Pikes Peak region boys wrestlers return to the mats soon with the state tournament less than eight weeks away.

Several upcoming tournaments and duals will help athletes jockey for position for regional berths and a chance at the state tournament at Ball Arena in February.

Below are some of the area wrestlers who have made noise so far.  

Air Academy up to No. 2 behind NC State commit Michael Saba

Expect to see a plethora of Kadets at Ball Arena next month. First, note the success of Air Academy through one month of competition.

The Kadets moved from fourth to second in Tim Yount’s recent On the Mat 4A rankings and have nine ranked competitors including North Carolina State commit Michael Saba, who’s atop the 150-pound weight class.

Saba has a 14-0 record, finished 6-0 at the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament on Dec. 19 and earned three wins via technical fall. Saba eked out a 4-3 decision victory over Greeley Central’s Noah Garcia-Salazar to hand the Wildcats’ No. 2 150-pounder his first loss of the year.

David Burchett also has performed well to start the year and has a 16-1 record. In 17 matches, the Falcon transfer has outscored his opponents 176-16 and has six wins via tech fall.

The Kadets trail defending 4A champs Pueblo East, which is No. 1, has wrestlers ranked in 12 of 14 weight classes. But the Kadets own the highest rank of any Pikes Peak region school and are ahead of No. 5 Falcon and No. 7 Sand Creek.  

Pine Creek’s Gavin Weichelt poses threat at 150

Will the Eagles net another state champion this year? Their senior 150-pounder appears ready to challenge for the crown after Elijah Banks earned the 132-pound title last season.

Weichelt, who ranks No. 2 in 5A at 150, has bolted to a 20-1 start and half of those victories came by pins.

The Eagles senior built an 18-match winning streak until a 4-0 loss to Chance Ruble from Seckman High School in Missouri ended that reign at the KC Stampede on Dec. 19.

But Weichelt, who placed third at state last season, recovered to win his final two matches of the Stampede and entered break with a two-match win streak. Weichelt has improved his record from his junior year where he started 19-4 in his December matches.

Falcon’s Noah Meza leads 4A’s 132-pound class

Despite having just four logged matches this season, Meza leads 4A’s 132 pounders. But he’s demonstrated why in those contests.

Meza has two wins by technical fall and outscored his opponents 39-5 in those matchups. The Falcons sophomore also has a win by pin fall – Meza’s other win is via forfeit – and outscored Pueblo East’s Mikko Sokolov 13-2 before he pinned him 62 seconds into their contest.

Meza placed fourth at state as a freshman at 113 and finished 32-6. This year through his four contests, Meza has outscored his opposition 52-7.

Honorable mention: Widefield led by Manny Mota, Angel Fernandez who hold the No. 2 spots in respective weight classes

The Gladiators enter the year with a formidable team and have nine ranked competitors in Tim Yount’s recent rankings.

Manny Mota (106 pounds, 15-4) and Angel Fernandez (126, 19-6) both sit at No. 2 and enjoyed lengthy winning streaks before the break. Mota built a 12-match win streak prior to a pair of losses at the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament on Dec. 19 and Fernandez built streaks of seven and six.

Widefield had one placer – Matthew Sandoval who finished fifth – at state last season and sent eight competitors. They finished tied for 23^rd with 20 points and return a slew of qualifiers from that squad.