The 2024-25 high school wrestling season will come to a close this weekend, but not without a strong showing from Garfield County teams.  

The 2025 state wrestling tournament will take place Feb. 13-15 at Ball Arena, featuring more than 1,300 qualified high school athletes. Wrestlers from Grand Valley, Rifle, and Coal Ridge high schools will make the trip through the mountains to compete against the best in Colorado.

Western Slope boys and girls alike will represent their schools at the highest level of high school in the state. Nine Grand Valley Cardinals will make the trip along with seven Rifle Bears and three Coal Ridge Titans. 

Junior Jesse Richel is the only qualifier for the Coal Ridge boys wrestling team, but he will be joined by sophomore Lexi Thurmon and senior Calli Epp from the girls team. Senior Isaac Valencia leads the qualified Rifle Bears along with Trey Trouski, junior Arath Lopez, sophomore Blake Shaffer, and freshman Maximilian Moore. The Lady Bears will send sophomore Reese Davis and freshmen Karisa Craig. The Grand Valley Cardinals will send a near full roster. Led by senior Camden Neil, six other upperclassmen — Jaysen Skeen, Noah Carbaja, Gabriel Mendoza, Mason Schoeppner, Aiden Strauss, and Richard Terrazas— will compete in their final high school tournament. Sophomore Carmine Neil and freshman Blayne Myers round out the team, looking to gain valuable experience.

“We are extremely proud of our wrestling team,” Grand Valley Athletic Director Jason Arthur said. “Coach Todd Jacobs and his coaching staff have done a great job this year and we are excited to send nine wrestlers to the state tournament this weekend in Denver.”

The Grand Valley Cardinals wrestling program is consistently gaining steam, sending two more wrestlers to the state tournament then they did last year, and falling just one wrestler short of their school record. As they send nine wrestlers, they account for nearly 20% of all the wrestlers that qualified from the Garfield County region. 

“It is definitely challenging to keep them motivated,” Cardinals wrestling coach Todd Jacobs said. “You just have to keep reminding them what their goals are and what they want to get out of the experience.”

The qualified Cardinals are led by Camden Neil. To go along with playing three different positions on both sides of the ball on the Cardinals football team, it is the third consecutive year Neil has qualified for the state tournament. 

Neil’s experience at his final state tournament will hold extra weight within his family. Camden and his younger brother, Carmine, will be competing together on the fabled shared floor of the Colorado Avalanche and Denver Nuggets for the first time. 

“Qualifying this year is a special moment for me,” Camden Neil said. “Getting to compete at state with my brother is something that very few wrestlers get to experience.”

Grand Valley isn’t the only Garfield County school with a consistently strong wrestling program. Rifle is also sending more than five wrestlers to the state tournament for the second consecutive year. 

“Sending seven wrestlers is a reflection of the commitment our coaches and their athletes have made to achieve at the highest level,” Rifle Athletic Director Greg Lantheir said. “The State wrestling event is a tremendous experience for all student-athletes and encompasses what high school sports is all about. This is an experience that they will remember for the rest of their lives.”