DENVER >> Once the hand goes up in victory at the opening day of the state wrestling tournament, it’s often time to reflect, refocus.

Much like the daunted weigh-in scale in the back, the mood underneath Ball Arena can often fluctuate from one grappler to the next in times like these. In the area’s stacked 144-pound weight class for instance, its three expected contenders advanced, but it’d been hard to guess for at least one of them.

While Class 4A No. 1 Jake Glade of Mead and 5A No. 3 Emilio Trujillo-Deen of Monarch both stuck their opponents and left the floor confidently, Erie’s Carson Hageman (4A No. 4) walked off frustrated.

“I didn’t wrestle my greatest,” said the sophomore, who got a late score to beat Vista Ridge’s Silas Arnds 8-7 and survive. “I came out with the win, just not the way I wanted to.”

Hageman’s victory took the full three, two-minute periods. Trujillo-Deen’s and Glade’s combined to finish in less than two periods.

The Coyotes senior was in control throughout his match, getting his pin in 3 minutes and 13 seconds over Mountain Vista’s Brennen Long. Glade’s fall came in 35 seconds over Falcon’s Logan Millikan, though it was so fast most of the arena probably missed it.

Still brimming with palpable energy after his win, Trujillo-Deen said he’s embracing the moment. Been thinking about all of it since he finished runner-up in 132s last year.

Following that final’s loss to Pomona’s Elijah Olguin, in fact, he said he woke up the next day to start watching film.

“I’m very hungry for that title,” Trujillo-Deen said. “I also lost to the (eventual) state champ my sophomore year, then my junior year. I’ve been close, very close, so I’m excited to get it this year.”

Hageman is just excited for a fresh start tomorrow.

The sophomore admitted feeling nervous as one of the classification’s top four seeds according to On The Mat’s rankings, and he thought it showed as he went down to the wire with a wrestler he’d hoped to beat much more convincingly.

His coach, Joe Ferrera, told him candidly after the match he’d have to wrestle better going forward if he hopes to go any further. Hageman agreed.

“Being one of the top-ranked kids, I have to have the level of intensity that you’re the best kid out there,” Hageman said. “But sometimes it doesn’t work out when you’re cutting weight and having to make weight the next day.”

Broomfield’s Manny Lopez (4A No. 9) also advanced from the 144 class, beating Thompson Valley’s Sam Malara by an 8-6 decision.

In all, 30 of the 63 qualified wrestlers from the Boulder, Broomfield and Longmont areas advanced to Friday’s quarterfinals.