Yuma High School’s boys wrestling team concluded its season with a solid showing at the Class 2A State Wrestling Tournament, last week at Ball Arena in Denver.
Yuma finished 20th in the final team standings, scoring 38 points.
The team was led by Kevin Hermosillo taking third at 175 pounds. Kallen Blach also made the medal stand, placing sixth at 190.
Wray was pushed a bit by Meeker, but still held on to win the program’s ?? 2A title in ?? years with 183 points. Meeker had 169.5 points, and Mancos was a distant third with 119.5. The Lower Platte ended up with three teams in the top 10 as Sedgwick County/Fleming as eighth with 68 points, and Wiggins ninth with 65. Merino also was in the top 20, placing 16th with 45 points.
Hermosillo concluded his high school career with a great run through the 175-pound weight class. The senior did not compete in December while recovering from a football injury. However, he came on strong when the calendar flipped to 2023, going 25-8 and earning the Yuma boys program its highest individual placing since Blaze Brophy’s runner-up in 2020.
Hermosillo opened state action last Thursday with a 10-4 decision in the preliminary round over Colton Bruna of Rocky Ford. He stepped it up Friday morning with a win by fall (3 minutes, 44 seconds) over Chason Turner of County Line in the quarterfinals.
That put him into the semifinals later Friday against Caeden Bauer of Wray. He again could not solve the Eagle wrestler, losing a 12-4 major decision.
However, Hermosillo battled right back in the consolation bracket, Saturday. He pinned Andrew Kaus of Merino in 1:31, then battled to a 4-1 decision over Nucla’s Arthur Connelly in the third-place match.
With changes in the weight classes this season, Blach found himself having to wrestle up at 190 pounds. He made the most of it, going 34-11 this season, and placing sixth at state in what turned out to be a very stacked weight.
The senior wasted little time in Thursday’s preliminary round, getting a 24-second pin of Swink’s Tanner Tomky. However, he ran into Wray’s Peyton Wade in the quarterfinals, Friday morning, getting pinned in 3:48.
Blach fought his way back to the medal stand, though. It began with a 13-4 major decision over Crowley County’s Curran Halloran in the second round of consolation later Friday. He was on the mat again Saturday for what turned out to be a thriller with Highland’s Ira Sittner in the third round of consolation. The two battled back and forth throughout the match, with the winner securing a spot on the podium.
It appeared Blach had pulled out a last-second win with a reversal at the end of the third. However, the referees awarded just one point for an escape, despite the protestations of Newton. It turned out it did not matter as Blach quickly went out and got a takedown and two back points for an 11-7 overtime win.
Blach’s day ended with losses to Limon’s Gabe Schubarth and Meeker’s Brendan Clatterbaugh to place sixth.
Trey Stegman came painfully close in reaching the medal stand at 150 pounds. The junior opened state action with a pin (2:50) over Kaden Martin of Colorado Springs Christian School on Thursday. However, he ran into Rocky Ford’s Joe Zamora in the quarterfinals, Friday morning, losing a 7-2 decision. Stegman rebounded with a win by fall (2:30) over Dayspring Christian’s Jaxon Martin in the second round of consolation later Friday.
He then took on Burlington’s Matthew Gutierrez in the third round, Saturday morning. Stegman had beaten Gutierrez in the past, but this time the senior simply was not going to be denied a place on the podium, knocking Stegman out of the tournament with an 11-0 loss. Still, it was a great run for Stegman, who went 36-11 this season.
Peyton Wells won one match at 195 pounds, a pin of Cedaredge’s Frankie Gargus in the consolation first round on Friday, after getting pinned in the preliminary round on Thursday. He then was pinned in the second round of consolation later Friday, ending his season with a 19-9 record.
