Bayfield High School’s John Foutz will wrestle for a state championship.
The senior (43-3) solidified his spot in the Colorado High School Activities Association State Wrestling Championship Class 3A 220-pound weight class championship match in a 7-5 decision over Jimmy Hustoles, Jr. (42-4) of James Irwin in a thrilling semifinal matchup at the Pepsi Center in Denver. After leading 7-0 after two periods, Hustoles Jr. made his run with a five quick points, including three in the final minute of regulation, but Foutz was able to hold on to claim the win.
“That kind of match, that’s why we’re up here, for these kids,” said BHS head coach Todd McMenimen. “Hustoles was power-halfing, and was throwing the legs in. He was using the top to powerhalf us, and he’s such a long-bodied kid and he could create a ton of force that way. After he scored that fifth point, you could see everything John put into those final 30 seconds, and it was just enough to get us over the line.”
Foutz will meet Cody Ponce of Eagle Valley (33-10) for the 220 pound championship on Saturday night. Ponce recorded a double-overtime victory over Skyler Hill of Pagosa Springs in his semifinal matchup.
After Day 2 at the state championships, Jefferson leads the team standings in 3A with 88 points, while Eaton is in second with 7.5 and Valley is third with 77.5. Windsor leads Class 4A with 150 points, Pueblo East is in second with 116.5 and Broomfield is in third with 95. Wray is in first in Class 2A with 129, Rocky Ford is in second with 99.5 and Cedaredge is third with 79.
There are two other wrestlers who are still in medal contention in the consolation brackets. Durango has one wrestler that is still in medal contention, as Ben Belt reached the consolation quarterfinals with a sudden victory over Anthony Sanchez of Battle Mountain. Dylan Pickering of Bayfield is also in the consolation quarterfinals at 3A 138s after he won both his matches on Friday. He beat Joshua Atencio of Pueblo Central in a 9-7 decision to reach the quarterfinals. He will wrestle at 10 a.m., and with a win, will reach the placing rounds.
Here’s a look at how Friday stacked up for area teams:
Durango High School’s Tyler Woodworth had a tough end to his second state appearance. On Friday, he lost his first-round consolation bracket matchup at 152 pounds to Jude Quinlan of Loveland in a 7-3 decision. Woodworth won the Class 3A Region 1 152-pound tournament at Cheyenne Mountain last weekend, but was unable to extend his season after Thursday’s first-round loss.
“Sometimes you just run into kids that are lengthy and stocky, and that’s what we saw today,” said DHS head coach Robert Finneseth. “Tyler was good, but he had some tough matchups, and it was tough to overcome.”
Beau Brunson also had his season come to an end at 106 pounds. The freshman reached the second round of the consolation bracket after he lost on a technical fall to Kobi Johnson of Loveland. In the second round of the consolation bracket, Brunson narrowly lost to Abel Dominguez of Greeley West in a 5-4 decision.
“Beau left it out there and made some mistakes at the end,” Finneseth said. “He needed to push a little harder at the end and came up just short. We got what we thought was two points in the end, and that’s not the way the refs saw it. They only gave us one, and Dominguez moved on.”
Austin Albrecht was the final Demon to wrestle on Friday and left it all on the mat. Albrechht (33-9) lost a 5-4 decision to Isaac Renas of Vista Peak in the consolation bracket second round.
“I’ve never seen a kid that put it all on the mat quite like Austin did tonight,” Finneseth said. “His work ethic was unbelievable, and I was so proud of his fight.”
Randy Herrera fought valiantly against Derek Sanchez of Cedaredge (37-5) but came up short in a 4-0 decision in the second round of the 2A consolation bracket at 285 pounds. Sanchez scored a takedown in the first period and got a point for an escape in the second. In the third, Herrera could not get a move in, and Sanchez escaped for the final point. Herrera finished his career as a two-time state qualifier even after going winless his freshman year and winning two matches during his sophomore year.
Freshman Keaton McCoy reached the second round of the 126-pound weight class but was pinned in his quarterfinal bout, with a loss to Hayden Burr of Sedgwick County. Tyler Barnes was also eliminated in the first round of the consolation bracket at 152 pounds by Erik Mestas of Centauri.
bploen@ durangoherald.com
