Eagles’ wrestling: Gilpin grappler freshman Ezekiel Bloom riding his opponent.[/caption]

Long gone are the days when Hulk Hogan, Randy “Macho Man” Savage, and André the Giant captured America’s collective imagination. Sharing the name “wrestling” and little else, unlike the glitzy over-the-top scripted version of the sport, high school wrestling is a completely different animal that is often more entertaining.

One main difference between the two is that at the high school level they have rules. Folding chairs may not be used as weapons. The action is real and the combatants genuine. The new and upcoming stars are freshmen Neko Cope and Ezekiel Bloom of the Gilpin County Eagles. Liam Mackey hopes to rejoin the team in competition later this year. Promoter Vince McMahon was not in attendance at their January 10 appearance at the Clear Creek Triangular/Quad wrestling tournament in Evergreen.

Tipping the scales at 113 pounds dripping wet was Ezekiel Bloom vs. his opponent from Goldenview Classical. Scoring a 2-point double-leg takedown, Bloom returned the other wrestler to the mat a couple of times during his escape attempts. Turning him onto his back, Bloom achieved a pin at 1:13 of the first period.

In order to get more mat time, Bloom moved up in weight class to take on a Clear Creek athlete twenty pounds heavier than himself. In a gritty hard-fought contest, the Eagles’ wrestler lost the decision by points in a match that lasted the full three periods.

In his third and final match of the day, in a back-and-forth battle, Bloom again grappled the full three periods just losing to his rival from Goldenview Classical by a score of 12-9.

After feeling each other out, Gilpin’s 245-pound heavyweight Neko Cope fended off a takedown attempt and found himself in a scramble against his Goldenview opponent. Upon gaining the upper hand, Cope quickly applied the pressure. With the referee on all fours, head to the floor, and his eyes focused on the compromised wrestler’s shoulder blades, he slapped his hand to the mat, declaring a pin for Cope at 1:14 of the first period.

It took Cope one more second to dispatch his next opponent from Clear Creek in his second match. Tied up in headlock holds with each of their hands behind the other’s neck, they mightily pushed back and forth trying to establish dominance. A throw by Cope was slightly off, resulting in finding the Clear Creek wrestler on his back. He wasted little time in reversing his position and imposing his will for the pin. Cope’s overall record is now 5-3.

Head Coach Jonathan Chamberlin after the tournament said, “I’m proud of our guys coming out and doing their best. To complement his pin and narrow loss, Ezekiel showed great determination against a heavier opponent. Neko’s two pins on the day indicate that he may be hitting his stride. We are excited for our guys as we get closer to regionals for a chance to wrestle at Ball Arena.”