Local Grapplers Conclude a Banner Season
Trevor Phipps
Photos By Melissa Leonhardt
Over President’s Day Weekend, it was a “do or die” time for high school grapplers from across the state, and local WP wrestlers held their own with two female stars finishing at the top among a gruesome level of competition in Colorado.
Overall, the high school wrestling team sported three girls and two boys qualifying for the state championship tourney, which is one of the premiere high school winter tournaments. That in itself is an amazing achievement, and a goal the team never reached before in recent years. To qualify to wrestle for a state championship, the wrestlers were tasked with placing in the top four during the regional tournament that took place on the second weekend in February.
At the state championships, the wrestlers had to make it through the bracket in a heavily contested competition. In the end, two local grapplers got a space on the podium for 2025. On the girls’ team, junior Cheyenne Becker fared the best as she finished in third place in her 4A 235 lbs. weight class. On the boys’ team, senior Bryson Leonhardt ended up in sixth place in his 3A 175 lbs. weight class.
Two other girls’ wrestlers also hit the mats facing off against each other in the girls unified wrestling division reserved for those with special needs. The following is a wrap-up of what each Woodland Park wrestler accomplished on the mats at big stage at the Ball Arena in Denver.
Cheyenne Becker’s Rout to the Top
Not only does Becker win the award for the most successful local grappler this season, she also had quite an impressive run and nearly took first place. Since Becker took first place in her region at the regional tournament and finished with a 27-8 overall record, she qualified for a bye during the first round of the tournament.
During the second round Becker faced off against Athalie Mickelson from the Jefferson Girls team who had a 33-11 record. Becker pinned Mickelson in about five minutes to earn her a spot in the semi-finals.
In the semi-final round, Becker challenged senior Sofia Cabrera (31-3 from Skyview) after Cabrera pinned junior Thompson Zahara (23-10 from Arvada) in just over three minutes. Unfortunately, Becker was eliminated from the championship bracket after she was pinned by the older Cabrera in just under two minutes.
However, Becker then pinned freshman Faith DeHerrera (26-14 from Pueblo Central) in a little under three minutes to qualify for the third-place match. Becker then pinned junior Danika Dischner (33-10 from Yuma) in under two minutes to snag the third-place trophy.
Bryson Leonhardt Finishes in Top Standings
Leonhardt ended his season 38-12 and was faced off against senior Peter Pham (20-14 from Holy Family) during the first round of the championship. Leonhardt pinned Pham in 3:39 to earn a spot in the quarterfinals.
Then in the quarterfinals, Leonhardt faced off against junior Spencer Smith (32-10 from Centauri High School). Leonhardt fought hard in the match but incurred a sudden death loss in the match’s first overtime round. This eliminated him from the championship bracket.
However, Leonhardt then won the first consolation round against Angel Jimenez after pinning his opponent in 1:38. In the second consolation round, Leonhardt was victorious again when defeating Decker Nicholson (18-7 from Resurrection Christian) by decision.
Leonhardt then had his chance to compete in the third-place match, but he lost to senior Ridge Blackwood (49-5 from TCA) sending him to the fifth-place match. In the fifth-place match, Leonhardt lost to Zach Hedman (22-7 from Moffat County) to earn a sixth-place finish.
Freshman Jasmine Brewer Wins First Round
Brewer faced off in the first round in her 105 lbs. weight class against Kyler Kissell (13-16 from Arvada). Brewer earned a spot in the quarterfinals after pinning Kissell in 1:34.
In the quarterfinals, Brewer was then eliminated when she fell to freshman Emma Faczak (42-3 from Bennett) after getting pinned in 1:45. Brewer then went on to the second consolation round where she beat Madisen Stretton by decision to make it into the third consolation round.
Brewer then fell to Izabella Martinez (33-12 from Las Animas) in 1:51 to end her run. Brewer didn’t end up qualifying for the third or fifth place matches.
Sophomore Lillian Hood (29-21) wrestled in the first round in the 130 lbs. weight class but was pinned in 38 seconds by junior Eleanor Thorson (31-10 from Canon City). The sophomore wrestler then lost in the first consolation round to sophomore Kyley Matyniak (18-13 from Pagosa Springs) after being pinned in 2:21.
Senior Aidan Hood (Lillian’s brother) ended his wrestling season 30-11 in his 3A 165 lbs. weight class. Hood was pinned in just under two minutes in the first round by his opponent freshman Rocky Hoffschneider (31-9 from Valley). He then lost in the first consolation round to junior Noah Westbrook (28-17 from Bayfield).
Two Woodland Park Girls Battle Each Other
Although those in the Unified Division (for those with special needs did not have to qualify to wrestle on the mats at the state championship, Woodland Park was lucky enough to bring two girl wrestlers to battle each other in the Unified Girls 2 Class. During the sole match in the category Michelle Pitts, faced off against her WPHS classmate Kira Lewis.
Pitts ended up winning the match when the refs declared a technical fall after nearly three minutes into the match. Pitts earned first place in the UM G2 category whereas Lewis was awarded second place.
Next year, the boys team loses both of their state qualifiers (Hood and Leonhardt) to graduation. This could pave the way for the rest of the youngsters on the team to shine in the future. In addition, the girls’ team has a promising future as all three state qualifiers will be returning to the mats next season.
