3A Boys Wrestling: Brush Wins First State Title Since 2007

DENVER – In the Class 3A ranks, Brush wasn’t considered a state championship contender in the preseason. However, when the dust settled at Ball Arena Saturday, Brush was basking in state glory.

The Beetdiggers were celebrating state supremacy, thanks to crowning state champ Nick Dardanes (138 pounds), Austin Ley (165 pounds) and Ritchie Bruno (175 pounds) and placing a total of six wrestlers.

The Beetdiggers edged Alamosa, 132.0-110.5 for the coveted team title, while Eaton took third at 107.5.

“We had some guys injured and we started to put things together two weeks before regionals,” said Brush coach Chad Cox, who is in his second season directing the program. “This is what we thought the lineup would be and it just took the whole season to get there.”

The last time Brush won state was in 2007 in Class 3A.

“We gave it everything we had, and I couldn’t be prouder of these guys,” said Cox, who graduated from Brush in 1988. “It has been a journey, and my youngest son (Levi) is a senior, so I have been with these kids from the youth side, and I coached middle school and high school at the same time, and it has been fun to watch and see what these kids accomplished because of all the work they put in.”

Dardanes (58-3) outlasted Pueblo Centennial’s Jason Soto 7-3 in the finals. Dardanes, a senior, claimed his second-consecutive state crown. He was the state champ at 132 pounds last year.

“This doesn’t feel as sweet as the first one, but I know I have put in the work, and I deserve this one more,” Dardanes said. “I just had to stay ahead of everybody else. I was already at the top and I had to stay there. I had to keep grinding every day because everyone was trying to catch up to me.

“Winning the team title is almost sweeter than winning the individual title because all the work myself and my teammates have put in paid off.”

Brush’s state championship quest received a big boost with Levi Cox (144 pounds) and Christaun Astorga (215 pounds) each taking fourth, and Riley Tuck putting together a fifth-place effort at 190 pounds. Brush qualified 11 wrestlers for the state tourney.

“Having all three of those guys come back and place was enormous,” Coach Cox said. “It took a lot of pressure off our other guys and allowed us to win this state title.”

Alamosa made things interesting when Jeremiah DeLaCerda won state at 106 pounds with a 12-7 decision over Centauri’s Matthew Salazar.

The Mean Moose’s team championship dream vanished when Eaton’s Blake Hawkins (49-5) stopped Alamosa’s Anthony Meder with a 13-4 major decision at 113 pounds.
Alamosa’s Uriah Martinez (38-4) tried to get his team back on the winning track but was outlasted by Lincoln’s Jordan Romero (36-2) 4-1 in sudden-death overtime at 126 pounds.

Brush’s Lay (47-4) pinned Fort Lupton’s Christopher Galicia for his win.

Bruno (35-1) put an exclamation point on Brush’s memorable season with a 5-4 win over Mullen’s Isaak Chavez (31-1).