Juan Fraire has been to the state wrestling tournament before and knows the feeling of standing high on the medal podium.
The Aurora Central senior got there a year ago, but at the 2A level when he was at Sedgwick County/Fleming and took third place at 160 pounds.
This season is a whole new ballgame for Fraire, who has noticed one big difference moving up to 5A, the state’s largest classification.
“The kids are a lot bigger,” he said.
Still, that hasn’t slowed the 182-pounder down much, as Fraire has racked up a 32-5 record and earned his way into the Feb. 19-21 5A state tournament at Pepsi Center as a regional champion. He’ll be joined by teammates Axel Pacheco (106), a junior who is qualified for the first time, and 126-pounder Jonnathan Quijada (126), who finished 1-2 last season in his state debut.
More than half of the 27 Aurora wrestlers from 10 schools that survived regional qualifying Feb. 13-14 know the friendly confines of Pepsi Center after making the trip at least once.
Aurora’s lone returning state placer is Regis Jesuit senior Logan Ronan, who finished fourth at 145 pounds in his first state appearance and aims for higher this season at 152. He lost in the Region 1 championship match to top-ranked Payton Tawater of Arvada West, but in doing so ended up on the opposite side of the bracket, with a rematch possible in the state championship match.
Regis Jesuit’s contingent of four qualifiers all have state experience in Ronan, plus twin brother Donovan (145) and junior Nick Elgin (195) — who each make their way to the Pepsi Center for the third straight time — and sophomore Carl Composanto (132).
Led by Region 4 126-pound champion and state veteran Xavier Cardenas, Grandview — under the leadership of first-year head coach Ryan Budd, a three-time state placer in his days wrestling for the Wolves — also had four wrestlers earn state berths. Cardenas and junior heavyweight Josh Vigil-Harrison both made state in the previous two seasons as well.
Senior 145-pounder Seth Brown qualified last season, though he had pull out due to injury, so he will wrestle downtown for the first time along with sophomore Armando Santillan at 132 pounds.
All four of Cherokee Trail’s qualifiers — Michael Thelen (152), Seth Bogulski (160), Zeke Silva (170) and Oreva Koka (285) — are state newcomers.
Eaglecrest has a veteran trio in seniors Dominique Evans (138), Jake Dugan (152) — a three-time qualifier — and Aldin Puris (182), while 145-pounder Serj Chavez, one of Hinkley’s “Three Amigos” with Ben Rhoton (106) and Rafael Garibay (120) has been there before.
Chavez wrestled just part of his first round match at state last season before he had to be helped off with an injury that ended his tournament.
Rangeview Region 4 champion Max Gonzales (220) and teammate Sam Maes (160) both made state a year ago along with three other teammates, who all got stopped in regionals this time around. Gonzales won twice at state last season and came up one victory short of reaching the medal podium.
Maes missed much of the season due to injury, but managed a 20-3 record and reached the regional championship match before falling.
Gateway’s Jordon White (126) and Smoky Hill’s Carlos Zerna (195) represent their schools at state on the heels of great performances by former teammates last season.
Former Oly Deyaun Trueblood — now at Pomona — won the 152-pound state championship last season, while former Buff Dexter Bess made it to the 220-pound final before losing to Regis Jesuit’s Grant Neal in an all-Aurora title bout.
In 4A, the duo of Dilan Esparza (106) and Marcus Guerra (132) break ground for the Vista PEAK program and get their first taste of the state tournament.
The school’s largest contingent of qualifiers for the state tournament had been one in Junior Casillas for each of the past three years, but that’s been doubled this season for the 4A tournament.
Casillas set a bar for the program with his fifth-place finish at 120 pounds last year.
