AURORA | Twenty-four wrestlers from Aurora area programs went into Ball Arena Thursday night for the Class 5A girls wrestling state tournament though all will be back Friday, four remain in the hunt for a championship.
The Vista PEAK Prep duo of juniors Amelia Bacon (125 pounds) and Parice Jones (190), Regis Jesuit sophomore Remington Zimmerer (120) and Overland senior Ruth Worknhe (235) earned the two victories on opening night requisite to advance to the semifinals, which are scheduled for 6 p.m. Friday.
The remaining 19 Aurora qualifiers return to the mat for a consolation session at 12:45 p.m. as they seek to fight their way through the backside of their respective brackets to earn spots on the top-six medal podium.
Bacon has been to the semifinal round before as she did so last season on her way to a final appearance and eventual second place finish. She will make her return to the final four — this time at 125 pounds — after earning wins by fall in each of her two rounds, including a quarterfinal victory in a local matchup with Eaglecrest junior Jordan Heibult.
Bacon will have a teammate in the semifinals in Jones, who is making her first state appearance.
Zimmerer’s two wins — both achieved by pin — assure her of a top-six place for the second time in as many seasons. She placed sixth at 105 pounds last season, but is one win away from wrestling for a championship at 120.
Worknhe had made two previous trips to the state tournament and had gone 0-2 both times, but this time she broke through in a big way. She opened with a victory in a local matchup with Vista PEAK Prep sophomroe Khloe Yizar, then picked up a win by fall over Widefield’s Rilen-Rose Casares early in the third period of their quarterfinal.
Eaglecrest junior Sydney Babi (105 pounds), Heibult (125), senior Bailee Mestas (130) and freshman Maxime Lantz (140) all won their first round matches before falling in the quarterfinals, which will bring them back into the consolation bracket in the second round.
The area wrestlers who lost in the first round will have to win three consolation matches to make the placing round. The third round of consolation matches will followed semifinals at approximately 7:15 p.m. Friday.
The tournament concludes Saturday with consolation semifinals slated for 9 a.m., followed by fifth-place matches and then third-place matches in conjunction with all other classifications. The Parade of Champions for girls and boys is at 4 p.m. ahead of finals contested on six mats.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
