The varsity wrestling team’s regular season ended in January, the month of the schedule with practices every day, dual meets every week and tournaments every weekend.

Even though January included wins and losses, the Jags continued on. The post-winter break schedule included five dual meets, a quadrangular meet and five tournaments.

After losses to Ponderosa High School 76-6 Jan. 10 and Heritage High School 40-29 Jan. 17, the Jags beat the Arapahoe Warriors on Jan. 18 37-33. Points came from falls by Allen Hurd ‘26 at 126 pounds, Jon Herskovits ‘24 at 138 pounds, Noah Jadd ‘26 at 144 pounds and Bodey Sherrill ‘24 at 150 pounds, as well as Elijah Nguyen’s ‘25 major decision at 165 pounds.

On Jan. 24, pins recorded by Herskovits, Jadd, Luke Steiner ‘26, Gavin Hildebrand ‘25, Robert Fatongiatau ‘24 and Cillian Daughtery ‘27 defeated rival Highlands Ranch 39-38 at the Battle of the Ranch quadrangular dual meet, Jan. 24. The Jags were then defeated by ThunderRidge High School 42-39 and lost to Mountain Vista High School 54-24, taking third place overall. 

The Jan. 31 meet versus Thomas Jefferson at home was Senior Night, honoring the following seniors and their achievements by giving a message to the crowd about their gratefulness for the school and their families: Ryan Banks ‘24, Hunter Englesen ‘24, Robert Fatongiatau, Jon Herskovits and Bodey Sherrill. The Jags lost to Thomas Jefferson High School 48-​​21.

Gallery • 5 Photos

media by Claire Yeater

Ryan Banks '24 poses with his sister and parents while being recognized during the Senior Night ceremony Jan. 31. After the ceremony ended, matches began. Banks lost his match 9-8 L.

“My favorite part about Senior Night was the opening ceremony. I’ve wrestled all four years and I’ve watched three different Senior Nights before, so it was cool to know it was finally my turn,” Banks said.

The Jags had a month full of tournament competitions. 

Jake Brown ‘26 took fourth place in the 113-pound weight class at the Smoky Hill Buffalo Invitational on Jan. 6. 

On Jan. 13, the Jags hosted the Jaguar Invitational ending the day by taking seventh place. Led by Steiner taking second place in the 150-pound weight division, the team finished the day with seven additional place winners: Aaron Bayne ‘25 placed sixth at 113 pounds, Tyler Kennelly ‘25 placed third at 132 pounds, Herskovits placed third at 138 pounds, Jadd placed fourth at 144 pounds, Chase Attebury ‘26 placed sixth at 175 pounds, Banks placed fourth at 190 pounds and Fatongiatau placed sixth at 215 pounds. 

The Castle View Sabercat Slam combination dual and individual tournament ended with the Jags taking second place in their dual team pool and five individual place winners Jan. 20. Herskovits and Jadd each collected second-place medals in the 138-pound and 144-pound weight classes, respectively. Banks finished in third place at 215 while Englesen at 120 pounds and Attebury at 175 pounds each finished in fourth place. 

“My favorite part about the team is everyone’s hanging out,” Herskovits said. “Even though we all have different goals, regardless of what those are, we’re all always having fun in practice hanging out and working hard. I’m going to miss having a group around me to push me to be a better person regardless of if I’m on the mat.”

The Continental League Championships, held on Jan. 27, yielded five individual medal winners. Jadd and Engelsen placed third in the 144-pound weight and 120-pound weight classes respectively. Daughtery took fifth place at 285 pounds and Fatongiatau placed fifth at 190 pounds. Banks earned sixth place in the 215 weight class.

Finally, the Jags traveled to Greeley West High School for a six-team dual tournament Feb. 2. Competing against five other teams, the Jags beat Fossil Ridge High School 41-36, beat James Irwin High School 38-33, beat Longmont High School 58-17, lost to Loveland High School High School 69-11, beat Niwot High School 51-24 and beat Wiley High School 41-31.

“Greeley West was the final test before regionals to validate our game plans for each wrestler, to identify areas we needed to fine-tune, and to confirm that we were ready,” coach Darryl McGowan said. “For the final week before Regionals, we focused on mental preparation, inspiring the team to dream, to visualize, to believe, to desire and will themselves to victory.”

The Jags went on to compete at the regional tournament at Ponderosa High School Feb. 9 and Feb. 10. Highlights from the tournament include Jadd taking second place in the 144-pound weight class, and moving on to compete at the state level. Herskovits, Kennelly, Fatongiatau and Steiner took sixth. 

At Ball Arena Feb. 15-17, Jadd took the mat at the Colorado High School Activities Association (CHSAA) State Tournament. In round one Feb. 15, Jadd lost by a decision 20-8 L to Abe Pomeroy ‘25 of Boulder High School.

The next day, Feb. 16, Jadd lost by a decision of 5-3 L to Dominic Cordray ‘25 of Chaparral High School. This loss eliminated him from the tournament.