State Wrestling – Quarterfinal action

It was another strong effort by Pueblo East. Weston Dalton won his match in the 120 pound weight class by decision. Sebastian Freeman followed that up with a win by pinning Pueblo West's Matthew Hodges in just five seconds remaining in the match. Then it was time for three-time defending champion Andy Torres who punched his ticket to the state semifinals in the heavyweight class with a win by decision. The Eagles are in the hunt for their second straight team title, Torres going for his fourth straight individual title, "I would definitely say they're excited for the moment. We're hoping for a two-peat as a team. A 4-timer and a 2-peat as a team would be one heck of a way to leave," says Torres. His teammates were happy with his performance and showed their appreciation. One of the best moments of the day came from Canon City sophomore Ezavian Ortega. He was injured early in his match with Lewis Palmer's Cole Stephenson but Ortega managed to hang in there and he fought back to beat Stephenson by decision, "Freshman year, I qualified but didn't win a match. This is great. I've been working my butt off all year and all off-season, working with my coaches and fine tuning to be in this moment. It feels really good," says Ortega. Junior Hayden Cross from Pueblo West was nothing short of dominant. He won his quarterfinal match by tech fall over Greeley Central's Yahir Salazar. Coronado senior Ben Tonnessen needed less than a minute to advance to the state semifinals. Tonnessen pinned his opponent, Jay McCoy of Stanley Lake, 56 seconds into the match. Each winner will try and punch a ticket to the state finals in the evening session.