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LeValley is in peak form

Four-time state champ heads All-Colorado team; Uhrig's leadership earns top honor

Scott Stocker, Rocky Mountain News

Published March 15, 2007 at midnight

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With four state high school wrestling titles to his credit, Limon's Kevin LeValley has his sights set on bigger things.

LeValley, the state's 14th four- time champion (career 152-6 record), heads the 2007 Rocky Mountain News All-Colorado team. The All-Colorado coach of the year is David Uhrig, who guided Brush to its first wrestling title while producing four Class 3A state champions this season.

"It is such a great honor to be the wrestler of the year with all the talent represented on the All-Colorado team," said LeValley, who is ranked No. 6 in the nation at his weight by Wrestling USA. "I look at my high school career as a big step toward college."

LeValley, 39-1 this season as the Class 2A champion at 145 pounds, will wrestle at Bucknell University.

"I didn't have my heart set on wrestling at a Division I school at first, but I'm thrilled this came about," he said. "Bucknell seems to be a great fit for me."

LeValley has taken big steps throughout his career. He burst upon the national scene as a sophomore, placing fourth in Greco-Roman at the Junior Nationals. He placed second the next season in Freestyle and Greco-Roman.

Uhrig finished his 11th year at Brush and 19th overall coaching. He was coach at Gunnison for four years, then an assistant at Dolores for one. He became the athletic director at Weldon Valley but stayed active in coaching as an assistant at Fort Morgan, his alma mater.

He went to Brush in 1996 and became coach in 1999.

"It was just a great year because we didn't have a lot of problems," said Uhrig, a state qualifier at 145 pounds in 1984. "We didn't have any injuries, lose any of our kids to sickness, and things just leaned the right way for us. We had such a strong bunch of seniors, a group that has stuck together for a long time.

"Most of the kids have wrestled since they were in the peewee programs, junior high and high school. As an All-Colorado coach, this is certainly a team I would love to coach. I know several of them, so this makes it all the more a special honor."

It is an elite group, with 28 state titles represented.

Joining LeValley are three-time champs Tyler Graff of Loveland (129-1 career), Ross Brunkhardt of Merino (168-8), Sonny Yohn of Alamosa (154-15) and Tucker Lane of Nucla (149-4). Brunkhardt and Lane are four- time finalists.

Graff, ranked No. 1 in the nation, Yohn (No. 2) and Lane (No. 2) are repeat selections, as is Yohn's younger brother, junior Cody Yohn (160, No. 18).

Lane came close to being a four-time champ. It took another four-timer, Torben Walters of Crowley County, to keep him from doing so. Lane lost to Walters in the title match as a sophomore.

Brunkhardt has the distinction of being the only wrestler to beat LeValley this season, 7-5 in the Merino tournament. And LeValley gave Brunkhardt his only loss of the season, 3-2 at the Limon tournament the next week.

Besides the Yohns, there is another familial connection on the team. Wasson's Casey Cruz, Coronado's Micah Burak and Pomona's Nick Jones follow in the footsteps of state champion brothers - Jesse Cruz, Gabe Burak and Noomis Jones.

Alamosa, the Class 4A team champ, also is represented by junior Jesse Meis.

Broomfield has two wrestlers on the All-Colorado squad: two-time state champion David Marone and Cory Casady. Marone, ranked No. 8 nationally, finished second at state as a freshman and third as a sophomore. Casady, No. 16 nationally, placed second last year. Both were unbeaten in Colorado this season.

Two-time champion Grant Hobbs of Dove Creek and Dustin Weitzel of Dolores capped off sensational seasons by small-school wrestlers. Five 2A wrestlers were selected this season.

The All-Colorado team, made up of the top wrestlers, regardless of classification, is selected by the Rocky staff, with input from the state's coaches.

All-Colorado wrestling

Weight Name School Year Record

103 Jesse Meis Alamosa Jr. 42-1

112 Grant Hobbs Dove Creek Sr. 39-0

119 Nick Jones Pomona Jr. 40-3

125 Dustin Weitzel Dolores Sr. 42-2

130 Tyler Graff Loveland Jr. 47-0

135 Casey Cruz Wasson Sr. 40-0

140 Cory Casady Broomfield Jr. 44-4

145 Kevin LeValley Limon Sr. 39-1

152 Ross Brunkhardt Merino Sr. 38-1

160 Cody Yohn Alamosa Jr. 41-1

171 Micah Burak Coronado Sr. 32-1

189 Sonny Yohn Alamosa Sr. 43-1

215 David Marone Broomfield Sr. 41-1

285 Tucker Lane Nucla Sr. 37-0

• Wrestler of the year: Kevin LeValley, Limon

• Coach of the year: David Uhrig, Brush

• Honorable mention: Nick Bauman, Legacy, Sr.; Cody Cole, Brush, Sr.; Marcus Felker, Thornton, Sr.; Lance Gallegos, Arrupe Jesuit, Sr.; Phillip Grout, Northglenn, So.; Hugh Hardman, Norwood, So.; Brian Hendricks, Burlington, Sr.; John Hooper, Regis, Sr.; Brandon Kammerzel, Eaton, Sr.; Joe LeBlanc, Meeker, Sr.; Joe Meinhart, Fruita Monument, Sr.; Chris Penny, Burlington, Sr.; Mitchell Polkowske, Centauri, Sr.; Victor Sanchez, Pueblo West, Sr.; Jesse Snider, Ponderosa, Sr.

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