DENVER - Loveland junior Connor Medbery is not the type of wrestler who is going to let the magnitude of a state tournament have a negative effect on him.

He's competed in too many big venues and big events for that to happen.

A Division I prospect who is ranked third in the country by Amateur Wrestling News, Medbery already is drawing recruiting interest from schools that include Missouri, Virginia Tech and Nebraska.

Medbery made quick work of Mountain Range's Matt Dreiling Friday afternoon, pinning him in the first period of their Colorado state tournament quarterfinal match at the Pepsi Center. Medbery followed by pinning Rocky Mountain's Greg Smith in Friday night's Class 5A semifinals.

Medbery won USA Wrestling's Cadet Nationals in freestyle and placed second in Greco-Roman in 2008. He placed third in Junior Nationals in Greco-Roman in 2009.

"All the experience I have from wrestling around the country in national events, it helps a ton when you come in here to wrestle in a tournament like this," Medbery said. "This event is huge, but when you go to a place like Fargo it's a lot bigger stadium with a lot more mats. Wrestling all that great competition in the summer helps me when I compete in the state tournament here."

The top-ranked Medbery was 42-0 after the semifinals at 215 pounds. He will face Cherry Creek senior Trey Kirk in Saturday night's finals at the Pepsi Center.

Medbery is seeking his second straight state wrestling title. He placed third as a freshman.

The chiseled, 6-foot-1 Medbery will have a difficult choice in the coming months. He earned first-team all-state honors in football. He plays fullback and linebacker.

He's drawing his share of recruiting interest in football as well.

"It's up in the air right now, as far as which sport I will pick for college," he said. "It could go either way. We will just have to see how it goes."

For now, Medbery's focus is squarely on winning his second state gold medal on the mat.

"I love wrestling," he said. "It is nice to see all the hard work pay off when you compete in an event like this. If you slack off in practice, it shows. I like the reward you get when you put in all the time to be successful."

In Medbery's quarterfinal bout, he powered straight in on a double-leg shot against Dreiling. He then used an arm bar and a wrist lock to record the fall late in the first period.

"There really wasn't an exact game plan - I just came out and went right after the kid," he said. "I was able to gain a quick takedown and I kind of took control after that. It was nice to get it over with quickly and save some energy for the other rounds."

Medbery said he plans to return to Fargo, N.D., for Junior Nationals in July.

"Absolutely, I will be there," he said. "I wouldn't miss it."

PONDEROSA SENIOR JACOB SNIDER is trying to do something just 15 other wrestlers have done in the history of the Colorado state tournament.

Become a four-time state champion.

Snider, ranked No. 5 nationally by Amateur Wrestling News, won his first two matches of the tournament by fall and his third by technical fall.

In Friday afternoon's Class 5A quarterfinals, Snider pinned Derick Padilla of Rocky Mountain in the first period at 145 pounds. He followed by downing Andrew Onorato by a 15-0 technical fall in Friday night's semifinals.

Snider shot in on a textbook outside single-leg shot to score a takedown midway through the period in the quarters. He then cranked Padilla to his back and eventually finished for a fall late in the period.

"I felt real good out there. The first match I came out too nervous but I handled things a little better in my second match," said Snider, a CSU-Pueblo recruit. "I'm just trying to stay relaxed and try to have fun with it, and not make any mistakes.

"There is a lot of pressure. I feel it building with every match I win. I'm just trying to stay under control and not freak out too much. I need to take it match-by-match."

Snider, who improved to 40-1 after the semifinals, is looking to become Ponderosa's first four-time champion. Ponderosa has won the last seven Class 5A state team titles.

Snider will meet Coronado junior Jared Rieck in Saturday night's finals.

The soft-spoken, low-key Snider had a camera from a Denver television station seemingly tracking his every move on Friday.

"I don't really like all the attention and everything," he said. "I know it's something you have to deal with. I'm just trying to stay focused and wrestle my match. I'm trying to have fun and enjoy the ride."