GREELEY >> For some wrestlers at the Northern Colorado Christmas Tournament, the talent they face in Greeley is similar — and in some cases, stronger — to what they’ll see at the state tournament in February.

Mead defending champ Jake Glade’s quick pin of Monarch’s Antonio Beall during Day 1’s third round Friday was a good example of two wrestlers using the 750-athlete-strong showcase to see where they stand.

A dominating, first-day clinic inside an overfilled Island Grove Event Center only padded Glade’s confidence. The reigning Class 4A 144-pound champ won his first two matches at 157s by technical fall, then stuck Beall in 1 minute and 38 seconds to advance to Day 2’s quarterfinals.

Glade believes a strong showing in Greeley should be a good indicator of things to come. His eyes set on another state title two months from now. “I think this tournament is tougher than state. You got all the best guys from each class coming here to compete,” he said. Adding, “I felt awesome. I felt like my gas tank is way better than anybody else here.”

Losing to him, Beall got a good look at where he wants to be. The junior said he is happy to face and build from matches against top-level talent, eventually hoping to return to the state tournament and make noise there after missing it a year ago. “To get to that winning, state-title level, I have to move as fast as him. Not take sloppy shots,” he said. “Just stay disciplined.”

Sixteen local boys wrestlers qualified for Saturday’s quarterfinals round. Thirteen area girls won at least a match and were still alive as the wrestling tournament went late into the night.

Among them, Broomfield girls’ 135-pound wrestler Nadia Rebholtz-Herrera pinned her second-round opponent in 1:06. Seven years of Judo and two years of wrestling, the unranked grappler by On The Mat may be getting slept on.

“I’ve been in Judo since sixth grade and I walked into my first wrestling tournament and was like, ‘I’m just going to throw everybody. Nobody is going to catch me here.’ And I got pinned instantly,” she laughed. “But since I’ve been working with all these girls and challenging girls from all over the state who are going to push me, I’ve noticed a lot of growth.”

After her second-round win, she commented on how long of a day it had already been. Wrestlers usually have to get to these kinds of big tournaments hours ahead of their matches to weigh-in. And by the time they’re done for the day, they’re exhausted.

Just ask Holy Family’s Abram Moore and Erie’s Carson Hageman. Two weeks ago, the title-hopeful 215- and 165- pounders transitioned from football, after each won a state title, going to wrestling practice the following Monday.

Both are needing to adjust their training and alter their bodies on the fly.

“I’ve already dropped 10-15 pounds since football to make 165,” said Hageman, who helped lead the Tigers to the 4A title as their league’s defensive player of the year. “I just need to stay working hard in the room and challenge myself. Stay in the weight room. Stay strong. And hopefully I’ll get my endurance up.”

Said Moore, a starting lineman for the 3A champs, “it’s not as bad as I thought it’d be. Obviously, it’s tough just coming off football weight and getting down to wrestling weight. And then the cardio for both sports and work your body is so unbelievably different.” No between-play breaks in a wrestling match, he pointed out. But he looks good on the mat.

Moore will be on the opposite side of the bracket as Legacy defending champ Quinn Funk Saturday. Funk, who won the 5A 190s title last winter, won his 100th high school match Friday.

“It’s pretty cool,” Funk said. “Just showing growth throughout the four years. My freshman year was COVID year and didn’t get too many wins. So, it’s been about growing as a wrestler and getting better.”

Quarterfinals for both boys and girls begin at 9 a.m. Saturday. Placement matches are expected to start around 2:30 p.m.