Boulder's Max Wessell hopes that winning a bronze medal last March in the Junior Pan American Games in judo will be the steppingstone to winning the gold medal at the Class 5A state wrestling tournament.

Wessell, a junior who also won a gold medal in the South American Championships last year, knows the task he faces this weekend at the Pepsi Center won't be easy.

Wessell was ranked No. 1 by USA Judo in the Under-18, 81-kilogram class and he enters as the third-ranked wrestler at 189 pounds by On The Mat. Rocky Mountain's Casey Norgard (32-4), the defending state champion who beat Wessell this season, and Legacy's Danny Mitchell (19-0) stand in his way.

Wessell (35-3) is the lone entrant for Boulder in the state tournament, but he has the ability to advance to the final. He certainly has been able to get the coaching he has needed from Panthers coach Glenn Kingsley, his father, Buck Wessell, who was a coach for Team USA in the 2004 Olympics, and from Jesse Jantzen, who he works with independently.

Jantzen, a graduate of Harvard, was the Division I national wrestling champion in 2004 at 149 pounds and a three-time All-American. He also was a four-time New York state high school wrestling champion.

"The key this year is that I've learned to wrestle," said Wessell, a region champion last weekend and a state qualifier last season. "I've been able to train with Jesse and Mr. Kingsley has really helped me out in my techniques.

"My judo helps out a lot, for sure, and I like working from the standing positions," added Wessell, who has a 70-8 record at Boulder. "My last competition in judo was in the Junior Pan Ams in Buenos Aires, Argentina. I'm looking forward to state. It's going to take good matches to win, but I think I can do it. You have to stay positive and think positive to win."

Wessell has been involved in judo since he was 3; his father is the head of the Boulder Judo Training Center. He lost to an opponent from Brazil in the semifinals of the Pan American Games, also in March, then came back to win his bronze medal.

Wrestling isn't something new to Wessell, though, as he has been participating in the sport since the eighth grade. This season, he has lost to Devin Hightower of Widefield and Paco Retana of Niwot, both Class 4A qualifiers at 189.

"State was disappointing last year because I went in with the flu," said Wessell, who pinned Pine Creek's Connor Stevens in 3:04 to win the Region 2 championship. "I've lost to some pretty good guys, but I've also learned from them. I'm better on my feet and I've only been taken down about 10 times this season.

"I like my position on the bracket and hope to reach the semis against Mitchell."

Wessell was home-schooled last year so he could devote more time to judo, which involved a lot of travel. He believes that commitment allowed him to be able to advance to that high level of judo competition. He is looking forward to college, with Lehigh, Harvard, Penn State and West Point at the top of his list.

Wessell will be joined on Boulder's squad next season by his younger brother, Alex. Alex, an eighth-grader who attends Boulder Country Day, will be one to watch, as well. He won the middle school state championship last week at 145 pounds.

Ponderosa will be seeking its seventh consecutive 5A title and ninth overall. With four region champions, including defending state champions Jake Snider (140) and Daniel Kelly (145), and a total of eight qualifiers, the Mustangs certainly have a shot.

With nine qualifiers, Pine Creek leads the 5A field, but only two were region champions. The Eagles are led by Gabrian Martinez, who won the 103-pound title in 2007 while wrestling for 3A St. Mary's.

Loveland, with defending state champion Josh Kreimier leading the way, has four region champions among its eight qualifiers. The Indians briefly held the No. 1 ranking by On The Mat until their Region 2 loss to Pine Creek last week.

Pomona and Legacy (eight qualifiers), Grand Junction Central, Centaurus, Lakewood, Mountain Range and Rocky Mountain, each with seven qualifiers, hope to create a stir and disrupt Ponderosa's title bid.