The 2018 Colorado high school state wrestling tournament concluded Saturday at the Pepsi Center, where champions were crowned across four classifications. Here were some team and individual performances of note:
Serrano stays perfect
Ryan Roth paced back and forth on the mat like a tiger in a cage. The junior from Pueblo East weighs about 130 pounds during football season — when he plays defensive tackle.
So he was eager for the challenge that came with facing perhaps the state’s best pound-for-pound wrestler in Dominick Serrano in the Class 4A 126-pound title match.
Serrano simply stared ahead and prepared to go to work. When the first whistle sounded, the Windsor sophomore did what he’s almost exclusively done during his wrestling career: He dominated. Serrano’s 24-7 technical fall was among Saturday night’s most convincing performances, and it kept Windsor alive in the chase for the team title.
The victory also moved Serrano to 83-0 with two state titles in two high school seasons.
“He was staring me down and trying to intimidate me,” Serrano said of Roth. “I like that. It puts me in a good position. … Now I have to stay humble about it and move on with it. I couldn’t have done this without my coaches.”
VomBaur night bittersweet
The VomBaur family experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat Saturday night — all in the span of 15 minutes.
First, Windsor junior Will VomBaur defeated Pueblo East senior Andrew Lucero in the 4A 113-pound title match, 3-2 in an ultimate tiebreaker.
Windsor freshman Vance VomBaur also made a title match Saturday, his at 120 pounds. Just when it looked like the brothers were going to win back-to-back titles, Discovery Canyon junior Patrick Allis rallied for a 5-4 decision over the younger VomBaur.
Wray dominates for 12th title
The Eagles had the Class 2A crown locked up before the placing round, bring a title back to County Road 35 for the first time since 1988. In addition to their array of placers that contributed to their tournament-high score of 197.5, Wray had three wrestlers in the finals.
Sophomore Cade Rockwell won at 113, freshman Junior Arambula lost at 126 and junior Carlos Tarin won at 170. Paonia was runner-up, followed by Rocky Ford and Cedaredge.
Cornella caps breakout winter
Monarch freshman Vince Cornella punctuated his coming-out campaign with a 6-4 sudden victory over Pomona’s sophomore Wyatt Yapoujian to set the tone straight out of the gate for a slate of gritty 5A title matches.
The 106-pounder had momentum on his side entering overtime, as he scored with 14 seconds remaining in the third period to force overtime.
Alamosa also gets 12th title
The Mean Moose wrapped up the Class 3A crown following the placing round to earn its 12th wrestling title, which ties Alamosa with Rocky Ford and Wray for most team championships all-time.
Freshman Davion Chavez won the title at 106 and junior Joe Chavez won at 126, while senior Reis Martinez (152) and senior Preston Duran (285) fell short in their title matches.
Undefeated wrestlers crowned
There were a handful of wrestlers that capped perfect seasons with a state title. In 2A, Fowler senior Dahlton McGhee at 195 and Soroco senior Sky Carlson at 220; Buena Vista senior Anthony Quintana at 132 and Delta senior Logan Church at 285 in 3A; Windsor’s Serrano and Greeley Central junior Andrew Alirez at 126 in 4A; and Grand Junction’s Joshia Rider at 152 and Ponderosa’s Cohl Schultz at 285 in 5A.
Castle View duo dominates
Castle View continued its come-up as well, as senior Malik Heinselman won his third straight state title, this time at 120, and 182-pound classmate Tate Samuelson pinned his way to a second straight title.
And while the performance of those two continued to represent the ascension of a program under the direction of a former Olympian in Ike Anderson, Adrian Marquez also showed out despite falling 6-5 in a tiebreaker to Grand Junction’s Dawson Collins at 113 — a match that proved this won’t be the last the state see the junior on the big stage.
Grand Junction outlasts Pomona
The Tigers outlasted two-time defending champion Pomona to win the Class 5A state title.
Collins (113) and senior Josiah Rider (152) won individual titles for Grand Junction.
