AURORA | The Class 4A Region 1 wrestling tournament, scheduled for Feb. 9-10, 2018, at Pueblo County High School, at a glance. Four wrestlers in each weight class advance to the Feb. 15-17 4A state tournament at Pepsi Center:
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
2018 CLASS 4A REGION 1 WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
Feb. 9-10 at Pueblo County H.S.
Aurora team: Vista PEAK; Other teams: Pueblo County, Pueblo South, Pueblo West, Air Academy, Durango, Falcon, Harrison, Liberty, Littleton, Palmer Ridge, Pueblo Centennial, Sand Creek, Vista Ridge
Schedule: Friday, Feb. 9 — 1st round/championship quarterfinals/consolation 1st & 2nd rounds, 4 p.m.; Saturday, Feb. 10 — Championship semifinals/consolation 3rd round/consolation semifinals, 9:30 a.m.; Clear gym; Third-place and fifth-place matches, 1:30 p.m.; championship matches, 3 p.m. (wrestlebacks completed immediately after finals if necessary)
Team ranked by On The Mat: No. 1 Pueblo County
OTM-ranked wrestlers by weight: 106 pounds – 5 (Nos. 1, 2, 8, 11 & 13); 113 pounds — 5 (Nos. 5, 8, 10, 11 & 12); 120 pounds — 4 (Nos. 2, 5, 7 & 12); 126 pounds — 4 (Nos. 2, 11, 14 & 15); 132 pounds — 2 (Nos. 1 & 7); 138 pounds — 3 (Nos. 1, 4 & 5); 145 pounds — 4 (Nos. 4, 5, 14, 17); 152 pounds — 4 (Nos. 2, 9 18 & 20); 160 pounds — 6 (Nos. 3, 5, 6, 11, 14 & 15); 170 pounds — 4 (Nos. 2, 11, 12 & 13); 182 pounds — 3 (Nos. 5, 6 & 14); 195 pounds — 1 (No. 3); 220 pounds — 3 (Nos. 3, 12 & 15); 285 pounds — 2 (Nos. 7 & 9). Total: 50 ranked wrestlers, 47 in top 16 & 21 in top 6
Aurora wrestlers ranked by On The Mat: 126 pounds — No. 15 Tony Lozano (Vista PEAK); 138 pounds — No. 5 Tristan Curtis (Vista PEAK); 195 pounds — No. 3 Jayden Smith (Vista PEAK)
Aurora breakdown: Coach David Benedict’s Vista PEAK team had an all-time high of three wrestlers qualify for last season’s Class 4A state wrestling tournament in Dilan Esparza, Tristan Curtis and Jayden Smith. Seniors Curtis (26-5) and Smith (27-5) are back and seek to better the previous best finish in program history, the fifth-place result secured by Junior Casillas in 2014. Smith is the only wrestler ranked by On The Mat in the 195-pound bracket, while Curtis is one of three at 138 pounds and Lozano is one of four at 126 pounds…Vista PEAK placed sixth as a team at last season’s 4A Region 3 tournament as six wrestlers earned top-six places. Esparza finished second, Curtis and Smith third, Lozano fourth, Cordell Robinson fifth and Drake Jackson sixth. Lozano and Robinson both lost in wrestlebacks with state berths on the line. Though they didn’t make it to the state tournament, Curtis and Smith were regional placers as well in 2016, with Curtis fifth and Smith sixth in the Region 3 tournament at Vista PEAK.