So much for a sophomore slump.

Last year, Grand Valley High School took a big step toward establishing itself as a statewide power by sending its four fabulous wrestling freshmen to the state meet in Denver.

This year, as sophomores, the quartet is equally fearsome.

Ryan Gallegos, James Drinkhouse, Tyler Miles and Jared Tonder have found themselves in the mix for titles at seemingly every tournament the Cardinals have entered. And they’re a big reason why the team earned On the Mat’s No. 1 ranking in Class 2A last week.

The top spot will probably be usurped by Paonia after the Eagles topped the Cardinals at Saturday’s Class 2A Western Slope League tournament, but who’d have thought Grand Valley’s program would reach such heights in only its sixth year?

The Cards have had amazing individual wrestlers in recent years — such as seniors Cody Miles and Matt Cain, both state qualifiers a year ago — but to have four kids step into the program and dominate right off the bat has galvanized the up-and-coming program.

Something like this — a mass influx of athletic talent — just doesn’t happen all that often.

Well, at least outside of Parachute. Grand Valley’s basketball program rode five talented Class of 2007 athletes — Sam McKinley, Luke Braby, Danny Manzanares, Richard Gallegos and Mitch Belden — to a 2A state title last year.

Now, it’s the wrestling program’s turn to bottle lightning.

Coach Rick Gallegos, who runs Parachute’s youth wrestling program, could see it coming. That’s because that group of sophomores have wrestled together since their early elementary school days.

“We’ve known each other since the first grade,” said Tonder. “They got me to wrestle in the second grade. They’ve all been going since preschool.”

The late comer of the group, Tonder says he was easily hooked onto the sport by the other three.

“It was the thing to do,” he said. “We’d all be playing basketball if it weren’t at the same time.”

Turns out, the group shares other passions in the form of similar hobbies. And they’re the best of friends.

“We’re real good friends,” Tyler Miles said. “We play football, go hunting, go fishing together. We do a lot of the same stuff.”

And Miles and his teammates hope to make it back to the state meet together.
“It’s pretty important,” Ryan Gallegos said. “Everyone cares about getting to state. We’d be real disappointed if we didn’t make it back.”

In a town where high school basketball is king, wrestling is nudging its way into the spotlight — thanks in large part to the Class of 2010.

Their passion for wrestling, and willingness to work tirelessly at it, should set the program up for quite the future.

Contact Jeff Caspersen: 384-9123
jcaspersen@postindependent.com