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Coal Ridge wrestlers headed to 3A tournament

Jeff Caspersen
Post Independent Staff
Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado

BUENA VISTA ” Nowhere does the cliche “quality over quantity” ring truer than with Coal Ridge’s wrestling program.

Of the seven kids Titans coach Rob Grumley will take to Buena Vista for the Class 3A Region 1 Tournament this weekend, two are returning state qualifiers and two others have a strong shot at finishing in the top four and snagging a spot at the 3A state meet in Denver.

As sophomores last year, Keenan Grumley and Michael Larsen represented Coal Ridge at state alongside teammates Michael Cullen, Josh Alsop and Bradey Gasaway. With the latter three not wrestling this season for various reasons, juniors Grumley (135-pound weight class) and Larsen (145) hope to have different Titan company at the Pepsi Center.



If they can make it back, of course. And that’s always something Coach Grumley cautions his kids about.

“I always tell them, against kids they’ve beaten in the past, don’t expect to have an easy match just because you handled someone easily before,” he said. “I’ve seen it every year, where a kid dominated another two or three times before and then they get beat, whether it’s a case of being overconfident or that other kid is just that hungry.”



Junior Kevin Laidlaw (171) and freshman Neal Schultz (112) are the ones with the best shot at making debut trips to state.

“We’ve seen a lot of teams in region the last several weeks,” Coach Grumley said. “We hung pretty well with ’em, especially those four guys. They’ve definitely held their own with guys from our regions. If they just show up and wrestle like they’re capable of, they’ve got a shot, for sure.”

Coal Ridge will face a loaded field in Buena Vista, including Olathe, ranked No. 5 in Class 3A by RockyPreps.

Getting to state won’t be easy for the Titans, but the desire is definitely there.

“CHSAA does a great job with that wrestling tournament,” Coach Grumley said. “The kids really want to get there.”

They’ll have their chance starting today.


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