Thompson Valley wrestling, loaded with tradition, in search of first state title
[dropcap]I[/dropcap]n 1977, Thompson Valley wrestling was in its second year of existence. The Eagles became a family affair as Dan Juergensen, the TV coach from 1977 to 2003, went 365-101-4 before giving the reigns to his son Dave, the current head of the program.
They haven’t looked back since.
Much has changed since 1977, but one thing remains the same — Thompson Valley wrestling is a force. The school in south Loveland has claimed 27 conference, regional, or district championships as a team in its 38 seasons. They’ve produced seven individual state champions. They’ve had greats like Johnny Ortega (155-11 career record), a 2008 grad who placed third, second, third, and first at the state meet, and Steve Gerrard, a state champ his senior year and a club national champion for Colorado State University in 2009.
So what’s missing from Thompson Valley’s storied tradition on the mat?
They have yet to earn a state championship as a team. After placing second at the 4A state meet a season ago, the highest finish in school history, this group of Eagles hopes to earn the ultimate prize.
“I think it would finally put us over the edge,” Thompson Valley coach Dave Juergensen said of the importance of a state title.
“We’ve always been known as a dual team and I’m really into duals. I think that brings the whole team aspect into the sport, but that would get a big monkey off our back for sure. We wouldn’t get the, ‘Well you guys have never won state’-type comments anymore. That would be huge.”
By all indications, Thompson Valley’s title pursuit is off to a great start. The Eagles captured the prestigious Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament championship for the first time in school history by racking up a monstrous 334 points, well clear of runner-up Pueblo County with 218.5.
“It meant a lot,” senior Ben Hewson, a state runner-up last year, said of winning the Christmas tournament. “Pueblo County, they are ranked second and are right behind us and we blew them out. It was a big one just to see where we’re at. Obviously we still need to work on stuff, but it was good knowing we’re ahead.”
“That one was special, because we had this round in the quarters where I think we only lost one match,” Juergensen added. “That kind of set the tone for the rest of the tournament. Then they seemed to pick up steam after the quarters and even finished it off in the finals.
“A lot of times when we are in those bigger tournaments, we’ve been getting to those finals, but not winning. I think they’ve just matured enough as a team where they are starting to get it done. We went right into Christmas break after that and felt good.”
A star-studded lineup with eight returning state qualifiers, five returning state placers, and seven wrestlers currently ranked No. 1 or 2 two in 4A in their respective weight classes and it’s no wonder top-ranked TV wears the target as the team to beat.
But, like most teams, the Eagles haven’t gone through the season free of adversity. Parker Simington, undefeated and ranked number one at 160 pounds, had a minor knee injury at the Arvada West Invite on January 17. The junior was still able to finish the match and won by technical fall, but Juergensen said they will be cautious with Simington and sit him out of the lineup for a few weeks.
A slight injury certainly doesn’t change Juergensen and his team’s expectations though.
“Parker was our first state champ that we’ve had that wasn’t a senior,” Juergensen said. “This will be the first time ever that we’ve had the chance to have an individual be a state champion more than once and I think that’s special.”
Another thing that’s special? Having an opportunity to earn title number one as a team.
“The intensity in the room has picked up a lot since last year and last year we were up there in the state, obviously,” Hewson said. “We all know what we need to do. We all want to win that state title.”
“We’ve taken fifth numerous times,” Juergensen said. “By getting to second, we realized that we’re ready to make a move and we’re about to the point where we need to make a run at it.
“Even in the finals (last year), there was one point there for about fifteen minutes when it showed up on the Jumbotron that we were in first. I think they saw that and got a taste of being in first at the state tournament. Because of that, we’ve just had blinders on and have been real focused all year. It’s a good group.”
