AURORA | The Pepsi Center is so close, several Aurora prep wrestlers can almost taste it. Many have before.
With the regular season and league championship tournaments now in the books, the only thing left for Aurora’s 11 teams are regional state-qualifying tournaments Feb. 13-14.
Finish in the top-four in any weight there and it means a ticket to the Feb. 19-21 state tournament at Pepsi Center. Finish out of the top four and it means the end of the season, so there’s a lot on the line. Many Aurora wrestlers know the high, as 17 returning state qualifiers will take aim at repeat berths.
Three Aurora teams won’t have to go far for their chance to make state, as Smoky Hill is the site of the Class 5A Region 3 tournament. Also in the 16-team regional field is Aurora Central — which has been performing very well under the radar lately — as well as Gateway, which is minus state champion Deyaun Trueblood, who transferred to Pomona.
“We’re seeing pretty much a whole new group of kids, so that works to our advantage,” said Aurora Central coach Conrad Parra, who hopes to get many more than the two state qualifiers he had last year, including Jonnathan Quijada, an 126-pounder hoping for a second straight trip downtown.
Aurora Central has another state qualifier back in senior 182-pounder Juan Fraire, but Fraire qualified — and placed — last season while at 2A Sedgwick County/Fleming.
The largest concentration of city teams is in the 5A Region 1 tournament at Legacy High School, where Eaglecrest, Hinkley, Overland and Regis Jesuit make up a fourth of the field vying for state berths. Four Regis Jesuit wrestlers — senior twins Donovan and Logan Ronan, junior Nick Elgin (who is returning from a hiatus due to injury) and sophomore Carl Composanto — made it to the Pepsi Center a year ago, as did Eaglecrest’s Jake Dugan, Dominique Evans and Aldin Puris and Hinkley’s Serj Chavez.
Overland will wrestle without senior 106-pounder Daniel Cuc-Capota, who was ranked in the top 10 in 5A by On The Mat for most of the season, but missed the last month of the season after suffering a concussion. Adrian Garcia (17-4) at 220 pounds has the top record going into regionals among a small group of Traiblazers.
Grandview and Rangeview travel to Colorado Springs for the 5A Region 4 tournament at Doherty High School with a lot of state-experienced wrestlers between them.
The Wolves feature Xavier Cardenas (126 pounds) and Josh Harrison-Vigil (285 pounds) who made it a year ago — plus 145-pounder Seth Brown, who qualified, but had to miss state due to injury — while none of the Raiders’ state contingent from last season, Dominic Wenger (113), Kipp Corby (138), Deron Solomon (145), Sam Maes (160) and Max Gonzales (220) graduated.
Maes has been injured for the second half of the season.
Cherokee Trail is bound for 5A Region 3 at Westminster with 120-pounder Danny Constant the lone returning state qualifier with many other Cougars seeking to make it for the first time.
Vista PEAK, Aurora’s lone 4A team, is part of the Region 3 group set to compete at Windsor. The Bison graduated the lone state qualifier and state placer in program history last season in Jesus Casillas, who placed fifth at 120 pounds.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
2014-15 CLASS 5A/4A WRESTLING REGIONAL TOURNAMENTS
REGION 1 (Feb. 13-14 at Legacy High School)
Aurora teams: Eaglecrest, Hinkley, Overland, Regis Jesuit; Other teams: Arvada West, Bear Creek, Boulder, Castle View, Chatfield, Coronado, Fort Collins, Horizon, Legacy (host), Legend, Lincoln, Northglenn
Schedule: Feb. 13 — 3 p.m.: Championship first round, followed by championship quarterfinals and consolation first round; Feb. 14 — 9:30 a.m.: Consolation second round, followed by championship semifinals and consolation quarterfinals; Lunch break; 2:45 p.m.: Consolation semifinals completed, gym cleared; 3:30 p.m.: Parade of Champions, followed by championship, third-place and fifth-place matches plus awards; immed. followed by wrestlebacks, as needed
REGION 2 (Feb. 13-14 at Smoky Hill High School)
Aurora teams: Aurora Central, Gateway, Smoky Hill; Other teams: Arapahoe, Broomfield, Chaparral, Denver East, Douglas County, Fairview, Grand Junction, Highlands Ranch, Liberty, Montbello, Ralston Valley, Rock Canyon, ThunderRidge (host)
Schedule: Feb. 13 — 3 p.m.: Championship first round; 6 p.m.: Championship quarterfinals/consolation first round; Feb. 14 — 9 a.m.: Consolation second round; 10:45 a.m.: Championship semifinals/consolation third round; 12:30-1:30 p.m.: Lunch break; 1:30 p.m.: Consolation semifinals; 3 p.m.: Parade of Champions; 3:15 p.m. Championship, third-place and fifth-place matches; 5:30 p.m.: Wrestlebacks, as necessary
REGION 3 (Feb. 13-14 at Westminster High School)
Aurora team: Cherokee Trail; Other teams: Brighton, Centaurus, Fossil Ridge, Fruita Monument, Greeley West, Loveland, Monarch, Pomona, Ponderosa, Poudre, Prairie View, Rocky Mountain, Thornton, Westminster
Schedule: Feb. 13 — 11 a.m.: Championship first round; 1 p.m.: Championship quarterfinals/consolation first round; 3 p.m.: Consolation second round; Feb. 14 — 11 a.m.: Championship semifinals/consolation third round; 1 p.m.: Consolation semifinals; 3 p.m.: Third- and fifth-place matches, followed by wrestlebacks; 5:30 p.m.: Parade of Champions, championship matches
REGION 4 (Feb. 13-14 at Doherty High School)
Aurora teams: Grandview, Rangeview; Other teams: Adams City, Central (G.C.), Cherry Creek, Columbine, Doherty, Fountain-Fort Carson, George Washington, Heritage, Lakewood, Mountain Range, Mountain Vista, Palmer, Pine Creek (host), Rampart
Schedule: Feb. 13 — 5 p.m.: First round; 6:30 p.m.: Championship second round/consolation first round; Feb. 14 — 9 a.m.: Championship third round/consolation second round; 10:30 a.m.: Championship semifinals/consolation third round; 12:30-1:30 p.m.: Clear gym, lunch break; 1:30 p.m.: Consolation semifinals; 3 p.m.: Championship matches/awards, wrestlebacks immed. following
CLASS 4A
REGION 3 (Feb. 13-14 at Windsor High School)
Aurora team: Vista PEAK; Other teams: Fort Morgan, Frederick, Greeley Central, Longmont, Mountain Vista, Niwot, Northridge, Roosevelt, Silver Creek, Skyline, Windsor (host)
Schedule: Feb. 13 — 11 a.m.: Championship first round; 1 p.m.: Championship quarterfinals/consolation first round; 3 p.m.: Consolation second round; Feb. 14 — 11 a.m.: Championship semifinals/consolation third round; 1 p.m.: Consolation semifinals; 3 p.m.: Third- and fifth-place matches, followed by wrestlebacks as needed, followed by break; 5:30 p.m.: Parade of Champions, championship matches
