Thornton wrestling had eight wrestlers place in the top 6 at the East Metro Athletic Conference league championships Feb. 8 at Thornton High School.
Josh Cordova, 170-pounder, was the EMAC Champion in his weight class when he pinned Prairie View’s Alex Munoz with 10 seconds left in the match. Cordova had two byes then beat Brighton’s Ramon Alverez 10-4 in the third round.
“He probably had the most exciting match of the whole tournament,” Thornton head coach Jeremy DeHerrera said of Cordova. “He’s just one of those kids that I pulled off the street last year. I got him to come out and he won 25 matches last year as a freshman and first year wrestler.”
DeHerrera said Cordova has around 29 wins this year and has a very good chance of qualifying for state at regionals. He said all his losses are against wrestlers who are ranked in the state.
Wendell Berry won third place in the 113-pound weight class beating Hinkley’s Rafael Garibay, 2-0. Adrian Kois, 145, and Carlos Moreno, 160, also won third place 2-0 and 9-2, respectively. Antonio Gonzales, 195, pinned Brighton’s Tomas Sanchez for third place.
Jalen Montoya, 120, won 6-2 for fifth place. Josh Miscles, 106, placed sixth losing to Prairie View’s Connor Morales.
Northglenn’s Maurisio Garcia, 120, won first place by pinning Adam City’s Josiah Vigil. Garcia pinned Brighton’s Taurino Villalobos, Guido Umgwaneza from Aurora Central and Thornton’s Jalen Montoya throughout the tournament.
Rocky Nava, 113, lost in the championship match to Prairie View’s Santana Salas, 7-2. Michael Garcia, 126, also lost in the championship match to Brighton’s Raymond Baca, 17-4.
Robert Burger, 106, won third place beating Aurora Central’s Axel Pacheco, 11-3.
“It was a good way for our wrestlers to understand where they are in the mix of things,” Northglenn assistant coach Eubaldo Lovato said. “We’re still a young team so we have a lot of growth to catch up on. Overall, this was a great tournament for us.”
Westminster’s Jacob Thomas, 182, lost to Aurora Central’s Travyone Crosby 11-5 for fourth place. Jordan Chavez was pinned by Prairie View’s Matt McConnell for fourth place.
Joe Bryan, 126, pinned Rangeview’s Tyler Shavilier for fifth place. Isaiah Villareal, 170, won fifth place from a bye.
Angel Baltierra, 113, placed sixth after losing to Brighton’s Jared Garcia.
Both Thornton and Northglenn will compete at regionals Feb. 14 and 15 at Cherokee Trail in Aurora. Westminster will wrestle at Bear Creek in Arvada.
