The Eagle Valley wrestling team is on a roll heading into home invitational
The Devils have three wrestlers ranked in the top-six in their respective 4A weight classes
Robert Good/Courtesy photo
It’s a struggle for Travis Ward to identify the can’t-miss match at Thursday night’s home wrestling dual invitational.
“We’re very solid at every weight,” the Eagle Valley head coach said.
The Devils will certainly bring a wealth of talent to the mat against Soroco and West Grand when things get underway at 6 p.m. They’ve also got some momentum.
On Tuesday, Eagle Valley only dropped two of its 22 matches in duals against Coal Ridge and Grand Valley. The Devils also put four athletes on the podium at the prestigious Tournament of Champions in Vernal, Utah to start the New Year. A week later, at the Pueblo Centennial Invitational — which featured seven of the top-10 4A teams in Colorado — No. 3-ranked Cole Good improved to 20-3 on the season with his third tournament victory.
Speaking of headliners, Good is a great place to start.
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“He’s starting to click when it needs to click, he’s beating kids he needs to beat and he’s rising to occasions he needs to be at in order to capitalize at state,” Ward said of the junior.
“The way he’s going and as much talent as we have in our room — I see him being a very, very high contender for a state championship this year.”
Good hopped in the 132-pound weight class in Vernal, where he ended up sixth after losing to Colorado No. 1 A.J. Hague. Good found redemption in Pueblo, where he lined up at 126-pounds in the hopes of facing Colorado’s best in that weight class, Deven Lopez. But Lopez fell to Robert Joseph Meza by an 8-4 decision in the semifinals. Good secured the title over Meza with a 3-1 sudden victory.
“He can compete at the top with those kids,” Ward said.
So can his little brother, Alex. The freshman came away with a sixth-place finish in Vernal, matching his brother’s placement.
“The deep Colorado competition at his class has had him a bit stifled up until last weekend,” assistant coach Bob Good stated. “He was able to string together a series of wins against some of the toughest wrestlers from three states to earn a spot on a very prestigious podium.”
Braiden Ward, who was fourth in Pueblo and is ranked sixth in the state at 126-pounds, gives the Devils depth between the 113, 120 and 126-pound classes. Travis Ward said he’s floated the trio between classes, even up to 132-pounds, to “hit great competition” at every meet.
“They’re like three brothers,” the head coach said of Ward and the two Goods. The three grew up under their dads’ tutelage in the Bald Eagle Youth Wrestling program. Braiden’s little sister, Lauryn, was towed to those practices, too. The sophomore has blossomed from wrestling her brother on the living room floor to leading the Devils girls varsity team with a “never-die attitude.”
“She doesn’t give up,” Ward said of his daughter, who made the podium in Utah with a sixth-place finish. “She’s very special in a way that she builds everyone else up around her so that her and her team is strong.”
Ward said the self-motivated sophomore is someone who goes the extra mile because she “wants to be the best and never wants to let anyone down.” Having known many of her male teammates since she joined the Bald Eagle program at 6, Lauryn has “earned a respect on the team” and “gives a respect, too” the coach said.
Ward said there’s a brother-sister wrestling-room relationship dynamic … most of the time. Occasionally, Lauryn — who hopes to eventually wrestle in college while pursuing a surgeon tech assistant career — finds herself needing to be the team mom.
“If one of them doesn’t have a jacket on,” Travis Ward said. “She’s chewing them out about a jacket.”
The coach was blown away by the sheer size of Uintah High School’s girls roster while in Utah.
“It’s something I’d really like to make the public aware that this is the No. 1 growing sport in the nation,” he said. “And it’s something that we’re really looking to get going at Eagle Valley.”
Fans will get to witness Lauryn Ward and her teammate, Gabby Littlepage on Thursday. As for the rest of that quick-hitting viewing guide?
“Watch the freshmen,” Ward summarized.
In addition to Alex Good, Cooper Hern is ranked sixth at 215-pounds.
“He’s another one to watch,” Ward said regarding Hern, who wielded an impressive third-period pin to secure eighth in Vernal before taking fourth in Pueblo with a victory over the No. 7-ranked wrestler in his class.
“Colorado wrestling has gotten to a point where the top 5-10 guys can all beat each other on different days,” Bob Good added.
“(It) makes for unrivaled entertainment and competition for wrestlers and spectators alike.”
