Photo by Will Cornelius
Senior Uriah Chacon finished fourth in the 165-lbs weight class at the Gary Daum Classic.

By Will Cornelius
The Surveyor

He returned to the wrestling mat less than a month ago, but since then Kaleb Cooper has made it known that he belongs at the state tournament in Denver this February.

Returning from a broken wrist last month, Cooper placed sixth at the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament in the 175-lbs weight class in his first wrestling action of the season. The senior from Berthoud High School outdid himself again last weekend at Niwot High School during the Gary Daum Classic where he won all four of his matches on the way to a first-place finish.

“Feels really good, this is actually my dad’s high school,” Cooper said after winning the 175-lbs finals match against Noah Aguirre of Fort Morgan High School in the second round with a pinfall. Cooper’s 28 points helped the Spartans team capture third place overall at the tournament, the best finish by a 3A school. “I wasn’t really listening to music at all—just in the zone,” he said about his approach to the all-day tournament.

It was a banner day for Berthoud, with six wrestlers making it to the semifinals of their respective weight classes. Junior Jacob Montoya finished second in the 126-lbs classification, his first-ever podium finish in a high school tournament. “I say it gives me confidence. I did it this time, I know I can do it again in the future,” he said about building off his success in Niwot.

Besides Montoya, it was Berthoud’s heavyweights that carried the day. Seniors Trevor Moore (215-lbs) and Donovan Mann (285-lbs) lost in the semifinals but battled back to capture third in their divisions. In the 190-lbs group, junior Ben Schroeder also captured third place, while senior Uriah Chacon finished fourth in the 165-lbs bracket.

“Fantastic day. The guys, they’ve been grinding all season long. Our goal was after the break, it’s our turning point. We have got to start showing who we are—and we start here,” said Head Coach Josh Galindo in a hoarse voice after a full day of yelling encouragement to his wrestlers from the coach’s corner. “Next week we go out to Florence, we’re going to do the same thing, we’re going to grind it out, we’re going to wrestle our butts off.”

For Cooper, the Mel Smith Invitational this weekend in Florence is another step on his climb to wrestling at state. “We knew Kaleb was a special kid last year. This year he’s out to prove something,” Galindo stated. Asked what he wants to accomplish this season, Cooper confirmed his coach’s statement. “My goal is to make it to state. I don’t care what seed I am.”