Merino sends seven wrestlers to state

Coen Schmidt has been a strong competitor for Merino boys wrestling all season long, but he wasn’t the only Ram grappler to shine last weekend.

During the Class 2A Region 4 tournament, Schmidt led a cabal of seven wrestlers, each of whom paved their own path to the state tournament this week. Two even won regional titles. Schmidt, at 126 pounds, won the gold when he defeated his first two opponents by fall in the first period, then sent Monte Vista’s Elijah Baumgardner running with a 17-2 technical fall in the third period of their first-place match.

Beau Clouse mirrored Schmidt’s efforts, earning a title of his own at 120, but his path wasn’t nearly as simple. After defeating his first opponent with a pin 71 seconds in, Clouse had to outlast his next two opponents, defeating them by 8-4 and 10-7 decisions. Rye’s Andy Prichard was his last victim.

Aidan Sherman (132) worked his way into his own first-place match, but found himself on the losing end of the finals to finish second. After two pins, he barely escaped his semifinal match with a 7-6 decision over Mancos’ Quinton Martinez. Monte Vista’s Ethan Wolfe ended his run with a 7-5 sudden victory.

Casey Kaus (106) took third, which was a testament to his ability to bounce back after a tough, 16-0 loss in the semifinals. He won his next two, including a 10-2 major over Manzanola’s Hunter Merwin.

Deines achieved a similar feat when he found himself on the losing end of his own semifinal match, but rebounded with a first-period pin and a 1-0 victory over Las Animas’ Orion Martinez.

Degan Buchtel (138) and Josiah Mackintosh (144) weaved their ways into fourth place to earn the last bids to state in their respective weight classes.

The state tournament for all classifications will begin on Thursday at Ball Arena in Denver, and will run through Saturday night for those lucky enough to make the state championship matches.