DENVER – The gravity of wrestling in the state tournament on the Pepsi Center floor can shake even the most talented wrestlers.
Bayfield High School freshman Ryan Nava walked in wide-eyed and struggled in the early part of his first match, trailing Corbin Usry of Sterling 3-1 early in the second period of their Class 2A 120-pound bout.
“I thought I’d shake it before the match, but it’s such a beautiful sight down here,” said Nava, son of Ramona Nava and Allec Rodriguez. “My nerves got the best of me.”
He found a way to best both the nerves and Usry.
Nava tied the match at three at the start of the third period, grabbed a 5-4 lead via takedown and held on for a 7-4 win in his first ever state tournament match.
“I realized, ‘This isn’t a scrub; this is a legit kid,’” Nava said. “I just told myself, ‘This isn’t going to come to me; I’ve gotta go get it.’”
It’s exactly what BHS head coach Todd McMenimen wanted from him: Handle the nerves, get the first match out of the way and know how to improve.
“I’d like to see him push the pace a little more,” McMenimen said. “But for his first match at state, I’m not going to second-guess this one.”
Nava will wrestle Michael Johnson from Lamar in Friday’s quarterfinals.
Johnson pinned Buena Vista’s Patrick Huffman to reach the quarterfinals.
The Wolverines’ other wrestler, Class 2A No. 2 Colter McMenimen, wasn’t phased at all by the stage or his opponent. He won a 19-0 technical fall victory over Fabian Estrada from Jefferson with 1 minute, 29 seconds remaining in the second period.
“I want the near fall,” said McMenimen, son of Missy and coach McMenimen. “That gives me a lot of points.”
McMenimen, who finished third at state last year, will face Brush’s Alec Peterson, who is ranked No. 3 in Class 3A, in the quarterfinals.
Peterson won a 5-1 decision over Peter Williamson from Cedaredge in the preliminary rounds.
“The kid from Brush is the real deal; it’ll be a good test,” coach McMenimen said. “He knows he needs to beat the best to get where he wants to be.”
The Class 3A quarterfinals will begin at 10 a.m. Friday.
kgrabowski@durangoherald.com
Class 3A
DENVER – First-round results Thursday from the CHSAA Class 3A Wrestling State Championships at the Pepsi Center:
Team Scores: Lamar 29; Valley 27; Centauri 26.5; Brush 22; Olathe 20; Monte Vista 19.5; Ft. Lupton 15.5; Sterling 14.5; Dolores Huerta 12; Platte Valley 12; Buena Vista 11.5; Bennett 11; La Junta 11; Sheridan 10.5; Classical Academy 10; Strasburg 10; Alamosa 9.5; C.S. Christian 9.5; Holy Family 8; Cedaredge 7.5; Eaton 7; Pagosa Springs 6; Bayfield 5.5; Jefferson 5.5; Coal Ridge 4; Ellicott 4; Grand Valley 4; Gunnison 4; Hotchkiss 4; Lake County 4; Middle Park 4; Moffat County 4; St. Mary’s 4; Faith Christian 2; Florence 2; Salida 2; University 2.
120: Trenton Piatt, Olathe, pinned Brandon Onofre, Jefferson, :33; Andrew Jaramillo, Platte Valley, pinned Chance Boehm, Florence, 3:26; Ryan Nava, Bayfield, dec. Corbin Usry, Sterling, 7-5; Michael Johnson, Lamar, pinned Patrick Huffman, Buena Vista, 3:16; Tell Kelley, Alamosa technical fall Erich Russ, Eaton, 15-0; Austin Todd, Cedaredge, technical fall Randy Munoz, Ellicott, 15-0; Andrew Clark, Bennett, dec. Issik Herod, Moffatt County, 12-7; Conrad Cole, Brush, pinned Jacob Bedford, C.S. Christian, 2:29.
138: Joseph Prieto, Holy Family, pinned Mitch McCurdy, Hotchkiss, :46; Shane Wilson, Centauri, major decision Cesar Morales, Ellicott; 10-2; Jacob Vance, Monte Vista, pinned Danyon Minck, La Junta, :44; Austin Walters, Platte Valley dec. Brayden Peterson, Moffat County, 2-1; Kaleb Hansen, Lamar, pinned Haydden Humberg, Dolores Huerta, 5:00; Omar Sotelo, Valley, pinned Trent Rose, Olathe, 3:55; Alec Petterson, Brush, dec. Peter Williamson, Cedaredge, 5-1; Colter McMenimen, Bayfield technical fall Fabian Estrada, Jefferson, 19-0.
Associated Press
