Under the brightest lights and on the biggest stage a wrestler from Colorado could compete on, two La Plata County athletes fell just short of the ultimate prize in high school athletics.
Ethan Appenzeller of Ignacio and Ryan Nava of Bayfield both advanced to state championship matches Saturday at the Pepsi Center in Denver. Both came away with second-place finishes to become two of five wrestlers from the county to place at the Colorado High School Activities Association State Wrestling Championships.
Appenzeller was first to the mat after the Parade of Champions. Both Appenzeller and Nava endured grueling waits in the tunnel of the Pepsi Center as lower weight class wrestlers took their turns.
Appenzeller, who hadn't lost at 138 pounds all season, squared off with Britton Holmes of Peyton, the top seed in the Class 2A bracket. Holmes scored an early takedown, but Appenzeller escaped and scored an explosive takedown of his own to take a 3-2 lead after one period. Holmes scored an escape to tie the match at 3 going to the third and final period.
Appenzeller took the bottom position and fought to get to his feet, but Holmes secured a three-point near fall to establish a commanding 6-3 lead late in the match. Appenzeller escaped and was awarded one point for Holmes stalling near the end, but it wasn't enough in a 6-5 decision loss.
"Ethan is very good in the bottom position, so we chose it like we always do," IHS head coach Jordan Larsen said. "it was back-and-forth for a good bit, but that kid ran what he is good at. He caught our wrist, head cranked us for 20, 25 seconds and finally exposed our back to the mat. Ethan fought and fought off his back to escape."
Appenzeller finished the season with an astounding 40-2 record.
Nava's match at Class 3A 145 pounds followed immediately after. Nava fell victim to a single-leg takedown from Zach Damian of Valley, and Damian took advantage of a little impatience from Nava and secured a pin victory 1 minute, 30 seconds into the match.
Nava (41-6), who placed fourth a year ago, said he was humbled by the loss and said it will motivate him to take it one step further next year as a senior.
"Every year is a different experience. I've been really soaking it up and enjoying this," he said. "These are memories I'll have until the day I die, and it makes it really special.
"Getting to the championship is something I've been looking at since I could talk. It didn't turn out in my favor completely, but it makes me want it more for next year, my last year at BHS."
Two more La Plata County athletes earned third-place finishes at state. Bayfield junior heavyweight Sam Westbrook finished the three-day tournament 5-1. After losing a tough quarterfinal to the bracket's top overall seed, Westbrook rolled off four consecutive wins in the Class 3A consolation bracket to take third place. After disposing of Colorado Springs Christian's Eric Allen in a 5-2 decision Saturday morning, Westbrook clashed with Manitou Springs' Julian Sanchez in the third-place match and came out victorious in a 2-1 decision. Westbrook finished the year with a 48-4 overall record.
"It's a great confidence builder for Sam, and it was good for all our other kids who came to watch," BHS head coach Neil Barnes said. "They learned from Sam that even if things go bad, you can always fight back through."
Ignacio's Lorenzo Peña also battled back after a semifinal loss in the Class 2A 160-pound bracket to take third. He earned a first-period pin victory against Carlos Tarin of Wray on Saturday morning, then wrestled for a tough 4-0 decision win against Chase Rule of Meeker in the third-place match.
All three wrestlers Ignacio took to the state tournament finished on the podium, as 132-pound Tyler Beebe hung tough to take fifth place in the Class 2A bracket. After losing a quarterfinal, Beebe earned a pair of wins to reach the consolation semifinals Saturday morning. Beebe dropped an 11-8 decision to Brandon Buhr of Centauri, but he again bounced back in the fifth-place match with a 5-2 decision win against Keith Graham of Sedwick County/Fleming.
"Absolutely outstanding wrestling weekend for us," Larsen said. "The boys went out and wrestled the best they had this season. We peaked at the right time. They all battled with heart in every single match. The only thing that is disappointing sometimes is the outcome, not the effort that is put in."
Barnes and Larsen were both in their first year as head coaches of their respective programs. Barnes said it made 25 years of waiting to be a head coach well worth it, and both head coaches are excited about the future of their programs.
"I'm looking forward to giving the guys a nice break, but I couldn't be more happy with who we have committed to this sport in Ignacio and what the potential is for next season for all of them," Larsen said.
"We have a great roster of talented kids coming back next year," Barnes added. "They all learned something this week, and I couldn't be more excited for the future."
jlivingston@durangoherald.com
