In a gripping showdown, the Loveland and Thompson Valley wrestling teams faced off on February 7, 2024, at Loveland High School, just weeks before the regional championships. The annual rivalry dual concluded with Loveland narrowly defeating Thompson Valley 39-33. While the final score determined bragging rights, both teams remained focused on their preparations for the upcoming regional meets.
Loveland head coach Troy Lussenhop expressed a mix of satisfaction and concern following the match. “We’re still trying to get to where we need to be,” he stated. “I thought tonight, we wrestled alright. I don’t think we wrestled great. One thing TV always brings to the table is extra points. Those pin points add up in a dual, and I don’t think we capitalized on some pins we should have had. So, that kind of worried me.”
The Red Wolves have shown promising form recently, securing a victory at the Niwot Invitational on January 3 and finishing third at Arvada West on January 10. During the dual against Thompson Valley, after Anthony Castillo of Thompson Valley opened with a win in the 106-pound category, Loveland surged ahead with a forfeit victory at 113 pounds and consecutive wins from 120 to 144 pounds by Judd Griffith, Dominik Ortiz, Logan Ruder, Sam Jackson, and Christian Carroll. This run gave Loveland a substantial lead.
Nevertheless, Thompson Valley fought back with three consecutive wins from 150 to 165 pounds, courtesy of Jackson Eversman, Ty Eversman, and Wyatt Malara. Loveland managed to regain control with pin victories at 175 and 190 pounds by Luke Treacy and Bryce Hayman. Thompson Valley’s Landry Suarez then secured a pin at 215 pounds, followed by a 3-0 decision win by Harrison Bogner at 285 pounds.
“We have made a lot of big improvements,” said Loveland senior Beau McFall, who faced a tough match against Suarez. “After each match, just kind of looking forward to the next one, improving what they think would help them in their next match and staying focused on what’s the picture in front, really.”
The Eagles have also experienced success this season, leveraging the skills of their seasoned veterans while integrating younger wrestlers into the lineup due to injuries. Thompson Valley head coach Steve Gerrard praised the resilience of his team. “With all of that, we’re still putting a team out there and I thought we wrestled pretty darn tough tonight,” he remarked. “I was proud of our younger guys, and obviously, our more experienced guys all took care of their jobs.”
Gerrard emphasized the potential of his team as they look towards the state competition. “I think we have a really strong state team coming down the stretch. I think we have six, seven guys that could go down there and podium and score some, not only podium but a handful of them could be high on the podium. In these last couple of weeks of duals, that’s our focus — regionals and state.”
Thompson Valley showcased a strong roster, including five returning state qualifiers: Castillo, Malara, Suarez, and the Eversman brothers. Ty Eversman, who finished third at state last year, noted that his experience has been beneficial for both him and his teammates this season. Despite dealing with an injury, he expressed optimism about the team’s future. “This year’s going pretty good,” he said. “We have a pretty young team this year, a lot of guys that would normally be wrestling JV. They’re getting a lot of good experience, and just having that young team, it will be good to build over the years.”
Both teams returned to action shortly after the dual. Loveland competed against Fort Collins, while Thompson Valley hosted matches against Severance and Greeley Central. The regional championships are scheduled for February 13 and 14, 2024. Thompson Valley will host the 4A Region 1 event, while Loveland will compete at the 5A Region 1 meet at Horizon.
