Gary Daum Classic returns to Niwot High

After a truncated 2021 high school season, full-scale wrestling tournaments are back in 2022, and, locally, that means a packed house at Niwot High for the ninth annual Gary Daum Classic, held Jan. 8. More than two hundred wrestlers plus their fans and coaches turned out for the all-day event, named for legendary Cougar wrestling coach Gary Daum (1977-2005), who passed away in 2013 after an illness.

On the mat, Cougar wrestlers delivered mixed results, landing Niwot in the bottom quarter of the team standings, with 40.0 points on the day. It was an outcome head coach Bobby Matthews was anticipating, with four absent starters, and an otherwise inexperienced lineup getting their first taste of full-day wrestling.

"For a lot of the kids, this was their first bracket tournament of the season, so they're starting to figure some things out," he said. "Watching all these matches kind of opened their eyes to see some of the things that we've been doing in practice and what we've been asking them to do."

Niwot's day was not without its highlights, chief among them sophomore Ben Rauschkolb's third-place finish in the 195-pound weight class, a milestone he had on his mind during the final minute of his hard-fought 5-4 decision over Camren Galicia of Fort Lupton in the final round.

"I really wanted a place on the podium," he said. "I haven't placed since I've been in high school, and I really wanted that."

Rauschkolb went 2-1 on the day, and his final round match was not the only grueling one. He opened with a bye in the first round, putting him in the championship quarterfinals facing Seth Kastl, a Thompson Valley freshman. Kastl took a 4-3 lead into the third period, which he extended to 6-3 with an early reversal. But after the freshman was penalized twice, momentum turned Rauschkolb's way, and after three nearfalls to close out the match, he posted an 11-6 decision.

Rauschkolb suffered his only defeat in the championship semifinals, when he was pinned by Tim Paxton of Fort Morgan early in the second round. That guaranteed him no less than a fourth-place finish in the bracket, and the victory over Galicia secured the trip to the podium. It also boosted his season record to 8-3, another positive outcome the second-year wrestler was especially pleased with.

Three other Cougar wrestlers advanced to the consolation round semi-finals, scoring seven points apiece, including sophomore Gavin Burrage (182), who moved down from two weight classes this season. He recorded two pins on the day, and moved to 9-7 on the season.

Juniors Javier Amaya Esparza (132) and Charlie Kidd (160), also posted two wins on the day, another highlight for Matthews. Both are new to the team this season, and, along with freshman Ryder Evans (113), have given Matthews a reason to be optimistic about the remainder of the season.

"We have a lot of potential, but it's raw," he said. "The guys who wrestled today, they're starting to wrestle better, and they're very close. It's all about progressing to regionals."

Also posting wins on the day for Niwot were Evans, who moved to 11-7 on the season, and junior Eric Falcon (170), but both lost in the second round of consolation matches.

The Cougars will be back on the mat on Jan. 13 for a duel against Frederick, and then are slated for the Alameda Invitational in Denver on Jan. 15.