Competing under the bright lights of the Pepsi Center in Denver on Feb. 21, Montezuma-Cortez High School seniors Matthew Broughton and Swayde Noyes won their opening matches of the Colorado State High School Wrestling Tournament.
For Broughton, who is widely regarded as one of the top 152-pound wrestlers in the state, victory came at the expense of Sierra High School’s Elijah Smith, whom Broughton pinned in the first period.
The win improved Broughton’s record to 41-4 on the season and advanced him to a state quarterfinals matchup against Berthound High School’s Kyle Conlon, who owns a 39-6 record this season.
Shortly after Broughton’s victory, Noyes matched up against Eaton High School’s Judson Church and won a 10-1 major decision. The win pushed Noyes into a quarterfinals matchup against The Classical Academy’s Nathan Johns, whose record stands at 33-1 on the season.
Other M-CHS wrestlers who competed in the first round of the state tournament included Jayven Valdez, who was pinned by Jerrerson High School’s Angelo Lozado in an opening-round matchup at 113 pounds.
Kerwin Tom also competed for the Panthers and was pinned by Brushy High School’s Wyatt Pfau in the 170-pound division. Both Tom and Valdez will now move into the consolation bracket of the double-elimination tournament.
Wrestling alongside M-CHS grapplers was Dolores senior Bryan Escarcega, who was pinned by Calhan’s Ethan Dustrude in a 220-pound matchup in the Class 2A division.
Dove Creek’s Gage Bailey was pinned by Rye High School’s Michael Atencio in the 113-pound division of the Class 2A Tournament, and Mancos’ Colt Fury was pinned by Swink High School’s Kaleb Fisher in a matchup at 152 pounds.
Escarcega, Bailey, and Fury will now move into consolation brackets in their respective weight classes. Quarterfinals matchups and consolation bracket matchups will take place on Feb. 22.
On Saturday, Broughton lost in the semifinals to Brush’s Oswaldo Nunez, who entered the match with a 29-6 record overall. After three hard-fought periods, Broughton found himself on the wrong side of an 8-5 final score.
The M-CHS senior’s loss in the 152-pound weight division followed a 7-3 victory over Berthound High School’s Kyle Conlon in the state quarterfinals. Conlon entered the match with a 37-7 record overall.
Broughton will now drop into the consolation bracket with hopes of winning out and finishing third overall.
The Journal will update this story as the tournament progresses.
