MVHS’ Harrison earns berth in final at 106

The Loveland girls will be represented in two championship matches Saturday at the CHSAA state championships.

Led by senior Morgan Johnson, who will wrestle for her fourth championship (third sactioned) Saturday, the Red Wolves will also be represented by Lexie Lopez. They were the only two of the four Loveland girls who made the semifinals to win their matches.

Johnson won her quarterfinal match at 110 pounds over Arvada’s Elisha Allen by pinfall in 36 seconds. She followed that up with an 8-4 decision over Sarah Delacerda of Alamosa in her semifinal match.

At 115s, Lindsey Lopez ran into her regional final opponent, Mia Hargrove of Discovery Canyon, in her semifinal match. Lindsey Lopez led 2-1 going into the third period where Hargrove got a point for stalling. In the third overtime, Hargrove got another point for stalling for a 3-2 victory.

It was Lindsey Lopez’s first loss of the season. Meanwhile, her sister Lexie kept her undefeated season alive and advanced to the 120-pound championship match with a pinfall victory over Yesenia Morales of Harrison at 5:31.

Lindsey Lopez won her quarterfinal match in a 15-4 decision over Yuma’s Ashley Marshell. Lexie Lopez won her quarterfinal by pinning Overland’s Vianca Mendoza in 5:36.

At 140s, Sierra Moskalski lost an 8-2 decision in her semifinal against Chatfield’s Ryen Hickey. Moskalski won a 3-0 decision over North Fork’s Kacey Walck to advance to the semifinals.

Both Lindsey Lopez and Moskalski will look to win their way into their thirdplace matches while Johnson and Lexie Lopez wrestle for titles.

In Class 4A boys’ action, second-seed Isaiah Harrison of Mountain View wasted little time advancing to the 106-pound championship match.

In his quarterfinal encounter against Widefield’s Angel Hernandez, the sophomore needed just 18 seconds to get a pinfall victory.

Later in the semifinals, Harrison didn’t get a quick pin, but he dominated Riverdale Ridge’s Mikey Medina and won a 14-1 decision. Harrison had two takedowns and two nearfalls in the match.

“It went pretty good,” Harrison said. “It went the way I wanted it to. I just needed to wear him down, keep the pressure.”

Now the sophomore will wrestle for his first state championship Saturday against LJ Herburger of Pueblo East.

“If I win it, I win it, if I don’t, I don’t,” Harrison said. “There’s always next year. But I have confidence.” period, Ruiz got a point for an escape and advanced to the semifiinals, sending Johnson to the consolation side of the bracket where he will wrestle Saturday.

“I thought I had him,” Johnson said. “I thought time had expired. He slipped his arm right under my arm. I think it was kind of lucky he got out, but that’s my fault. I should have held him there longer. He should have never backed out. Besides that, I left everything out there.”

Ruiz got all three of his points on escapes, one in the first period, one in the second and the third in the double overtime period. Johnson actually took a 2-0 lead in the match with a first-period takedown, but couldn’t get the tiebreaking point in the third or any of the extra period.

Johnson dropped into the consolation side of the bracket along with his teammate Ethan Goldfain, who lost his quarterfinal match at 190s, 5-1 to Manitou Springs’ Wes Reeves.

In his consolation match Friday evening, however, Johnson lost a close 5-4 decision to Berthoud’s Kaleb Cooper, who was working his own way back after losing his first-round match Thursday.

Goldfain also stayed alive, winning his consolation match with 14-4 decision over Holy Family’s Camden Austin.

After losing their quarterfinal matches earlier Thursday, Berthoud’s Wil Moneypenny (150s) and Evan Torres (157s) kept their podium hopes alive in their consolation matches later in the evening. Moneypenny pinned Eaton’s Aidan Juhl in 2:55 while Torres won a 4-1 decision over Brennan Taylor of Severance.

Max Homa in the lead at his hometown PGA Tour event used to give him chills. Now he’s playing so well it almost feels normal.

Homa, a winner last month down the coast at Torrey Pines, ran off three birdies around the turn at Riviera and tossed in a few big par saves Friday for a 3-under 68, giving him a one-shot lead over Jon Rahm, Keith Mitchell and Lee Hodges at the Genesis Invitational.

Tiger Woods will be part of the weekend, even with a sloppy finish and more attention over a juvenile prank than a putter that went cold. Woods finished with three bogeys over his last four holes for a 74.

He was at 1-over 143, leaving him 11 shots behind Homa, but certain to make the cut when the second round is completed Saturday morning. For the second straight day, darkness kept the round from finishing.

Woods, playing elite competition for the first time since the British Open last summer, apologized if anyone was offended by him jokingly slipping a tampon into the hand of Justin Thomas on Thursday after Woods outdrove him by about 10 yards.

“It was supposed to be all fun and games and obviously it hasn’t turned out that way,” Woods said.

Homa and Rahm had their own brand of fun on a crisp afternoon off Sunset Boulevard.

Homa hit wedge to 4 feet to a pin tucked behind the bunker for a birdie on No. 9, holed a 15-foot birdie on the 10th and then chipped beautifully to a back right pin for a third straight birdie on the par-5 11th.

He also saved par from a plugged lie in the bunker and made an 18-foot par putt on the 16th. His round ended with trouble off the tee that led to bogey, but he had no complaints at 11-under 131 and his name atop the leaderboard.

He already has won twice this season, including last month down the coast at Torrey Pines. When he won this tournament two years ago — the one he used to attend as a kid who grew up 30 miles away — he said, “I don’t know if I could ever do anything cooler in golf than this.”

Collin Morikawa (68) was two shots behind, with Patrick Cantlay (67) another shot back. Both grew up some 20 miles from Riviera.

Rory Mcilroy had a 69 and was four back.

The stars are out in Los Angeles, part of that due to Riviera, part of that due to the strongest field of the year competing for a $20 million purse.