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Colorado School of Mines host Fort Hayes in home dual

By Tom Blair - Staff writer ICW

The Colorado School of Mines (CSM) began it dual meet season with a home dual against Fort Hays State University out of Fort Hays, Kansas. The Ft Hays head coach Chas Thompson has a squad of 37 wrestlers with five members from Colorado - Dakota Gulley, 285 lbs R-So from Golden; Vikash Hypio, 125 ibs - Sr, Hotchkiss; Jacob Kay, 141 lbs, So, Evergreen; Jace Nordyke, 157 lbs, Jr, Holly; and starter Jacob Schoenfield, 141 lbs, Fr, Salida.

The CSM team consists of 27 wrestlers with over half being from Colorado high schools, five which were in the starting lineup. The wrestlers from Colorado not in the 10 matches were Josh Altman, 133 lbs, Fr, Hotchkiss; Ryan Carpenter, 141 lbs, R-Fr, Colorado Springs; John Crowley, 157 lbs, R-Jr, Elizabeth; Nick DeBruyn, 285 lbs, So, Lakewood; Robert Gambrell, 165 lbs, Fr, Castle Rock; Matthew Lavengood, 125 lbs, Fr, Durango; Justin Ray, Jr, 141, Grand Junction; Joshua Redman, 141 lbs, Jr, Aurora; Brandon Sanders, 184 lbs, Fr, Golden and Travis Torres, 125 lbs, Fr, Pomona.

The dual meet started at 125 lbs weight class with a forfeit by Fort Hays to CSM Zachary Gracia to give the home team a 6 point lead. Anthony Calderson from Ft Hays won at 133 lbs with the riding time advance with a 3 - 2 decision over Caleb Micho. At 141 lbs CSM Luke Erickson major decision Jacob Schoenfled (FHSU) from Salida, Colorado. The next two matches were won by decision and major decision respectively at 149 lbs & 157 by Ft Hays putting the dual into a tie at 10 points each. CSM 165 lbs freshman Keenan Willits from Pueblo County took an early lead in his match 4 - 1 after the first period and then started down in the beginning of the second period. He got an escape, a takedown and then put his opponent Kregg Clarke on his back with a caddie and secured the pin in 4:26 minutes in the match. CSM 174 lbs Rocky Michaelson (another true freshman) from Ralston Valley HS followed Willits lead with a pin of his own also with a caddie in 4:57 over Nathan Shipley. In the 184 lb match Ft Hays Jon Inman pinned Karl Breidenbach (from Littleton) in the first period to bring the dual meet team score 22 - 16 CSM. Paul Wilson (CSM) at 197 lbs put the meet out of reach with a major decision 9 - 0 over Ethan Dale (Ft Hays). In the 285 lbs match Ian Cheatum (CSM) from Golden was under sized going against Ft Hays Justin Scott and could not over- come the weight different to lose 7 - 3. The final match score was CSM 26 vs Ft Hays 19.

RESULTS
Colorado School of Mines 26, Fort Hays State University 19

125 – Zachary Gracia (CSM) by forfeit
133 – Anthony Calderon (FHSU) def. Caleb Micho (CSM), DEC 3-2
141 – Lukas Erickson (CSM) def. Jacob Schoenfeld (FHSU), MD 14-2
149 – Noah Killip (FHSU) def. Jacob Gerken (CSM), DEC 8-5
157 – Bradley Little (FHSU) def. Ethan Ruby (CSM), MD 13-2
165 – Keenan Willits (CSM) def. Kregg Clarke (FHSU), Fall 4:26
174 – Rocky Michaelson (CSM) def. Nathan Shipley (FHSU), Fall 4:57
184 – #6 Jon Inman (FHSU) def. Karl Breidenbach (CSM), Fall 1:58
197 - #8 Paul Wilson (CSM) def. Ethan Dale (FHSU), MD 9-0
285 – Justin Scott (FHSU) def. Ian Cheatum (CSM), DEC 7-3

Up coming Colorado High School wrestling season

By Tom Blair- ICW staff writer

The high school wrestling season 2015 - 2016 has begun with 34 new / rookie head coaches out of the 228 teams (2A - 60, 3A - 55, 4A - 50, 5A - 63) with wrestling in Colorado. Take this into account when you have 37 - 2^nd year and 32 - 3^rd year head coaches. So in the pass three seasons there has been close to 50% turn over rate of head coaches in Colorado in the sport of wrestling. Many things factor into this turn over but in the long run it makes for a very interesting up coming season.

