DENVER — Growing up watching his father Rick coach the Grand Valley High School wrestling team, Ryan Gallegos knew someday a Cardinal grappler was going to advance to a championship match.

What the younger Gallegos didn’t know was that he would be the competitor to break the barrier.

“I never thought I would be up there,” he said after edging Mark Bejarano of Paonia, 2-1, in the Class 2A, 119-pound semifinals.

“I guess he could have wrestled a better match,” Gallegos said of his opponent. “I was just the better man today.”

Make that four times better.

Friday’s match marked the fourth time Gallegos faced the Paonia junior. Gallegos had beaten Bejarano three times earlier this season.

The last time both met, Gallegos defeated Bejarano 8-3. This time, with a state championship berth on the line, the match was tighter and tougher.

Gallegos broke a scoreless tie in the second period when he escaped a Bejarano hold. A penalty point, called on Bejarano for stalling later in the stanza, raised Gallegos’ lead to 2-0. Bejarano notched his only point in the third period on an escape.

“This time I had to wrestle my best to beat him,” Gallegos said. “This was probably my toughest match today.”

Earlier, Gallegos scored a 12-1 major decision over Carlos Valverde of Dolores Huerta to reach the semifinals.

He was the lone wrestler among three Cardinals who advanced to semifinal matches to win.

Freshman Jared Tonder fell to the 130-pound elimination bracket with his first loss in the double elimination tournament on a 12-1 defeat to Drake Smith of Dolores.

A second Dolores wrestler, Mikey Swigart, dashed the championship hopes of junior Cody Miles with a 14-5 decision in the 152-pound bracket.

Both wrestlers resume action today in the consolation tournament. Their opponents were unavailable at press time.

Three other Grand Valley wrestlers — James Drinkhouse, Matt Cain and Tyler Miles — were eliminated from the tournament after losing their second matches.

Coal Ridge exit 3A tourney out of medal hunt

The 2006-07 season is over for all four Titans state qualifiers. Each wrestler was eliminated in a consolation match after suffering their second loss.

Keenan Grumley advanced the farthest of Coal Ridge’s all-sophomore class contingent. He was ousted in the second round of the 130-pound tournament when he was pinned 43 seconds into his match with Lamar’s Justin Fleshman.

Fellow Titans Michael Larsen, Michael Cullen and Brady Gasaway ended the tournament with 0-2 records each.