The Coronado Wrestling Team headed up to Denver East High School on Friday, 1/5 , for the Colfax Smackdown. It was a two day tournament and the Cougars had many successful performances on Friday and even more on Saturday. Friday and Saturday morning was a dual tournament while Saturday afternoon was an individual mini tournament in which they qualified for based on their performances in the dual tournament.

On Friday, the Cougars had matches against Pueblo Centennial, Prairie View, and Cherry Creek; waking up bright and early Saturday morning, the Cougars continued their success in the dual tournament in their matches against Denver East and Mountain View.

Based on the performances earlier in the weekend, Coronado had seven competitors qualify for the individual mini tournament Saturday afternoon where each had a strong showing. The Cougars had two individual champions, K.J. Kearns, and Johnny Lopez, both seniors, in addition to many 2nd, 3rd, and 4th place finishes. Kearns won by a score of 8-4 against Pueblo Centennial’s Cole Hernandez while Lopez won over Grandview’s Matty Frye. Kearns’ victory was especially exciting because he got revenge on his opponent from Grandview after suffering a loss to the same wrestler in the same tournament a year ago.

Junior Zeke Terrazas took home a second place medal after a hard fought match against Prairie View’s Austin McFadden, which resulted in a leg injury for Terrazas. Angel Flores, 10, and Beau Chauvin, 11, placed third, while Ben Nagel, 9, and Ben Tonneson, 10, took fourth place. In the individual tournament, Coronado took 2nd place as a team at the Smackdown with a score of 76, behind only Pueblo East High School with 161 points, while Pueblo Centennial took home the dual team title.

The Cougars will head over to Doherty High School this weekend and try to capture some more 1st place finishes. Be sure to wish them luck and if you have any extra time, head to the east side and show your support!