Florence’s Ysalas on to finals

Florence senior Jacob Ysalas outlasted Sheridan junior Anthony Contreraz on Friday to earn a berth to Saturday’s 126-pound championship match of the 3A state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center.

Ysalas, who had won just one match total in two previous trips to state, broke down afterwards as he was swarmed by teammates and his cousin Andy, who has coached him since he started wrestling as a little kid.

“I’ve been doing this all my life and it paid off,” Ysalas said.

It paid off, but nobody was quite sure if it would until the clock finally hit all zeros. Ysalas had taken a 2-0 lead in the first period but fell behind in the second before taking a 4-3 lead into the third. Choosing to start the third on bottom, he scored a reversal only to give up a reversal almost immediately. A late escape put him up for good 7-5.

and he was able to hold off Contreraz just long enough.

“Can’t give up, can’t stop,” Ysalas said was the only thing on his mind at the end against a wrestler that beat him 8-0 in early January. But the lessons learned in that match and in video review made a difference.

“He’s very aggressive,” Ysalas said. “When you get aggressive back with him he tends to let up. I knew if I got physical he’d shut down.”

He didn’t shut down, but the strategy was enough to turn the tables.

St. Mary’s Keane reaches semis

St.Mary’s senior Miles Keane was the lone representative for the Pirates at the 3A state tournament, but he represented the school well. Keane won his first two matches at state with pins in 55 seconds and 21 seconds to reach the semifinals. There he fell to Centauri’s Devon Chacon, getting pinned 46 seconds into the second period.

Keane is assured of placing as he continues Saturday in the consolation bracket.

Francis, Hermosillo still wrestling

Classical Academy 106-pound sophomore Ryan Francis scored a 7-6 decision over Valley’s Jordyn Gutierrez to stay alive in the consolation bracket for the Titans. Ellicott senior Fabian Hermosillo won his second match of the tournament in the 145 consolation second round with a 13-7 decision over Olathe’s Jacob Jimenez after falling to Sterling’s Joel Contreras in the quarterfinals.

Tough losses plague 4A area schools

A number of Pikes Peak area wrestlers were knocked out in close bouts.

The toughest one may have been in the quarterfinals at the Pepsi Center on Friday. Discovery Canyon’s Tyler Oberg, the 145-pound favorite, was stunned and lost 6-4 to Mountain View’s Matt Combs in the quarterfinals.

“We didn’t wrestle too good and it hurt us,” Discovery Canyon coach Ron Sukle said of Oberg’s match. “He’s upset.”

A round later, Mesa Ridge’s Procopio Valdez was taken down in the final seconds in his 6-4 loss, and Falcon’s Justin Barron didn’t have enough time to rally from a 9-2 third-period deficit and lost 9-6.

Discovery Canyon’s Spencer Reynolds (113), Air Academy’s Peter Hanenberg (126) and Lewis-Palmer’s Darryan Vanderpool also suffered semifinals losses on Friday.

Etc.

The state tournament experience came to an end for All five of Colorado Springs Christian School’s, as all five of its wrestlers were eliminated took their second loss at the tournament. Corey (132) and Connor Craddock (152) and Cameron Krautschun (170) each won a match for the Lions in Thursday’s preliminary round. … Jacob Freeland, from Calhan, won two matches in the 152 consolation bracket to stay alive, following a pin of Fowler’s Henry Fellhauer with a 10-4 decision over Tim Armintrout of Norwood. Peyton’s Taylor Claman won an 8-7 decision over Center’s Alberto Rodriguez to advance in the 106 consolation bracket.

Bruce Nozolino Photo by