Class 3A Wrestling Regionals Preview
By Tyler Buhr
Across Colorado, four regional tournaments will decide which wrestlers earn the right to wrestle for 3A hardware at Ball Arena. Regionals are where the team race begins in earnest: qualifiers change the math, bonus points tilt trophies, and a single fourth‑place match can rewrite the statewide picture.
Class 3A Team Rankings
1-Eaton
2-Alamosa
3-Mullen
4-La Junta
5-Fort Lupton
6-Jefferson
7-Valley
8-Bennett
9-Fort Morgan
10-TCA
REGION 1 — The Power Pool – 4 top ten Teams
Teams
Eaton; Bennett; The Classical Academy; Fort Morgan; Berthoud; Estes Park; Liberty Common; Platte Valley; Resurrection Christian; Sterling; Timnath; Weld Central; Wellington.
Region identity
This is the region with the clearest top end. Eaton arrives with multiple high seeds and the kind of depth that can translate into volume at state. Fort Morgan and Bennett have the pieces to score big.
What to watch
- Eaton, Quality with Quantity, at least seven poised to qualify with most looking to be in a regional finals match. Could be set up good for state.
- Benett: Several poised to take control and a couple others on the bubble
- Fort Morgan: Lots of guys are ready to make an impact, if a few matches go their way they could really make the team races interesting and even more so at state.
- TCA: Bit of a wild card, several ranked high and several around the bubble.
- Middleweights — 132–165 will decide a lot. Large congregations of ranked wrestlers, some won’t make it out of regionals.
- Matchups were excited to possibly see: 144 – Dylan Paris of Eaton vs Logan Vannest of Platte Valley, both top 4 in the state. 285 – Samuel Stockton vs Hayden Kenney
- Dark horse: Wellington just may have the pieces to challenge and make things interesting at the regional level
State impact
Eaton looks to qualify a bunch and get them all to a regional final to set them nicely for state. Everyone else is chasing but may have pieces to challenge or at least make it interesting.
REGION 2 -Wide Open- 2 top ten Teams
Teams
Brush; La Junta; Jefferson; University; Florence; James Irwin; Lamar; Manitou Springs; Middle Park; Mitchell; Pueblo Centennial; Salida; Sierra; Woodland Park.
Region identity
Less top‑heavy than Region 1 but deeper across the board. This region produces a lot of close matches for the 3rd and 4th spots.
What to watch
- La Junta – several sitting in good spots with a few right around the bubble
- Jefferson – handful of wrestlers near the top of their region.
- Straightforward region for the most part, look for unranked kids to make a mark on the region and possibly an impact for state
- Matchups were excited to possibly see: 113 – Gamez vs. Trujillo, 1&3 in the state, 150-Gallegos vs. Nunez, 1&3 in the state, 126 – Gamez and Quiroz-Garcia, 2&4 in the state
State impact
Not as stacked of a region, will see several unranked wrestlers punch their tickets to state. Could have an impact for several teams one way or another.
REGION 3 — The Chaos Region – 3 Top Ten Teams
Teams
Alamosa; Mullen; Valley; Skyview; Basalt; Bayfield; Coal Ridge; Delta; Grand Valley; Moffat County; Montezuma‑Cortez; Pagosa; Rifle; Steamboat.
Region identity
Very full region with lots of ranked wrestlers and some grouped very tightly. This region will have a huge impact on state weekend. Wouldn’t be surprised if there was some moving around at weights. Several ranked wrestlers wont make it out of regionals.
What to watch
- 106 – Possible state finals preview, 1,2, and 3 all in the region
- 165 – Hoffschneider vs. Loth
- 132 – Rodriguez vs. Mestas
- Alamosa – Front runners, not only at regionals but at state, and it may not even be close. If it is close they had something go wrong. By my count they’ll have at least 8 at state with very real medal chances and could get as many as 13 qualifiers if things go accordingly.
- Mullen- handful of “dudes” not deep but what they have are beyond solid.
- Valley – battlers – some will be at the top some will be fighting but they have a few to make an impact
State impact
Region 3’s volatility can create spoilers at state; a breakout weekend here can lift a mid‑tier team into the top‑10 conversation.
REGION 4 — The Wild Card – 1 top ten Team
Teams
Fort Lupton; Holy Family; Gunnison; Alameda; Abraham Lincoln; Arvada; Centauri; Conifer; Denver West; Elizabeth; Englewood; John F Kennedy; Strasburg.
Region identity
The most unpredictable region. A mix of veteran anchors and young lineups means titles are possible for several teams, but depth varies. Fort Lupton appears to be the favorites but several other teams could be within striking distance.
What to watch
- Holy Family – handful of quality sitting in a good spot.
- Centauri – could go either way – a couple will compete well and then a handful will be battling for those coveted spots. You never know.
- Fort Lupton – the deepest team here but its not all a guarantee, will need a few things to go their way to separate from the pack.
- Gunnison – not deep but a few that are poised for a regional finals appearance.
State impact
A big weekend from Holy Family, Gunnison, or even Centauri can vault them into region 4 title contention; if favorites falter, Region 4 becomes the source of the season’s biggest surprises. Look for unranked kids to impact the team races and to qualify for state.
MileHigh Prep Report 