DENVER – The date was February 5 and the Gilpin Varsity Wrestling Team was conducting its final practice of the regular season. Sophomores Zeke Bloom, Neko Cope, and their coaches would be driving over six hours to Durango the next day for an overnight stay and to take part in the 2A regionals held in Ignacio starting on February 7.

It had been a long campaign that began toward the end of November.

To summarize: The Eagles got off to a fast start at their first tournament of the year at Soroco in Oak Creek on December 7: Neko Cope took first place, Alice Carlson second, and Zeke Bloom third. Unfortunately, Bloom suffered a pectoral muscle injury that would sideline him for a large portion of the season.

In Wheatridge at the Frank Palmeri Invitational on December 14, Neko Cope finished in second place. Cope continued his winning ways in the 285-pound weight class with a first-place finish at the Frank Davis Invitational in Englewood on December 21.

Zeke Bloom returned to action on January 11 at the War Horse Invitational in Littleton. Competing in a tough bracket, he finished sixth. Neko Cope was knocked out with a strained forearm muscle but finished in fourth place.

At the Les Mattocks Invitational held on January 25 in Denver, Zeke Bloom came in sixth place.

In the Ignacio 2A regionals, Bloom’s 120-pound weight class was considered one of the most competitive in the state. He wrestled extremely well, but was eliminated one match before the medal rounds.

Neko Cope had a fantastic outing, defeating the #2 ranked heavyweight in 2A league and registering a second-place finish. By virtue of his strong showing at regionals, Cope advanced to the CHSAA State Wrestling Championships at Ball Arena in Denver beginning on February 13.

In the 2A 285-pound weight class (athletes who weigh between 216 and 285 pounds), with a 13-5 record under his belt, Neko Cope took to the mat for his first match in the state championships. His opponent, Adam Zapien from Ellicott High School came in with a 28-13 record (a slightly lower winning percentage than Cope’s but with over twice as many matches to his credit).

Fortunes in the unpredictable world of high school wrestling can turn on a dime – one minute you’re seconds away from achieving a pin, the next you’re on your back staring at the ceiling lights. Such was the case in this match.

After feeling each other out and attempting several returns, Cope was able to maneuver his opponent onto his back. With one shoulder blade on the mat and the other an inch or two away for what seemed an eternity, his squirming rival miraculously avoided the pin and escaped. Then, after a scramble with the roles reversed, Cope succumbed to a pin at 2:33 into the match.

Undeterred and highly motivated, the next day Cope dominated in his second match. Leading by a lopsided score of 14-1, at 4:15 he pinned his opponent in no uncertain terms.

In his third and final match, Cope fell to the #3 seed, culminating in a top-12 finish for the Gilpin grappler in merely his first appearance at State.

As a promising up-and-coming sophomore who is continually improving his skills, I suspect that we haven’t seen the last of Neko Cope at the CHSAA State Wrestling Championships.

Head Coach Scott Burrow expressed that “With our season now over, I just wanted to thank Neko and Zeke. They are two great young men. Their dedication and commitment to the wrestling team has been amazing. They are the building blocks needed to create a successful wrestling program. It has been a joy working with them this year and I look forward to coaching them in upcoming seasons.”