Panthers send 5 to state, Miners send 1

RYE, FLORENCE — It was a weekend of tough competition in the 2A and 3A Regional Tournaments. Across the state there were several upsets and surprises for some teams as the 2015 state wrestling brackets were set. Sixteen young men and young women will look for glory and a championship in their respective weight classes, spread among the 2A-5A ranks. The five John Mall wrestlers and one Trinidad Miner who qualified for state are four wins away from claiming a state championship. At the 2A–CHSAA Region 2 tournament in Rye, Jonathan Andreatta, at 113 pounds, Adam Bobian at 145 and Andrew Vigil at 220 were crowned as Regional Champions. Two other Panthers, Jason Murphy at 195 and Dylan Crump at 285 placed third and earned their spot at state. In the 3A tournament, Justin Maldonado, who wrestled at 113 pounds, placed third and will represent his school at state as the lone Trinidad Miner. The Panthers also had three other wrestlers place at the Regional Tournament. None of these wrestlers had a chance of a wrestle back in the brackets because they had a previous loss to the fourth place finisher, thus eliminating any chance of a state placement for them. The only chance of a fifth place finisher going to state would be if one of the top four drop out for any reason, which is not a likely scenario. The following three Panthers all placed fifth. Tim Pacheco, at 126, Trystan Estrada at 132 and Zane Barber at 170 competed well but fell short in advancing. According to Coach Vialpando, “It would of been nice to get a few more guys into the state tournament but, overall, I feel everyone wrestled well. Our region is tough this year and will be represented well at the state tournament.  Most of our draws at state are pretty decent. However, it’s the state tournament so you have to expect tough matches. That’s what makes it exciting and fun to compete in.” The Trinidad Miners had three placers in their region: Brandon Lucero placed 6th at 106 pounds, Jared Smith placed 6th at 126 and Chase Cortez, 6th at 195. For more details about the day’s action, see related stories.