Pueblo County sophomore Hunter Willits dominated his 138-pound title match in Class 4A, winning with a technical fall over Windsor freshman Gerald Mack at the three-minute mark Saturday night at the Pepsi Center.
While the newly crowned two-time state champion had a big smile on his face, he was carrying a heavy heart. He came into the title match wrestling for more than himself.
“I was wrestling for my brother,” Willits said.
It was a bittersweet victory for Willits after his twin brother, Grant, was eliminated from competition Friday. He weighed in one-tenth of a pound over his weight limit.
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“It was so hard for me. I knew he didn’t deserve it,” Willits said. “He worked out the night before to cut the weight. He woke up early to check and he was under on our scale — but he ended up being 0.1 over on the other one. He was heartbroken.”
Pueblo County coach Eddie Soto added, “How did that hit us yesterday? It hit us hard. It hit me. It hit the assistant coaches. It hit the team. On the ride back to the hotel, it was like somebody died.”
The brothers won state titles last year and were among the favorites in their weight classes coming into this tournament.
With his win Saturday, Hunter Willits became the first wrestler from Pueblo to win titles in his freshman and sophomore years. Willits admitted being eager to get to work on state title No. 3.
“It feels amazing. I just got to keep going,” he said. “I can’t settle here; try my best again next year and try just as hard.”
At 113 pounds, the bracket in which Grant Willits was wrestling, Thompson Valley junior Morgan Fogg won the championship with an 8-1 decision over Palisade senior Randen Espinoza.
For Fogg, son of former three-time state champion David Fogg at Berthoud, it was definitely icing on the cake. Thompson Valley had mathematically won its first team state title in wrestling before the start of the night’s finals.
“It’s amazing, and I won it individually. It’s the best feeling,” Fogg said.
Joe Nguyen: jnguyen@denverpost.com or
Class 4A championship results
106 pounds — Josiah Nava, Pueblo County, 38-4, Fr. maj. dec. Stephen Dabelko, Widefield, 32-5, So., 10-2.
113 Pounds — Morgan Fogg, Thompson Valley, 42-4, Jr. dec. Randen Espinoza, Palisade, 33-8, Sr., 8-1.
120 Pounds — Vlad Kazakov, Thompson Valley, 43-4, Jr. dec. Matthew Lavengood, Durango, 32-3, Sr., 5-2.
126 Pounds — Chris Sandoval, Pueblo County, 14-0, So. dec. Jacob Butler, Falcon, 15-6, Fr., 6-0.
132 Pounds — Sam Turner, Discovery Canyon, 32-1, Jr., dec. Peter Tyler Hanenberg, Air Academy, 39-4, Sr., 7-0.
138 Pounds —Hunter Willits, Pueblo County, 37-1, So. tech. fall Gerald Mack, Windsor, 35-9, Fr., 3:01.
145 Pounds — Bronson Spies, Conifer, 43-1, Sr. dec. Isaac Naro, Pueblo South, 25-4, Jr. 3-1.
152 Pounds — Ben Hewson, Thompson Valley, 42-4, Sr. dec. Myles Wilson, Glenwood Springs, 45-1, So., 4-2.
160 Pounds —Parker Simington, Thompson Valley, 30-0, Jr. tech. fall Adam Rojas, Greeley Central, 40-7, Jr., 3:00.
170 Pounds — Austin Zuniga, Pueblo South, 39-3, Sr. dec. Mike Berg, Thompson Valley, 24-1, So., 6-2.
182 Pounds — Joe Keller, Windsor, 41-1, Sr. dec. Brandon Saunders, Wheat Ridge, 36-7, Sr., 12-5.
195 Pounds — David Eusea, Thompson Valley, 39-4, Sr. dec. Alex Mai, Fort Morgan, 37-4, Jr., 7-4.
220 Pounds — Toby McBride, Fort Morgan, 31-1, Jr. dec. John Delacruz, Palmer Ridge, 36-0, Sr., 3-1.
Heavyweight — Jacob Robles, Pueblo East, 42-1, Jr. maj. dec. Bailey Bowker, Golden, 41-4, Sr., 11-3.
Team Scores — 1. Thompson Valley 198.5; 2. Pueblo County 140.5; 3. Windsor 118.0; 4. Pueblo South 99.5; 5. Fort Morgan 75.0; 6. Greeley Central 74.5; 7. Discovery Canyon 63.5; 8. Pueblo East 57.5; 9. Mesa Ridge 53.5; 10. Pueblo Centennial 52.0; 11. Canon City 51.0; 12. Air Academy 49.0; 13. Golden 45.0; 14. Glenwood Springs 43.0; 15. Durango 40.0; 16. Cheyenne Mountain 38.0; 17. Palisade 35.0; 18. Pueblo Central 33.0; 19. Palmer Ridge 30.5; 20. Northridge 28.0; 21. Roosevelt 26.0; 21. Wheat Ridge 26.0; 23. Conifer 25.0; 23. Widefield 25.0; 25. Falcon 21.0; 25. Longmont 21.0; 25. Pueblo West 21.0; 28. Lewis Palmer 19.0; 28. Mitchell 19.0; 30. Mountain View 18.0; 31. Alameda 16.0; 31. Silver Creek 16.0; 33. Littleton 15.0; 34. Niwot 14.0; 35. Arvada 13.0; 36. Battle Mountain 12.0; 37. Standley Lake 9.5; 38. Montrose 7.0; 38. Woodland Park 7.0; 40. Thomas Jefferson 3.0; 40. Valor Christian 3.0; 40. Vista Peak 3.0; 43. Sand Creek 2.0; 44. Sierra 1.0; 44. Vista Ridge 1.0; 46. Denver South 0.0; 46. John F. Kennedy 0.0; 46. Skyline 0.0.