With the high school wrestling season upon us and most teams having had 1.5 weeks of practices under their belt let’s take a look at the rankings. This preseason ranking for the Colorado high school teams is presented by Insidecoloradowrestling.com. The placing is for the top six teams in each classification via returning state qualifiers or place winners, plus the addition of known incoming freshman to their teams.

2A - 1) Rocky Ford, 2) Centauri, 3) Monte Vista, 4) Norwood/Nucla, 5) Meeker, 6) Highland

A look at 2A shows Highland takes a big jump in the running for a state team title with the addition of transfer Morgan Fogg from TVHS, Skyler Score from Windsor and incoming freshman Bryson Fogg. Centauri has a talented addition in wrestler Joe Chavez in the 113 or 120 lb weight class.

3A - 1) Valley, 2) Berthoud, 3) Sheridan, 4) Dolores Huerta, 5) Lamar, 6) Platte Valley

The 3A classification had little change other than Berthoud moving up in the ranks and could challenge for the team title with the addition of incoming freshman Austyn Binkly and Brock Johnson which adds to the returning state champs of Jimmy Fate and Chad Ellis, plus runner -up Matt Bailey.

4A - 1) Pueblo County, 2) Greeley Central, 3) Thompson Valley, 4) Discovery Canyon, 5) Windsor, 6) Pueblo East

The 4A team title will take some changes as Pueblo County’s incoming freshman Nathan Bonham at 106 lbs and Jayson Davis around 160 lbs were both middle school champion and will add to the team’s mix. They also return seven members from last year quailfiers - four state champions and three other placers. Greeley Central adds incoming freshman Cody Solis and Andrew Alirez to their lineup to strengthen their overall team. Thompson Valley lost two graduating state champs and a transferred so they will have to reload if they want to reclaim the title. Windsor gains Dominick Serrano, Will Vombauer and Joseph Hansen to their lower weight classes. Pueblo East incoming freshman that will make a noise in the lineup are Zion Freeman and Dominic Robles in the upper weights.

5A - 1) Pomona, 2) Pine Creek, 3) Grand Junction, 4) Ponderosa, 5) Cherry Creek, 6) Poudre,

Pomona regroups with the incoming freshman of Colton Yapoujian and Theorius Robison but losses Deyaun Trueblood as he has decided to end his wrestling career (as of this writing). Ponderosa adds a pair of bookends with incoming freshman Cohlton Schultz and USA triple-crown winner Mosha Schwartz, plus top female wrestler Jerzie Estrada. Poudre will add points to the run for the title with freshman Job Greenwood and Alex Alvarez.

Mines Beats Fort Hays, 26-19, In Home Opener

By CSM SID

Back-to-back falls by Keenan Willits and Rocky Michaelson broke open a deadlocked meet and helped Colorado School of Mines beat Fort Hays State, 26-19, in Volk Gym.

Mines (1-0) picked up bonus points in four matches, plus a forfeit, to beat the Tigers (0-1). Paul Wilson and Lukas Erickson earned major decisions in addition to the two falls. The Orediggers began up 6-0 with Zachary Gracia earning a forfeit win at 125 lbs., but Caleb Micho fell 3-2 to Anthony Calderon at 133 in a hard-fought match decided by Calderon's third-period escape and riding time. Erickson was very impressive at 141 as the freshman rolled Jacob Schoenfeld for a nearfall-2 and nearfall-4 in the third period, breaking open a close match and winning 14-2. The Tigers returned the favor at 149, however, as Noah Killip used a late nearfall-4 to win 8-5 over Jacob Gerken. FHSU's Bradley Little won a 13-2 major decision over Ethan Ruby at 157 lbs., using an eight-point second period with two nearfall-4s to win 13-2 and tie the dual 10-10. Mines swung it back in the middle weights, however, starting with Willits at 165 lbs. Up 6-2, Willits rolled Kregg Clarke and pinned him at 4:26, and Michaelson did the same to Nathan Shipley at 174, ending a 6-2 match at 4:57 and sealing up the team win for Mines. At 184 lbs., Karl Breidenbach fell to #6 Jon Inman by fall at 1:58, and #8 Paul Wilson showed why he's nationally ranked with a 9-0 major decision at 197 over Ethan Dale. Wilson earned a first-period takedown and then dominated on top the rest of the match. Fort Hays' Justin Scott won a tough match at 285 lbs. over Ian Cheatum, 7-3. Cheatum shot first with an early takedown, but a reversal, escape, and takedown by Scott set the margin for the rest of the match.

