronco Hartson of Roosevelt in the semifinals.
215 pounds: Oscar Valdez, sr., Vista PEAK — Valdez dedicated himself to improvement in the offseason and he had a fantastic campaign where he was ranked in the top two in Class 4A by On The Mat for the majority of the season. He won championships at the DPI at Berthoud, Mile High Classic, City League Championships and the 4A Region 1 tournament. Valdez competed in five matches at Ball Arena over three days and finished 3-2 in those matches with losses in the semifinals and third-place match. He finished the season 36-9.
285 pounds: Dirk Morley, sr., Regis Jesuit — Morley had designs on making it to the Class 5A state championship match and he was ranked in the top two at his weight by On The Mat for most of the season, which saw him win the championships of the Arapahoe Warrior Invitational, the Northglenn Norse Invitational, the Continental League Championships and the Region 3 tournament. His bid for a title ended early, however, as he lost in the quarterfinals to Pomona’s Adrian Arellano, who went on to lose in the state championship match. Morley ripped through four matches on the consolation side of the bracket and finished a 44-7 season with a 2-1 victory over Valor Christian’s Winston McBride in the third-place match.
Courtney Oakes is Sentinel Colorado Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
2022-23 SENTINEL COLORADO ALL-AURORA BOYS WRESTLING TEAM
106 pounds: Adonias Cantu, jr., Eaglecrest
113 pounds: Jay Everhart, jr., Cherokee Trail
120 pounds: Ethan Diaz, jr., Eaglecrest
126 pounds: Alijah Gabaldon, soph., Eaglecrest
132 pounds: Garrett Reece, soph., Regis Jesuit
138 pounds: Jonathan Montes Gonzales, fr., Grandview
144 pounds: David McCurdy, soph., Grandview
150 pounds: Ryan Curran, jr., Regis Jesuit
157 pounds: Thayne Lundy, jr., Eaglecrest
165 pounds: Charlie Herting, soph., Grandview
175 pounds: Ellis Williams, sr., Cherokee Trail
190 pounds: Maxwell Kibbee, sr., Grandview
215 pounds: Oscar Valdez, sr., Vista PEAK
285 pounds: Dirk Morley, sr., Regis Jesuit
Honorable mention: Richard Avila, fr., Regis Jesuit (120 pounds); Ian Bacon, fr., Vista PEAK (113); Cayden Bird, sr., Grandview (285); Greg Brooks, sr., Rangeview (190) (Fourth Place); Zach Brophy, jr., Smoky Hill (157); William Collins, sr., Cherokee Trail (150); Juan Cooper, sr., Aurora Central (157); LaDainian Gordon, sr., Eaglecrest (175); Rhett Herman, sr., Grandview (113); Nate Jackson, sr., Cherokee Trail (126); Dashawn Jenkins, soph., Smoky Hill (106); Dalton Leivian, jr., Eaglecrest (215); Gunner Lopez, fr., Grandview (132) (Sixth place); Dylan McMahon, jr., Grandview (175); Connor Mohr, jr., Regis Jesuit (126); Van Nawl, sr., Aurora Central (165); Nehemiah Quintana, jr., Grandview (126); James Rada Scales, jr., Overland (150); Kyle Stevens, jr., Cherokee Trail (165); Ezekiel Taylor, sr., Vista PEAK (190) (Second Place)