Six Moffat County wrestlers state-bound
Bulldogs place eight at regional tournament, team takes third
Last season, Moffat County High SchoolMoffat County High School wrestling sent three athletes to the state championships, and double the amount of Bulldogs will be heading to the Pepsi Center after this weekend. wrestling sent three athletes to the state championships, and double the amount of Bulldogs will be heading to the Pepsi Center after this weekend.
Moffat County High School wrestling sent three athletes to the state championships, and double the amount of Bulldogs will be heading to the Pepsi Center after this weekend.
Eight of Craig’s grapplers placed at the 3A Region 4 Tournament in Montrose, with six of them among the top four of their weight class, qualifying them for state, MCHS placing third overall out of 14 teams.
Bulldogs Chris Moschetti, Issik Herod, Mikinzie Klimper, Brett Loyd and Stelios Peroulis each made it to the finals during Saturday’s action, and though none of them claimed a first-place finish, they all fought through to the end without giving up a pin.
In the 113-pound bracket, Moschetti went 2-1 on the weekend, a 4-1 decision over Coal Ridge’s Danny Wenzel sending him to the last round where Elias Ramirez, of Olathe, took a 9-4 victory. Last year’s regional champ Issik Herod — then in the 126 class — defeated Coal Ridge’s Lane Nelson with a sudden victory of 12-10 in the semifinals to move on to the 132 finals, where Eagle Valley’s Noah Hermosillo took the title with an 11-2 major decision.
Klimper, who earned second place in 160 last year, took the silver in 170, shifting from a pin of Pagosa Springs’ Chance McReynolds to a closer match with Delta’s Kory Mills, losing in a 6-4 sudden victory. Loyd had also felled a Pagosa Springs athlete, Jaden Hinger, in the 195 bracket, before Olathe’s Chayden Harris claimed a 9-0 major decision in the finals.
Stelios Peroulis, third in 170 in 2015, started the day pinning Evan Hoff, of Grand Valley, ending the tourney as the runner-up of the 220 class with a 7-4 loss to Sheridan’s Ricky Ayala.
While a Friday defeat eliminated him from first or second place, Hugo Hernandez worked his way through the consolation bracket with ease, pinning Sam Konives, of Delta, and taking a 16-3 major decision against Pagosa Springs’ Colton Castro to earn the bronze and secure a spot at state in the 182 bracket.
The weekend was rough for Jefferson Piatt — a blow to the head in his Friday bout with Delta’s Kole Roberts gave him the win by injury default, but he was unable to continue Saturday, winding up with sixth place in 145. Ryan Zimmerman likewise took sixth in 138 with a 2-3 series, taking a first period fall over Rifle’s Cary Ebler Saturday, followed by losses by pin to Josh Ramos, of Montezuma-Cortez, and a 6-4 decision to Sheridan’s Diego Madrigal.
The CHSAA 3A State Championships will begin Thursday in Denver.
Moffat County High School 3A Region 4 Tournament results
Name — Weight class, Region 4 record; pins; place (if applicable)Name — Weight class, Region 4 record; pins; place (if applicable)
Name — Weight class, Region 4 record; pins; place (if applicable)
Isaiah Herod — 106; 1-2; one pin
Chris Moschetti — 113; 2-1; 2nd place
Jay Carrico — 120; 2-2; two pins
John T Peroulis — 126; 1-2; one pin
Issik Herod — 132; 2-1; one pin; 2nd place
Ryan Zimmerman — 138; 2-3; one pin; 6th place
Jefferson Piatt — 145; 2-3; 6th place
Drake Zimmerman — 152; 2-2; two pins
Mikinzie Klimper — 170; 2-1; two pins; 2nd place
Hugo Hernandez — 182; 3-1; one pin; 3rd place
Brett Loyd — 195; 3-1; three pins; 2nd place
Stelios Peroulis — 220; 2-1; two pins; 2nd place
Frankie Masterson — 285; 0-2
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