NOTABLES
- Willits' fall was his third in eight matches already this season. Michaelson's was his second in seven outings.
- The win was Mines' first over Fort Hays since 2010-11, when they upset the then-19th ranked Tigers 19-18.

NEXT UP
Mines returns to tournament wrestling at the UNK Holiday Inn Open Nov. 21 at Nebraska-Kearney, then heads to Fort Hays for the FHSU Bob Smith Open Dec. 6. The Orediggers return home Dec. 9 to host Northwest Kansas Tech in a dual at 7 p.m.

RESULTS
Colorado School of Mines 26, Fort Hays State University 19

Starting weight: 125

Mines Wrestling Hosts Fort Hays Wednesday Night

Mines opens its 2015-16 home dual slate Wednesday night against Fort Hays State. The Orediggers sport a rapidly-improving lineup with only one senior, as it looks to its youth to make an impact.

ON THE AIR
All Mines home duals in 2015-16 will be seen live and for free on RMAC TV. Live results are available through TrackWrestling.com

OREDIGGERS STAND OUT AT COWBOY OPEN
Keenan Willits and Rocky Michaelson battled back to earn third-place finishes at the Wyoming Cowboy Open to start the season on Nov. 7. Willits went 6-1 in his 165-pound bracket while Michaelson, a true freshman at 174, was 5-1. Other standout performances include Ethan Ruby, who was 3-2 at 157 lbs., and Ian Cheatum, who was 3-2 at 285 lbs.

WITH HONORS
John Crowley picked up preseason all-RMAC accolades at 165 lbs. on Oct. 27. The redshirt junior went 18-12 with four falls at 157 lbs. last year and will move up a weight class in 2015-16. He led Mines with a 6-2 record as he seeks to repeat his all-America finish from 2012-13.

IN THE RANKINGS
Mines 197-pounder Paul Wilson starts the season nationally ranked eighth in his weight class according to the D2Wrestle.com Coaches' Poll. Wilson is the top-ranked wrestler at 197 in Super Region IV coming off a 25-12, 13-fall junior season. John Crowley is regionally ranked third at 165.

NEW FACES
Mines' 13-man recruiting class is arguably the best in program history, and two true freshmen – Lukas Erickson and Rocky Michaelson – are projected starters vs. Fort Hays.

LAST YEAR
Fort Hays won 31-15 at home in 2014-15. Two Orediggers in this year's projected line-up – Zachary Gracia and Paul Wilson – picked up wins as Gracia edged Lawson Ludwin 9-8 and Paul Wilson earned a 1:25 fall over Cash Drylie. There are no projected rematches from a year ago. Fort Hays leads the all-time series 20-9. [2014-15 Results]

PROBABLE MATCHES
Fort Hays State vs. Colorado School of Mines
125 – Adam Ludwin (4-2) vs. Zachary Gracia (1-2)
133 – Anthony Calderon (4-2) vs. Caleb Micho (1-2)
141 – Jacob Schoenfeld (2-6) vs. Lukas Erickson (1-2)
149 – Noah Killip (4-1) vs. Jacob Gerken (0-2)
157 – Bradley Little (5-3) vs. Ethan Ruby (3-2)
165 – Kregg Clarke (6-4) vs. Keenan Willits (6-1)
174 – Nathan Shipley (4-4) vs. Rocky Michaelson (5-1)
184 – #6 Jon Inman (4-0) OR Ethan Dale (2-3) vs. Karl Breidenbach (2-2)
197 – Open vs. #8 Paul Wilson (1-2)
285 – Justin Scott (2-2) vs. Ian Cheatum (3-2)