Sports

Four more wins.

Wrestlers at the State Wrestling Championships in Denver this week are searching for four more wins - in a row.

Going 4-0 means a state title with the 16-wrestler brackets in each weight class at the annual state tournament, which opens today at the Pepsi Center.

But to get to 4-0, a wrestler must go 1-0.

That means getting ready for the intensity of the first match at the state tournament, according to Durango High School head coach Doug Cuddie.

"That first match at state is very important," Cuddie said. "That first minute of the first match ... is intense."

He said he's geared the Demon workouts this week with that in mind.

"Monday we just did some drills and stretched out. (Tuesday) we had more live wrestling - more intensity - shorter workout but with the intensity really high," Cuddie said.

Durango High School's assault on the state finals will be led by state tournament veteran Ty Penning, a DHS senior with a sterling 33-2 season record. He'll open the Class 5A championships with a match against Khiem Tran of Boulder Fairview, a senior with an 18-21 record.

Penning went 2-2 last year at the state tournament.

This year, if he advances past his first match, he will take on the winner of Jeremy Luna of Rocky Mountain (29-11) vs. Jeff Ibañez of Aurora Central (21-8).

The top seeds in Penning's 119-pound division include seniors Phillip Grout of Northglenn (38-1) and Eric Wilson of Grandview (40-4). The field also includes Anthony Guillen, a Grand Junction senior (33-6).

C.J Hamby of the Demons, a junior, will wrestle in the 112-pound bracket at state. Hamby (28-12) will wrestle John Stockley of Fort Collins Poudre (22-18), also a junior.

If Hamby wins his first match, he'll take on the winner of Mike Sikorski of Pine Creek (43-2) vs. John Godin of Grandview (31-10).

The top seed in the 112-pound bracket is Jeremey Schmitt of Rocky Mountain (34-4).

Durango's Justin Whirlow, a senior, will compete at 189 pounds. Whirlow (25-10) will go up against Scott Annis of Westminster's Mountain Range High School (31-12).

The winner of that match will take on the winner of Casey Norgard of Rocky Mountain (32-4) vs. Enos Ozekin of Grandview (11-10).

The 189-bracket also features unbeaten Danny Mitchell of Broomfield Legacy (19-0).

Durango's fourth state qualifier, 103-pounder Rudy Peterson (26-10), will open against Chris Buccieri of Cherokee Trail High School in Aurora. Buccieri is 33-6. Both are sophomores.

The winner will move up to face the winner of the Josh Martinez of Pine Creek (42-0) vs. Chris Chavez of Fairview (32-15) match.

The 103-pound field includes another unbeaten wrestler in junior Matthew Gurule of Grand Junction Central (38-0).

"It's really good to have two seniors (Penning and Whirlow) going along with two underclassmen (Hamby and Peterson)," Cuddie said.

"The older guys have been there. They explained what it (state tournament) is like. They've been really supportive," he said.

Cuddie and the Demons also were invited to a joint workout with the Bayfield wrestlers Wednesday at the Colorado School of Mines in Golden.

The workout will mark a homecoming of sorts for Cuddie, a former assistant coach at Mines before he took over the DHS program last year.

The Class 5A State Wrestling Championships open at 7:15 p.m. today. Quarterfinals will follow at 1 p.m. Friday.

The semifinals begin at 7:15 p.m. Friday.

Saturday's championships start at 6:30 p.m. Fifth- and third-place matches start at 3 p.m. Saturday.

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