Just four weeks away from State Wrestling, the Reds are ranked number two in class 3A according to CHSSANow as of Jan. 14. Topping the Reds in team rank for number one is Mullen. Platte Valley is ranked number five while Bennett and Highland are not seen in the top 10. The Reds had a great week ending with wins over all three opponents.

The Reds ended their away dual against Platte Valley with a final team score of 44-33 on Thursday, Jan. 20. Carlos Munoz (25), Cal Sidwell (25), Preston Smith (24), and Ryder True (23) earned six points for the Reds since Platte Valley didn’t have wrestlers at their weights. Alex Castaneda (22) wrestled Platte Valley’s Cass Cure who Castaneda beat with a major decision earning the Reds four team points. Jake Hergenreter (23) also won his match earning the Reds another four team points.

During his match at the Platte Valley dual, Brayden Betsworth (25) said, “I scored points, got takedowns, and was never on bottom. You can’t give up. There are a lot of times when I want to quit, but you can’t do that because you will never become good.” 

Betsworth overcame Platte Valley senior, Weston Meyer, with a pin in the third period. Ryan Dirksen (22) wrestled and pinned his opponent, Brody White, in the second period of the match. Both Betworth and Dirksen earned the Reds six team points each. 

On Friday, Jan. 21, the wrestlers dualed both Bennett and Highland. They beat Bennett 55-12 and Highland 45-27. Betsworth, Dirksen, Sidwell, True, Smith, Munoz, and Lucas Cass (22) earned six points each over Bennett by forfeits. 

Castaneda won his match with a major decision score of 11-3 earning the Reds four team points. Castaneda is currently ranked number one in the 132 weight division for 3A. Hergenreter, who wrestles in the 138 weight division, won his match with a decision score of 4-0. 145-pound wrestler, Jackson Tribbett (24), won his match with a pin in the first period. 

Battling Highland on the mat was no different than the prior tournament ending with a huge Reds victory. Hergenreter and Sidwell gained six team points for the Reds since their weights were open for the Huskies. Smith and Munoz beat their Husky opponents with tech falls putting five points each on the team scoreboard.

Castaneda pinned his opponent at the end of the second period resulting in six more points on the team scoreboard. Dirksen pinned his opponent in the first minute and a half of his match. Dirksen is currently ranked first in the 170 weight division for 3A.

As a senior wrestler, Dirksen said his advice for younger wrestlers is “don’t take wrestling too serious. At the end of the day, it’s not as serious as you think. That’s what made me more successful is to have fun wrestling instead.”

True and Cass both beat their opponents with major decisions; True beat his opponent 11-1, and Cass beat his opponent 8-0.

In the next week, the Reds will be facing Sterling for an away dual on Thursday, Jan. 27.  Then the Reds will have a home triangular between the Reds, Weld Central, and Delta on Friday, Jan. 28, and will be at the Valley Viking Invitational tournament on Saturday, Jan. 29.