Brackets and athletes to watch at this year's Wrestling State Championships in Denver

Hugh Johnson, The Gazette (Colorado Springs, Colo.)
·3 min read

Feb. 15—The 2022-2023 high school wrestling season culminates at the Colorado High School Activities Association's state wrestling championships Thursday through Saturday at Ball Arena in Denver.

Here are some brackets to watch, tidbits and extras leading into the big weekend:

Reeves bring double trouble

Manitou Springs senior Wesley Reeves and sophomore sister Abbigail Reeves both qualified for the state tournament this weekend.

Abbigail will compete at the 130-pound weight class and Wesley will compete at the 190-pound weight class. Wesley is ranked second in his class at 3A according to On the Mat Wrestling's rankings.

Valdez goes for gold

Dominant Doherty sophomore Katey Valdez will be looking to complete her perfect season and take the top spot in the girls' 100 weight class this weekend. The two-time Colorado Springs Metro Wrestling Championships winner took third at state a year ago.

Pirate trio sails into championship tournament

Anthony and Andrew Isek will both be representing a restored St. Mary's Pirates wrestling program at state this year. Joining them will be senior Dominick Cuccinelli. Andrew, a sophomore, will wrestle at the 2A, 120 weight class. Anthony, a senior, will wrestle at 126 and Cuccinelli will compete at 150. Both Iseks are ranked second in their respective weight classes according to On the Mat.

4A Heavyweight bash

Mesa Ridge's Matthew Moore might be the favorite to take the 4A, 285 crown at state, being that he is ranked No.1 according to On the Mat. And local wrestlers Jeremiah Sandiford of Falcon and Antonio Camey-Valdez of Harrison are ranked third and fourth respectively. Sandiford defeated Camey-Valdez in the semifinals at Metros before he was defeated by Moore in the finals.

Eagles rolling 12 deep at state

The Pine Creek Eagles set a record with their winning score at Metros, placing all fourteen of their wrestlers. This year, Pine Creek is sending 12 wrestlers to state, one more than last year which had them finishing eighth. Pine Creek will no doubt look to do better this season with a very talented team.

Guinard gets another shot at state title.

Discovery Canyon senior Victoria Guinard is ranked first in the 155-pound weight class according to On the Mat's rankings. She took second at state in the 147 class a year ago. At 38-1, the Thunder senior will be one to watch over the weekend.

Local Wrestlers Ranked in the top four according to On the Mat's Wrestling Rankings

Girls

100

1. Katey Valdez, Sophomore, Doherty

105

1. Alexsys Jacquez, Senior, Fountain-Fort Carson

2. Hayden Newberg, Sophomore, Vista Ridge

110.

4. Mia Thorne, Sophomore, Discovery Canyon

115.

2. Amaya Hinojosa, Freshman, Widefield

3. Mia Hargrove, Junior, Discovery Canyon

120

3. Isabella Cross, Junior, Mesa Ridge (now wrestling at 125)

125

2. Naomi Kidd, Senior, Doherty

135

2. Adrianna Lopez, Junior, Discovery Canyon

140

2. Kaydence Bonewell, Senior, Vista Ridge

145

1. Janida Garcia, Senior, Discovery Canyon

155

1. Victoria Guinard, Senior, Discovery Canyon

170

2. Alison Evans, Junior, Vista Ridge

4. Camy Hogan, Junior, Palmer Ridge

190.

7. Mahalia Jones

Boys

5A

106

1. Griffin Rial, Sophomore, Pine Creek

120

2. Ryder Rhodes, Senior, Pine Creek

126

4. Elijah Banks, Sophomore, Pine Creek

215

2. Nate King, Senior, Pine Creek

4A

113

4. Joey Meza, Sophomore, Falcon

120

3. Damien Reyes, Sophomore, Mesa Ridge

132

4. Patrick Ransom, Senior, Cheyenne Mountain

144

3. Luke Diehl, Junior, Coronado

150

3. Wes Coddington, Sophomore, Vista Ridge

157

1. Javani Majoor, Junior, Falcon

165

1. Joseph Lovato Bakke, Senior, Falcon

175

2. Solomon Arnds, Senior, Vista Ridge

4. Isaiah Jones, Junior, Mesa Ridge

285

1. Matthew Moore, Senior, Mesa Ridge

3. Jeremiah Sandiford, Senior, Falcon

4. Antonio Camey-Valdez, Senior, Harrison

3A

144

3. David Burchett, Freshman, James Irwin

190

2. Wesley Reeves, Senior, Manitou Springs

215

3. Tanner Eide, Senior, The Classical Academy

2A

120

2. Andrew Isek, Sophomore, St. Mary's

126

2. Anthony Isek, Senior, St. Mary's

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