It’s difficult to find words to explain Sand Creek’s freshman competitors. Oh, wait, one fits the bill: semifinalists. Three of the Scorpions’ five freshmen went undefeated during Friday’s portion of the COS Metro Wrestling Championships in Fountain.  Peggy Susan Dean, Karris Carter a nd Stella Isensee will compete at Trojan Arena in Saturday’s semifinals with a chance to advance to the finals and, with two wins this weekend, capture their first Metro title. The Scorpion girls are tied for 12th with 24 points after Friday’s matches. “We love the sport so much,” Carter said after her quarterfinals victory. “It’s what we pour everything into. And loving it so much has helped us avoid any slump. I want to show that I can wrestle well and I’m sure that’s the same for them. This is my favorite thing to do and I want to be able to put everything on the mat.” While Carter (130 pounds) and Dean (100 pounds) each earned their victories Thursday via pin fall, Isensee, who wrestles at 105, won her first round bout with a 14-2 major decision against Pine Creek’s Victory Hartley.  Sand Creek High School’s Stella Isensee, right, and Fountain-Fort Carson’s Kara BiNali, bump heads as they battle for position in the first period of their match at the 2026 COS Metro Wrestling Championships at Trojan Arena in Fountain on Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (Gazette photo, Marcus Hill) In the quarterfinals, Isensee earned a 4-3 decision win, but required nearly every second of the six-minute match against Fountain-Fort Carson’s Kara BiNali to advance to the semis.  Isensee trailed 3-1 most of the match after BiNali scored a takedown in the opening period and Isensee earned an escape point.  The Scorpions’ fifth-ranked 105-pounder worked all of the second and a majority of the third period to score points against BiNali, but the Trojan thwarted all of Isensee’s efforts until the final 11 seconds of the match.  “I’ve been doing a lot of conditioning and it’s good to see how that’s coming along and how that helped here,” Isensee said. “I had to give it my best and I pushed my hardest. I feel really good and I think I put up a really good fight.” A stoppage with 11 seconds on the clock put both wrestlers upright and offered Isensee the chance to shoot for points.  With three seconds remaining, Isensee lifted BiNali off her feet and dropped her to build a one-point lead and allowed the Sand Creek freshman to escape with the win. “A lot of this is support from teammates,” Isensee said. “We’re all there for each other and it helps to get you through the matches. It’s all in your mind and you have to learn to keep a good mindset.” Pine Creek holds slim lead over Widefield ahead of Saturday’s matches The Eagles continue to fight for a repeat while the Gladiators hope to play spoiler and capture their first Metro title.  Pine Creek leads the roost with 103.5 while Widefield is second with 98.5 points after Friday’s matches. Last year, Pine Creek earned its first team title with 192.5 while Widefield finished with 186 points.  The Eagles and Gladiators could occupy five of the finals slots should each competitor win their semifinals contests. The Eagles and Gladiators each have eight wrestlers in Saturday’s semifinals, but Pine Creek’s Ellie Hicks and Widefield’s Rilen Rose-Casares will meet in the semifinals. Girls team scores Pine Creek 103.5 Widefield 98.5 Mesa Ridge 64.5 Cañon City 60.5 Lewis-Palmer 55 Doherty 54 Fountain-Fort Carson 53 Woodland Park 50 Coronado 50 Falcon 45.5 Discovery Canyon 35 Sand Creek 34 James Irwin 34 Calhan 34 Palmer/Mitchell 32 Vista Ridge 29 Palmer Ridge 27.5 Manitou Springs 21.5 Harrison 14 Cheyenne Mountain 13 Kiowa 12 Sierra 0  ...read more read less