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
AURORA CLASS 5A/4A STATE WRESTLING QUALIFIERS
Aurora Central: Axel Pacheco (106 pounds), Jonnathan Quijada (126), Juan Fraire (182); Cherokee Trail: Michael Thelen (152), Seth Bogulski (160), Zeke Silva (170), Oreva Koka (285); Eaglecrest: Dominique Evans (138), Jake Dugan (152), Aldin Puris (182); Gateway: Jordon White (126); Grandview: Xavier Cardenas (126), Armando Santillan (132), Seth Brown (145), Josh Vigil-Harrison (285); Hinkley: Ben Rhoton (106), Rafael Garibay (120), Serj Chavez (145); Rangeview: Sam Maes (160), Max Gonzales (220); Regis Jesuit: Carl Composanto (132), Donovan Ronan (145), Logan Ronan (152), Nick Elgin (195); Smoky Hill: Carlos Zerna (195); Vista PEAK: Dilan Esparza (106), Marcus Guerra (132)
AURORA FIRST ROUND 5A/4A STATE MATCHES (FEB. 19)
106 pounds: 5A — Ryan Chauvin, fr., Pine Creek (37-12) vs. BEN RHOTON, JR., HINKLEY (33-9); 5A — Brody Lamb, fr., Poudre (35-7) vs. AXEL PACHECO, JR., AURORA CENTRAL (18-11); 4A — DILAN ESPARZA, SOPH., VISTA PEAK (25-13) vs. Jaden Porreco, fr., Discovery Canyon (32-9)
120 pounds: 5A — RAFAEL GARIBAY, JR., HINKLEY (35-11) vs. Lane McAdams, sr., Pine Creek (39-8)
126 pounds: 5A — Daniel Van Hoose, soph., Fruita Monument (40-12) vs. JONNATHAN QUIJADA, JR., AURORA CENTRAL (31-9); 5A — Adam Aguilar, jr., Legend (33-14) vs. XAVIER CARDENAS, JR., GRANDVIEW (30-6); 5A — Jacob Greenwood, fr., Poudre (33-4) vs. JORDON WHITE, JR., GATEWAY (18-12)
132 pounds: 5A — CARL COMPOSANTO, SOPH., REGIS JESUIT (20-13) vs. Jason Romero, soph., Pomona (31-8); 5A — John Daniel, sr., Arapahoe (35-5) vs. ARMANDO SANTILLAN, SOPH., GRANDVIEW (29-13); 4A — MARCUS GUERRA, JR., VISTA PEAK (29-7) vs. Poe Di, jr., Littleton (31-9)
138 pounds: 5A — Garrett Niel, fr., Pine Creek (36-6) vs. DOMINIQUE EVANS, SR., EAGLECREST (32-8)
145 pounds: 5A — Josh Turner, sr., Liberty (32-8) vs. DONOVAN RONAN, SR., REGIS JESUIT (27-5); 5A — Josiah Rider, fr., Grand Junction (43-1) vs. SERJ CHAVEZ, SOPH., HINKLEY (35-5); 5A — Brandon Billips, jr., Pomoa (16-11) vs. SETH BROWN, SR., GRANDVIEW (34-7)
152 pounds: 5A — Jared Todd, jr., Heritage (25-2) vs. MICHAEL THELEN, JR., CHEROKEE TRAIL (30-8); 5A — JAKE DUGAN, SR., EAGLECREST (33-4) vs. Connor Ventura, jr., Broomfield (32-10); 5A — LOGAN RONAN, SR., REGIS JESUIT (31-3) vs. Jack Huber, soph., ThunderRidge (31-13)
160 pounds: 5A — Tyler Turco, sr., Ponderosa (39-12) vs. SAM MAES, SR., RANGEVIEW (20-3); 5A — Idan Peek, jr., Pine Creek (32-11) vs. SETH BOGULSKI, JR., CHEROKEE TRAIL (35-8)
170 pounds: 5A — ZEKE SILVA, SOPH., CHEROKEE TRAIL (37-8) vs. Tanner Hauptman, jr., Ralston Valley (24-11)
182 pounds: 5A — ALDIN PURIS, SR., EAGLECREST (36-8) vs. Cameron Gonzales, soph., Pomona (28-8); 5A — Jay Forsythe, sr., Heritage (20-8) vs. JUAN FRAIRE, SR., AURORA CENTRAL (32-5)
195 pounds: 5A — CARLOS ZERNA, SR., SMOKY HILL (25-9) vs. Derek Coleman, jr., Legacy (25-11); 5A — NICK ELGIN, JR., REGIS JESUIT (21-7) vs. Matthew Stanley, sr., ThunderRidge (41-13)
220 pounds: 5A — Xavier Boccadoro, sr., Horizon (32-9) vs. MAX GONZALES, SOPH., RANGEVIEW (38-4)
285 pounds: 5A — Ian Scott, jr., Monarch (30-10) vs. JOSH VIGIL-HARRISON, JR., GRANDVIEW (24-8); 5A — OREVA KOKA, SR., CHEROKEE TRAIL (29-11) vs. Taylor White, sr., Pine Creek (39-8)
