4-of-6 Mustangs headed to quarterfinals

 

It took Cole Nading four years of arduous trying to make the Colorado wrestling tournament, so why waste all of his commitment, hard work and determination when he finally reached the Pepsi Center?

And could it have been more exciting or ended any better?

Probably not.

The Mullen senior used a two-point takedown in the final seconds Thursday to edge Rifle’s Dillon Tiffany 8-7 at 160 pounds in the Class 3A preliminaries. Nading improved to 29-10 this season and will compete in Friday’s quarterfinals.

Predictably, he was ecstatic afterward, including with the fact that he was among four of six Mustangs competitors to win first-round bouts.

“It was a close one,” the senior said. “I knew I had to score there.”

It was a back-and-forth match and Nading took a one-point lead with 28 seconds to go on a reversal, only to have Tiffany level the match with 0:23 remaining on an escape.

“In my head and looking at the clock, 20 seconds were left and we were back on our feet,” Nading said. “I spent the first 10 seconds to set something up and I got tight. I started panicking and wanted to at least get a good attempt in the match before it was over and I did’t even know how it would be … it wasn’t happening, I was just moving him. There was a little opportunity, I landed it and I threw him.”

Nading secured the takedown right before time expired, his first match at the state tournament that won’t need any embellishing into the future when it’s retold.

“It was a real high-intensity match,” Nading said. “(Tiffany) was a tough guy, a good wrestler. It feels really good to finally be here.”

Next for Nading is a quarterfinals match (9 a.m.) against Eaton’s Cael Jordan (36-9), a junior.

Mustangs head coach John Howes said he was pleased with a first round that included two others who won matches in their first state appearances.

Sophomore Noah Linares was efficient at 120, winning 11-4 over Alamosa’s Brandon Reveles. Linares improved to 25-7.

“Yeah, it was pretty good,” Linares said. “I went out there and just did what I do and stayed focus. I knew eventually it would go my way. I just had to keep putting pressure on him.”

“It will get harder,” he said of going deeper into the 16-wrestler bracket, “but I know that I’m capable of taking it all.”

Platte Valley’s Jonathan Malovich, a freshman who’s 41-8, awaits Linares in the quarterfinals.

Another sophomore, Mark Troni, made quick work of his bout at 126, pinning Lamar’s Sergio Mendoza in 1 minute, 8 seconds. Basically, Troni scored a takedown and finished the match just past the halfway point of the first period.

“I just went out there and got the pin,” Troni said “It didn’t really hit me until (later) that I won it, my first state match … I just got right into the pin part of it. It’s a lot less pressure (being in the undefeated side of the bracket).”

Now 31-11, Troni, who came down from 132, has another interesting opportunity in front of him – he will take on Fort Lupton’s Jacob Duran, 33-1 and a senior. Duran won a title as a freshman, was third as a sophomore and suffered a foot injury the past February that kept him sidelined.

As for Mullen’s lone wrestler with state experience, John Sumner, the senior earned a fall in 3:29 over Platte Valley’s William Cockroft at 152. Sumner led 7-1 before earning the fall and upping his record to an impressive 42-4.

“That’s one,” he said, “and I want three more.”

At one of the most-difficult weight classes, Sumner will square off against Grand Valley’s Conrad Demann, a senior and 19-8, in the quarterfinals.

Two other Mustangs suffered first-round losses, but are in consolation rounds.

At 145, Kaleb Valdez-Lemos, a freshman, was pinned in 3:24 and fell to 28-12. He will meet Olathe’s Daniel Gray, a sophomore and 28-20.

And at Hwt., freshman Hayden Woodruff (14-8) was pinned in 34 seconds by the top seed, Emanuel Munoz-Alcala. Woodruff will open consolations against Alamosa’s Zaq Bernal, 27-13 and a junior.

Below is a schedule: