COLORADO SPRINGS | Two tournaments, two championship matches so far in the 2014-15 wrestling season for Eaglecrest’s Jake Dugan.
Denied the title in the Arapahoe Warrior Invitational a week earlier by Regis Jesuit’s Donovan Ronan, the Raptors’ senior 152-pounder rolled past Ronan in the semifinals and went on to become Aurora’s only champion at Saturday’s 35th annual Harold McCray Invitational at Lewis-Palmer High School.
Once he’d dispatched Ronan 10-4 to earn a berth in the finals, Dugan — ranked No. 8 in 5A by On The Mat — pinned Olathe’s Jake Jimenez late in the second period for the best result for Eaglecrest, which had eight top-five placers on its way to a city-best fifth-place finish in the 16-team field. Regis Jesuit had two finalists and finished ninth, while Vista PEAK came in 15th and Gateway 16th.
Alec Rivera joined Dugan in the finals for coach Dan Wrona’s Raptors, but lost by a 16-0 tech fall to Douglas County powerhouse Jack Bullock at 120 pounds, while senior 113-pounder Stephen Ramirez followed up his Warrior Invite championship with a pin in the third-place match.
Senior 182-pounder Aldin Puris and senior 220-pounder Russell Denny also won third-place matches for Eaglecrest, while senior 145-pounder Dominique Evans and Gabe Rodriguez at 160 pounds finished fourth. Noah Lockyer claimed fifth at 132 pounds for the Raptors.
Regis Jesuit’s Logan Ronan earned a chance to win his second straight tournament title, but On The Mat’s second-ranked 160-pounder dropped an 8-4 decision to Douglas County’s Robert Gambrell, who was ranked No. 4, for his first loss of the season.
Junior Nick Elgin — On the Mat’s No. 3-ranked wrestler at 195 pounds in 5A — also made the final, only to be pinned by 4A’s top-ranked Benjamin Self in the first period. Donovan Ronan rebounded from his semifinal loss to Dugan to pin Sand Creek’s Joseph Cruz in the 152-pound third-place match.
Vista PEAK finished with 34 points to best Gateway by two, boosted by junior Marcus Guerra’s championship-match appearance at 132 pounds.
The unranked Guerra recorded three straight pins to make the final, but ran into 4A No. 5 Tyler Hanenberg of Air Academy, who pinned him in the late stages of the first period.
Gateway had just six wrestlers entered, with junior Jordan White claiming fourth at 126 pounds.
Courtney Oakes is Sports Editor of the Aurora Sentinel. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or [email protected] Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel
2014 HAROLD MCCRAY INVITATIONAL WRESTLING TOURNAMENT
Team scores: 1. Douglas County 211.5 points; 2. Olathe 191; 3. Air Academy 146; 4. Cherry Creek 139.5; 5. EAGLECREST 138; 6. Lewis-Palmer 110.5; 7. Doherty 101; 8. Widefield 73; 9. REGIS JESUIT 72; 10. Rampart 68; 11. Sierra 66.5; T12. Salida 61; T12. Sand Creek 61; 14. Falcon 37; 15. VISTA PEAK 34; 16. GATEWAY 32
Aurora championship matches
120 pounds: Jack Bullock (Douglas County) tech. fall ALEC RIVERA (EAGLECREST), 16-0
132 pounds: Tyler Hanenberg (Air Academy) pinned MARCUS GUERRA (VISTA PEAK), 1:54
152 pounds: JAKE DUGAN (EAGLECREST) pinned Jake Jimenez (Olathe), 3:52
160 pounds: Robert Gambrell (Douglas County) dec. LOGAN RONAN (REGIS JESUIT), 8-4
195 pounds: Benjamin Self (Air Academy) pinned NICK ELGIN (REGIS JESUIT), 0:48
Aurora third-place matches
113 pounds: STEPHEN RAMIREZ (EAGLECREST) pinned Jacob Brettman (Douglas County), 3:46
126 pounds: Matthew Barlea (Air Academy) dec. JORDAN WHITE (GATEWAY), 4-3
145 pounds: AJ Curtis (Cherry Creek) maj. dec. DOMINIQUE EVANS (EAGLECREST), 9-0
152 pounds: DONOVAN RONAN (REGIS JESUIT) pinned Joseph Cruz (Sand Creek), 1:34
160 pounds: Caleb Jolley (Olathe) pinned GABE RODRIGUEZ (EAGLECREST), 0:39
182 pounds: ALDIN PURIS (EAGLECREST) pinned Brad Ellis (Lewis-Palmer), 1:21
220 pounds: RUSSELL DENNY (EAGLECREST) pinned Lance Kramer (Olathe), 2:57
Aurora fifth-place matches
132 pounds: NOAH LOCKYER (EAGLECREST) pinned Levi Kindt (Douglas County), 1:56
