On a snowy night in Denver, Montezuma-Cortez High School senior Seager Oliver fought through a shoulder injury and captured his second state title in as many years. In doing so, Oliver became the fourth two-time state titlist in M-CHS history.
“I’m ecstatic,” said Oliver on Feb. 21, shortly after defeating Eagle Valley High School’s Devin Ward 4-0 in the Class 3A 182-pound championship. “I can’t even explain it. It’s so awesome. If I knew how to cry, I would.”
Oliver’s championship victory came roughly 24 hours after he dislocated his left shoulder in the second period before pinning Salida High School’s Nate Lowe in the third.
Lowe took Oliver down five times in the semifinals and led 9-7 in the second period, but was unable to hold Oliver off.
Although Oliver showed no ill effects from the injury in the championship, the senior wore a black shoulder brace under his singlet throughout the match.
“My shoulder was definitely stiff and it’s definitely going to be sore,” Oliver said. “The brace was more of a mind thing.”
Oliver scored two points with just over one minute left in the first period after stuffing a shot attempt by Ward and swinging around to his left to take Ward’s back. Oliver used a similar move with 21 seconds left in the second period to move ahead 4-0.
The M-CHS senior held Ward down throughout the third period to secure his victory. With roughly 30 seconds left in the match, Ward glanced at the clock with a dejected expression as he watched time tick away.
When time expired, Oliver rose to his feet and raised his arms in the air before turning his eyes towards his parents and coaches.
Shortly after the match, Oliver acknowledged that his championships would not have been possible without help from family members, coaches and members of the community.
“I just can’t thank my coaches enough for the countless hours in the room,” said Oliver. “I can’t thank my parents for taking me around the country over the summer. They are the best ever.”
M-CHS head coach Shad Bellmire said that he would never forget coaching Oliver, who figures to go down as one of the top wresters in M-CHS history.
“Seager had so much determination and no quit,” said Bellmire. “It showed in the semifinals match when his shoulder popped out. “I have to give it to him, he laid it all out on the line.”
Prior to his semifinal match, Oliver pinned Eaton High School’s Colton Ingram in the quarterfinals and Colorado Springs Christian High School’s Matt Snow in the first round.
Now finished with his high school wrestling career, Oliver said that he plans to take a break before making plans for the future.
I kind of want to take a break for a while,” said the two-time state champion. “I’ve been wrestling since I was five.”
M-CHS team finishes 19th
In addition to Oliver, three other M-CHS wrestlers competed in the state tournament and helped M-CHS finish 19th as a team.
Among the M-CHS wrestlers who competed was 160-pound senior Andrew Finch, who finished the tournament with one win and two losses.
Finch’s win came over Denver North High School’s Nick Montez in a first-round of consolations. Finch seized control of the match after Montez attempted to throw him off the mat into hockey boards that surrounded the Pepsi Center arena.
“Wrestlers have a switch,” said Finch. You have to go from being real to being nice at the snap of a finger. As soon as he (threw me into the boards), it set me off and I just wanted to show him how it was going to go.”
A transfer student from Texas, Finch finished his first season as a member of the M-CHS team with a 19-18 record.
Josh Ramos enjoys state experience
While some underclassmen appearing in their first state tournament tend to wilt under pressure, M-CHS’s 138-pound sophomore Josh Ramos did nothing of the sort on his way to a 1-2 record.
After being pinned by Platte Valley’s Ryan Waite in the opening round of the tournament, Ramos rebounded to defeat Dolores Herta High School’s Zach Zamarippa 9-3 in the opening round of consolations.
Although Ramos was eliminated after losing a 4-3 decision to Olathe’s Trent Rose in his next match, the Panthers first-time state qualifier was thankful for his state tournament experience.
“I can take away a lot from this tournament,” Josh Ramos said. “You learn from the pressure and you learn from wrestling all these tough guys. I just hope I’ll be back next year.”
Justice Ramos hampered by injury
Showcasing the toughness that made him one of M-CHS’s top wrestlers during the last two seasons, M-CHS 152-pound senior Justice Ramos was hampered by a knee injury throughout an opening round loss to Eaton High School’s Rusty Lohr.
The injury forced Ramos to forfeit his second match of the tournament and the senior ended his season with a 27-19 record overall.
