The Colorado High School Activities Association kicked off the first day of state wrestling at Ball Arena on Thursday.
Here’s a quick recap of the local wrestlers' performances.
The girls squad made an impact in their Class 4A bracket. Freshman CeJae Snyder delivered an impressive 3-0 run on the first day of state competition. Senior Aubrey Rutherford won her first-round match but was pinned by Abbie Reeves of Manitou Springs at 2:23 in the quarterfinal round. Rutherford will continue her state campaign on Friday, aiming for a placing finish.
Freshman Paislee Mestas lost by pin fall in her first-round 120-pound match against Alamosa’s Samantha Maestas. She’s now focused on facing Platte Valley’s Kayton Kneebone and reaching the podium.
CeJae Snyder won by a pin about the 1:30 mark against Trinidad’s Nicole Wheeler in her 115-pound bracket before sealing the same fate for Holy Family’s Jayci Pounders at the 4:35 mark. Snyder advances to the championship semifinals on Friday.
For the Class 3A boys team, junior Bodie Stiegelmeyer lost a closely contested 113-pound Class 3A first-round match to Antonio Herrera of Mullen High School by pin at 4:38. He will continue his pursuit of a podium finish, facing Berthoud’s Dax Diffendaffer on Friday.
Sophomore Keaton Curleyhair fell to Cristofer Juan of Fort Morgan in their 120-pound first-round match on Thursday via pin fall at 5:36, but Curleyhair will face Alameda International’s Mateo Jaramillo to move onto the consolation bracket to land a placing finish.
First-place matches continued to stunt the Panthers as junior Rusty Snyder fell to Eaton’s Ethan Deal in his 138-pound match by pin fall at the 5:33 mark on Thursday. Snyder moves on to compete against Cash Altschwager of Wellington to get a spot on the podium.
Senior Ashton Orr faced the same result as he lost his 144-pound first round match against Luke Sorensen via technical fall 17-5. Orr will face Conifer’s Adam Rackley on Friday to continue his campaign to the podium.
Wrestling leaders Mancos are pushing toward placing finishes, with senior Brandon Vannest remaining in the Class 2A state championship bracket.
Brandon Vannest advances to the championship semifinals as he led an impressive 2-0 run in his 157-pound division on his first day of the state championship. Vannest earned his victory via pin fall at the 3:49 mark the first round then won by a sudden victory in an intense overtime period by a takedown over Weston Johnson of Fowler. Vannest advances to face Wray’s Casey Midcap in the championship semifinals.
Freshman Traycer White lost his 106-pound first-round bout against Highland’s Braiden Sidwell by a pin at the 4:47 mark. He will face Coy Ellenberger of North Fork on Friday to place.
Junior Jacob Martin won his first-round match in the 190-pound division by pinning his opponent less than a minute into the match. He then lost to Carter Stromer of Buena Vista by pin fall just after the one-minute mark. Martin will continue his pursuit of a placing finish on Friday.
Junior Colten Vannest lost to Spencer Uhland of Counter Line in the first round of the 285-pound bracket. He will compete against Lincoln Tomky of Swink on Friday as he continues his pursuit of a podium finish.
Sophomore Teagan Larimore remains in the 132-pound championship bracket after an impressive 2-0 run. Larimore won his first match by pin at 3:40, then secured a sudden victory 11-9 in the overtime period over Collins' Austin Collins to advance to the championship semifinals on Friday.
Senior Frankey Montoya his first match in the 215-pound division bracket before falling short to Wray’s Tavery Chappell in the quarterfinals. Montoya awaits his next opponent on Friday as he advances to a potential third-place medal.
Sophomore Cael Beanland lost his 126-pound first-round match to Dayspring Christian Academy’s wrestler by pin at 4:32. He will face Benson Eggleston of Buena Vista on Friday as he continues his pursuit of a top six finish.
Konner Spigner, competing in his first state championship season, lost his opening match in the 150-pound division. He will now focus on facing Buena Vista’s Jackson Bentley on Friday as he leads a Bulldog push for podium finishes.
As the first state qualifier in some years for the Bears, junior Nathan Hill continues to push through his 150-pound bracket. Hill fell to Center’s Aaron Valdez via pin at the 3:05 mark in his first-round match, but will continue to advance to go head-to-head with Rocky Ford’s Julius Martinez for a placing finish.
The following rounds will continue in day two action on Friday.
