Legacy qualifies in all but one weight class

John Rosa, Special to the Rocky

Published February 11, 2007 at midnight

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BROOMFIELD – Numbers alone won't win you a team championship, but it sure can't hurt.

The Legacy wrestling team is hoping that overwhelming numbers will help them make a run at the Class 5A state championship next week as the Lightning qualified wrestlers in 13 of a possible 14 weight classes Saturday during the Region 2 tournament.

Those numbers allowed host Legacy, ranked second by On the Mat behind defending champion Ponderosa, to take the team title of the 15-team tournament with 291.5 points. Central of Grand Junction took second with 167 points, while Grand Junction was third at 162.

Last year Legacy also had double-digit qualifiers, but they weren't a serious threat to Ponderosa. The Lightning weren't wrestling well at the end of the year, and only had two regional champions.

This season Legacy seems to be peeking at the right time, and the Lightning grabbed four regional titles and had four second-place finishes Saturday.

"We set a goal as a team to send all of our guys to state, and that's something we've been working hard for," said junior Adam Dunne, who won the 119-pound regional title. "Last year we had injuries and some of the kids were sick (at state). This year we're sticking with it and trying our best."

Dunne, who failed to place at state last season, realizes he'll have to score points at state for Legacy to have a chance to dethrone Ponderosa.

"I just have to go and wrestle, that's all you can do," Dunne said.

One person who should score a lot points for the Lightning at state is 189-pounder Nick Bauman. Bauman also has a chance to become the first individual state wrestling champion in school history, as he'll enter the tournament ranked No. 1.

Bauman, who reached the 215-pound state title match last year, was dominant during regionals, pinning all three of his opponents.

"This wasn't my goal, to win regionals," said Bauman, who pinned Austin Jones of Smoky Hill in 3:33 of the title match. "As long as I qualified for state, I didn't care what I did at regionals.

"I feel like I'm in the best shape I've ever been in while wrestling. I'm feeling pretty good."

Another wrestler who looks dominant heading into state is Thornton heavyweight Marcus Felker. The defending 5A champ, Felker improved to 30-0 on the year with a 13-4 decision over Jon Russel of Palmer.

Felker, who has 24 pins on the year, said that even though he's overwhelmed most of his opponents this season, he's still cautious heading into the state tournament.

"There's always worries," said Felker, who accepted a football scholarship to the University of Wyoming. "You can't overlook anybody but I'm confident."

While Felker is going after his second state title, plenty of wrestlers will be going after their first, including Green Mountain sophomore Mike Burgess.

Burgess, a sophomore who failed to place at state last season, heads into this year's tournament as a regional champ after beating Vincent Gallegos of Legacy 7-4 in the 130-pound title match.

"I just have to go out and wrestle my hardest and hope I come out on top," Burgess said.

Class 5A Region 2

Team championship

Legacy, 291.5; 2. Central (GJ), 167; 3. Grand Junction 162; 4. Coronado, 144.5; 5. Centaurus, 102; 6. Smoky Hill, 101; 7. Standley Lake, 93.5; 8. Palmer, 93; 9. Thornton, 87.5; 10. Green Mountain, 84; 11. Boulder, 82; 12. Lewis-Palmer, 74; 13. Fairview, 72; 14. Gateway, 29; 15. Montbello, 8.

Individual results

First place matches

103 – Chris Wessel, Legacy, dec. Marcus May, Green Mountain, 6-2.

112 – Gavin Peters, Standley Lake, dec. Geronimo Gemoya, Grand Junction, 7-4.

119 – Adam Dunne, Legacy, dec. Nolan Myers, Smoky Hill, 3-2.

125 – Dominic Valenzuela, Centaurus, dec. Chris Cruickshank, Legacy, 7-1.

130 – Mike Burgess, Green Mountain, dec. Vincent Gallegos, Legacy 7-4.

135 – Joshua Guiterrez, Legacy, dec. Alex Escalante, Central, 16-4.

140 – Tyler Young, Grand Junction, dec. Michael DeBaca, Legacy, 12-7.

145 – Ceasar Crespin, Centaurus, dec. Kyle Stout, Central, 7-2.

152 – Kye Martin, Coronado, dec. Daniel Mitchell, Legacy, 4-2 overtime.

160 – Garrett Lanham, Centaurus, dec. Adam Katz, Boulder, 14-5.

171 – Micah Burak, Coronado, dec. Jordan Weber, Legacy 10-4.

189 – Nick Bauman, Legacy, pinned Austin Jones, Smoky Hill, 3:33.

215 – Robert Tucker, Grand Junction, dec. Jon Eddings, Boulder, 12-4.

285 – Marcus Felker, Thornton, dec. Jon Russel, Palmer, 13-4.

Third place matches

103 – Mathew Gurule, Central, dec. Devon Cox, Palmer, 4-2.

112 – Micahel Vigil, Legacy, tech fall Stephen Parrilla, Coronado 18-3.

119 – Dustin Juceam, Standley Lake, dec. Mike Boyle, Green Mountain, 5-3 overtime.

125 – Stephen Hren, Central, pinned Joey Melillo, Palmer, 3:24.

130 – Dane Porter, Grand Junction, dec. Ben Barringer, Lewis Palmer, 5-0.

135 – Tyler Brickell, Coronado, dec. Derek Lange, Boulder, 6-4 overtime.

140 – Seiji Hashimoto, Thornton, dec. Daniel Nissen, Standley Lake, 16-7.

145 – Kyle Johnson, Thornton, pinned Justin Freeman, Gateway, 2:48.

152 – Chris Jacobs, Central, pinned Blake Cooper, Lewis-Palmer, 2:28.

160 – Chad Quick, Legacy, pinned Sam McGuire, Lewis-Palmer, 0:52.

171 – Daniel Harris, Grand Junction, pinned Cale Crispe, Green Mountain, 2:49.

189 – Clay Girman, Grand Junction, dec. Ryan Asuncion, Central, 5-3.

215 – Dan Nepustil, Fairview, dec. Shawn Jenkins, Legacy, 3-1.

285 – Dustin Jenkins, Legacy, pinned Keefe Owens, Smoky Hill, 2:48.

Wrestlebacks

103 – Andrew Lujan, Standley Lake, dec. Devon Cox, Palmer, 2-1.

119 – Andrew Mayle, dec. Mike Boyle, Green Mountain, 11-4.

130 – Ben Barringer, Lewis Palmer, dec. Daniel Rodriguez, 8-6.

140 – Daniel Nissen, Standley Lake, dec. Nick Shamberg, Smoky Hill, 3-1.

145 – Boots Lover, Boulder, pinned Justin Freeman, Gateway, 5:28.

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