A slam and an escape late in the first period put Micah Hertrich back into a dog fight with Emmanuel Huerta in his semifinal match at the Pepsi Center Friday night.
Hertrich would shake off the call and the points though, and would regain a 4-2 lead in the second period he wouldn’t relinquish on his way to his second straight state final appearance as he looks to defend his title Saturday night.
It was part of what was a fantastic day for the Demons who have six wrestlers heading into the final day of the tournament.
The semifinal matches started out rough at 106, as after a tough fight with Brady Collins of Wray, Chris Hutchings fell by a final of 7-2. Hutchings is still fighting though, as he will head to the consolation semifinals tomorrow.
The day started off with the Spartans and Demons combining to win 4 straight matches to start the evening session.
Salida’s Drew Johnson would survive to advance with a thrilling 9-8 win, as he moves into the consolation third round tomorrow at 10 AM. He is the only Spartan remaining in the tournament.
For the Demons, Jackson Helmke started the round off with a pin in the third period. He would be followed quickly by a come from behind 4-2 win for Isaac Hutchings and a pin by Hayden Camp to see all three of the Demons first wrestlers of the evening move on.
Chris DeLuca would fall in a close match, 7-5, just missing out on a takedown as time expired. Seth Moss would also fall in his match in a tight contest, but it would be Jim Gabriel to cap off the consolation second round with a win for the Demons, earning a pin late in the third after trailing by 5.
Seven total wrestlers are heading into the third day, with matches expected to begin at 10 am with Chris Hutchings at 106.
