DENVER - Entering the state championship matches in Class 2A boys wrestling on Saturday, plenty of contenders were in the mix. 

In fact, only 11.5 points separated North Fork, Highland, Buena Vista, Burlington, Rocky Ford, and Cedaredge. 

In the end, the Huskies of Highland rose above the field as three individuals won state crowns. They sealed the first wrestling team championship for the school. 

“We had our dogs in the fight and they rose to the occasion,” Dean Lewis, a co-head coach with Jake Varra, said. ”They bought in from day one. We just did something that’s never been done at our high school. I’ve been coaching for 33 years and I’m speechless.”

Lewis, who started his career at Greeley West and also coached at Eaton, knew the team race would be tight. They needed Wyatt Chase to set the tone in the 190-pound weight class. He did just that, pinning Yuma’s Daden Beauprez in one minute, thirty seconds. 

The senior earned six points and lifted Highland above North Fork 100.5 to 99.5, putting them in first place. It wasn’t over yet. 

“He’s a team leader and he’s signed to play football at South Dakota School of Mines,” Lewis said. “He definitely got us going and got everybody excited. We were doing the math. If all three of our guys just win, we win the whole thing. It played out exactly how we planned.”

The next two up for the Huskies were Carter Jensen (132-pound weight class) and Tyler Varra (144). And oh, they absolutely delivered for a team seeking its first wrestling trophy.

Jensen defeated Dayspring Christian Academy’s Liam Deboer 16-3.  

“This is my 13th year wrestling and I’ve been working for this all this time,” he said. 

Jensen also beat Deboer at the 2025 state championships. He finished sixth in 2A as a sophomore and as a freshman. Now he’s been crowned champion. 

After that, Jensen’s cousin Tyler Varra, put the finishing touches on the team title. He ended the season with a 48-2 record, earning his first individual gold medal as a senior, by beating Akron’s Kaleb Grauer 16-0 in the 144-pound division.

Tyler Varra was the state runner-up as a junior and was fourth as a sophomore.

Highland earned 111 points, while North Fork finished with 105.5. Burlington and Rocky Ford tied for third with 94.5.

“All of our finals matches tonight were our regional matches,” Lewis said. “They were the same kids. It’s always tough to beat somebody twice. That was hopefully not weighing on the kids as much as it was me. We tried to just keep them in a kind of space that was a relaxed environment.”

The Huskies were well-prepared for the state tournament at Ball Arena as they faced a difficult schedule throughout the season. Lewis also knew the competition in 2A was fierce this season. 

Cedaredge was ranked number one and they were the defending champions. Highland was number two. 

The Huskies, who finished as the team runner-up one time (2013), have certainly come a long way as a program. 

“My first year at Highland it was my son and three other kids,” Lewis said. “There wasn’t a lot of depth. All four kids were good, but we were never close in team races. Now we have good numbers all the way through the middle school and the elementary school. The interest has gotten better.”

But, a new standard of success has now been set. 

“We have to realize that the community is going to expect us to win now,” he said. 

Their guys maximized their talent as eight of their 12 wrestlers qualified for state. Five even placed at the state tournament as Robert Olson (120 pounds) finished fifth as a freshman and Korbin Hoke (126 pounds) was fifth as a senior. 

Highland impressed, but so did many others. 

Perhaps the most extraordinary 2A boy this season was Austin Collins of Wray. 

“My oldest brother (Tyler) was a two-time state champion for Wray and my second oldest brother (Brady) was a three-time state champion for Wray,” he said with a smile. 

Now the University of Wyoming recruit has added to the family legacy as a three-time champion in the 150-pound weight class. He pinned Elijah Martin of Dayspring Christian Academy in just 60 seconds.

The senior for Wray has already been wrestling for 15 years. He’s done it nearly his entire life.  

“My older two brothers were wrestling and so I was always following them, trying to beat them up,” Collins said. “That’s what made me a good wrestler. I can’t thank them enough for pushing me and helping me get to this moment.”

After his final high school match, he beamed with pride about the program he has been a part of for four years. He only had one loss all season. 

“Wray wrestling is one of the most prestigious wrestling programs (16 team championships) in the state,” Collins, who was second as a freshman, said. “To go through this program is an amazing feeling. You saw the crowd. Everyone is here to support you. Everyone is just in there trying to get better and keep adding state championships to the wall.”

He has an eighth grade brother who will be a Wray Eagle soon enough.

Another standout wrestler on Saturday was Anthony Estrada of Burlington, a senior who earned his first state championship in the 215-pound division. He tallied a 39-0 record this year. 

“I just got done losing in the state finals last year,” he said. “I came back, put hard work in, and I got it done. I’m thanking the Lord right now. It’s just amazing.”

It sure wasn’t easy though as Buena Vista’s Carter Stromer was also unbeaten entering the final match. 

“He was seeded over me the whole year,” Estrada said. “He was one, I was two. I knew he was going to make it. I knew I was going to make it. I knew it was going to be a dog fight. I got an overhook, he got an under, and he just started pressuring in and I just, boom, stuck him.”

The pin in two minutes, thirty seconds brought Burlington their first gold medal since 2019. He was honored to help lift the Cougars to a tie for third in the final standings. 

“It’s the best team I’ve ever been on,” he said.

He is still exploring his options for college wrestling. 

Another athlete who was new to tasting gold was Cooper Edson of Sedgwick County/Fleming in the 120-pound weight class. After some adversity for his team on Friday, the junior had an extra ounce of motivation to win state. 

“My best bud went out in the semifinal round,” Edson said. “I’ve been praying for him. To go wrestle for him meant the world to me. Owen Harris (157-pound weight class) suffered an injury. He’s fine, but we pushed each other all year. Watching him go through what he had to do, it meant the world to wrestle for him out there.”

Edson had to defeat a worthy opponent in Cash Martinez of Cedaredge, the defending state champion who was boasting a 49-1 record.

It was a ferocious battle that the first-time gold medalist won 9-8.

He had never faced Martinez and didn’t know what he was ranked in his weight class in 2A all season. It never really mattered to Edson. 

What did were the actual results on the mat. He was pleased with the final outcome. Sedgwick County/Fleming’s wrestling program includes athletes from Revere and Julesburg high schools. Edson is a student at Julesburg.

“To coincide into one is important for our team and it makes us a family,” he said.