Patrick Cunnion set a goal to finish his high school wrestling career a state champion. He took another step toward that Saturday.

Cunnion took first place in the 182-pound bracket at the Arvada West Classic Invitational in Arvada. He was the No. 1 seed going into the tournament, which featured 15 teams from all Class 4A and 5A classifications.

“Patrick is on a mission, and he wrestled like that this weekend,” DHS head coach John Gurule said.

The Demons finished 13th out of the 15 teams with 40 points. Arvada West won the meet with 185 points, ahead of Pomona with 177 and Thompson Valley with 166.

Cunnion (19-1) was the only Demon to land on the podium, though the tournament only placed four wrestlers instead of the customary six. He earned three consecutive pin victories to reach the final, where he beat Pomona’s Cameron Gonzales in a 5-2 decision.

Henry Dorr (19-12) would have placed at 152 pounds if the podium extended past four wrestlers. He lost in the consolation semifinals via technical fall to Chaparral’s Dawson Cranmer.

“He did outstanding,” Gurule said of Dorr. “We knew Henry had that inside of him. We see it in the room every day. He had a tough run for a while, and he came out and wrestled how we knew he could.”

DHS will travel Tuesday to Aztec for a dual-meet before hosting Ignacio for a dual on Thursday on a special alumni night at DHS.

“We’re all trying to prepare toward getting back to regionals and state. This tournament was comparable to the state tournament, and it was a great experience that can help us reach our goals working toward regionals,” Gurule said.

jlivingston@durangoherald.com