Most of the wrestlers who advanced to the finals of the CHSAA state wrestling tournament Friday started their careers in their pre-kindergarten days.
Geoff Freeman’s introduction to the sport was about a decade later than that, so he had to play catch up. But it didn’t take him long.
The Chaparral senior started wrestling as a freshman, qualifying for the state tournament that year. Then, as a sophomore, he was disqualified for missing weight at state on Day 2. Those two growth years — and a bitter ending to a sophomore season — propelled him to third place at Class 5A 220 pounds last year and now the 195-pound title match on Saturday at Ball Arena.
“My football coach at the time, he said I might be good at wrestling based off how I played football, so I started and looked at it as a side sport,” Freeman said. “I got into it, and I was immediately like, ‘I really love this sport, this is awesome.’ Since then I’ve changed over from football to wrestling — after my junior year I stopped football and it’s been all about wrestling, and getting here for this moment.”
The senior said he is feeling “kind of unstoppable right now” in his quest to become Chaparral’s first state champion since Dawson Cranmer at 170 pounds in 2016. He can also become the school’s first champion at 195, a weight he settled back into after competing about 20 pounds underweight last year. Freeman pinned Ponderosa’s Blaine Kubasta in the first round in Friday’s semifinals, while Wolverines 106-pounder Declan Strait also punched his ticket to the finals as a freshman.
Freeman credits offseason tournaments for his rapid ascension from a newcomer in the sport to state finalist. And to go from a rookie as a freshman, to missing weight as a sophomore, to the podium as a junior, and now to the finals in a span of four short years is a credit to sweat equity.
“(Missing weight) was definitely devastating,” Freeman said. “But I knew I still had two years ahead of me, and I had to just keep pushing, keep doing all the work that I could. That’s how I got over that mental block that caused — I just kept working.
“It was all that freestyle and Greco in the summers — when I started doing those sorts of tournaments, I was like, ‘Man! I’m starting to get really good at just moving around on the mat and using my strength,’” Freeman said. “That’s how I progressed to the next level.”
He faces Legacy senior Gavin Funk in the finals, whom he narrowly beat 3-2 in the finals at Top of the Rockies last month.
Vigil in position to repeat. Just like Freeman, Broomfield 152-pound senior Ryan Vigil also learned the hard way from a missed weight as an underclassman.
Ranked No. 1 in the state as a freshman, Vigil missed weight on the second day of 2019 regionals by a tenth of a pound. Then, after losing in an ultimate tiebreaker at state the next year, Vigil responded by winning the Class 4A 138-pound crown last year in Pueblo.
“Missing weight as a freshman taught me a lot of lessons,” Vigil said. “It was bad when it happened, but looking back on it, it was a learning experience. It helped set me up for success later.”
Vigil pinned Cheyenne Mountain senior Raife Manjarrez in the semifinals, and now takes on Pueblo East junior Sebastian Freeman in the finals. Vigil has offers from Air Force, Northern Colorado, Adams State and Chadron State, and plans to make his college decision following the state tournament.
But first, another box to check under the spotlight on Saturday night.
“I know I have the skills to repeat, now it’s just about showing up and putting my skills on the mat,” Vigil said.
Ball Arena pin king? Who is perhaps the most aggressive wrestler in the tournament field at Ball Arena? Look no further than Pueblo East senior Xavier Freeman. The defending Class 4A state champion is rolling through the 220-pound bracket at blazing speed.
In the first round, Freeman pinned Skyview sophomore Rene Perez in 18 seconds. Freeman advanced to the semifinals on Friday with a 54-second pin of Harrison senior Ojani Moore. Then Freeman booked his spot in the state final on Saturday with a fall in 3:20 against Bear Creek senior Ryan Segovia. It’s all part of Freeman’s wrestling strategy.
“We’re trying to win a championship for the team. So, I’m trying to get extra points with the pin,” Freeman said. “I kind of create my own action. I like to wrestle my match instead of wrestling their match. That’s the easiest way to win.”
Pueblo East enters Saturday in first place in Class 4A. The Eagles finished third last year and have one championship to their credit, which came in 2019.
“I think we’re in position,” Freeman said. “If the kids on the backside continue to not give up, I think we definitely have a shot at the title.”
Denver Post reporter Kyle Fredrickson contributed to this report.
