What Happened: The Reds came out strong during regional weekend qualifying 11 for state, Feb. 18-20, at the Pepsi Center. The Reds finished in a strong second only 10.5 points behind no. 1 Valley. The Reds had two first-place finishers, Rusty Lohr (16) and Jeremy Murano (19). The Reds finished with 238.5 team points which was just behind top ranked Valley that scored 249.0 team points. The Reds benefited from both Murano and Lohr who both pinned their way through the bracket.

By the Numbers: The Reds totalled 25 pins compared to Valley’s 15 which allowed the Reds to give the top ranked 3A team a run they have not seen all season. The Reds had two second-place finishers, Lucas Halferty (16) and Hayden Gavette (18). Jaymz Murano (16), Colton Ingram (16), Braeson Lewis (18), and  Ariel Rodriguez (18) all had third place-finishes. They were accompanied on the podium by Erich Russ (16), Jake Sandau (18), and Ty Garnhart (19) who all finished in fourth.

Should’a Seen It: With 1:29 left in the match Lohr pinned no.1 ranked Arnoldo Maltos-Garcia to rev the large Eaton crowd into an uproar. Lohr controlled the whole match leading Maltos-Garcia before the pin. The crowd hushed quickly however after Maltos-Garcia failed to get up before being assisted off the mat by his coaches.

And The Crowd: The crowd was dominated by the home town, Eaton. The Vikings were followed north by a strong fan base hoping to see a repeat of last-years regional title. Brush fans also came west to support the Beetdiggers who finished in third as a team. Weld Central, Ft. Lupton, Erie, Mead, Sterling, University, Strasburg, Holy Family, Estes park, and Skyview fans were spread out through the gym in their separate cliques.

Social Call: Eaton Reds Wrestling page on Twitter was extremely proud of the Reds runner-up finish, claiming it is a step in the right direction. Other fans were in support saying they have not seen a group of wrestlers as talented in years. Head Coach Tony Mustari was also praised with the way he has turned the program around in only his first year as Head Coach. The town of Eaton showed support in every direction to every boy on the team.

Next Up: The Reds travel down to the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18 to compete in the CHSAA State Championships. The Reds were knocked out of the top ten in the lasts weeks of competition, but proved they are a force to be reckoned at the Pepsi Center.