High school state wrestling recap: 11 area wrestlers take home titles, 60 find the podium at state championships ...Saudi Arabia

Heading into the Colorado State Wrestling Championships on Thursday, just three area wrestlers were looking for their second state title.

After the jam-packed three days of action at Ball Arena in Denver over the weekend, that number will be more than double next year.

Ten boys wrestlers and one girls wrestler from the Tribune’s coverage area (most of Weld County, plus Resurrection Christian) brought home gold — eight of those are underclassmen and should be returning next year to defend their titles.

Building quite the resume

Severance sophomore Drake VomBaur picked up his second state title in as many years, capping a 39-5 season with a 113-pound championship in Class 4A.

He picked up two pins and a win by tech fall on his way to the championship round, in which he took down Pueblo East’s Manuel Amaro 4-1.

VomBaur went undefeated and won the Class 3A 106-pound title last year as a freshman. With the second title, he joins his two older brothers — Will and Vance — in winning multiple state titles.

Both Roosevelt 144-pounder Chris LaLonde and Windsor 215-pounder Evan Perez bounced back to win their second Class 4A state titles. Each won two years ago as freshman — LaLonde at 126 pounds, Perez at 165 — before taking a step back last season.

LaLonde (43-3) picked up two pins and a major decision before winning 4-0 over Tobias Pinson of Skyline in the final.

Perez capped off a perfect 41-0 season — moving his career record to 121-8 — by picking up three pins on his way to the finals. Once there, he won 12-3 by major decision over Mead’s William Eilers.

First time on top

Two of Perez’s Windsor teammates joined him atop 4A podiums. Junior 150-pounder Adrian Czyszczon (24-5) and junior 165-pounder Robert Kendall (38-1) both capped their season’s with titles, after neither even found the podium for the Wizards last season.

Czyszczon pinned Pueblo Central’s David Sanchez in 2:15 in his championship match, while Kendall won 12-4 by major decision over Thompson Valley’s Garet Hendrickson.

A pair of Resurrection Christian teammates — 215-pound senior Isaiah Johnson and 285-pound junior Samuel Stockton — capped off undefeated seasons with 3A state titles after both brought home runner-up finishes last year. Johnson finished the season 28-0, while Stockton topped him by one win, finishing with 29 victories.

Johnson picked up a pair of pins and a major decision on his way to a 2 minute, 33 second tech fall over Holy Family’s Camden Austin in the finals. Stockton pinned all four of his opponents — including University’s Connor Simonds in the championship match.

Eaton also brings home a pair of 3A state champions — junior 113-pounder Blake Hawkins (45-5) and senior 190-pounder Cal Sidwell (45-4).

Hawkins finally secured the elusive gold medal after finishing as runner-up in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.

Sidwell pinned three of his four opponents, including championship-match foe Noah Aguirre in 1:53.

Just up U.S. 85, Highland also brought home one gold medal — though Class 2A — by way of 190-pound senior Ira Sittner. Sittner capped a 39-5 season with a 14-4 major decision over County Line’s Chason Turner in his championship match.

Severance freshman Eila Schultz was the lone girls winner from the area, taking home the inaugural 4A 130-pound title. She finished the season 34-3 with a 1-0 win over Fort Lupton’s Alyssa Solis-Ornelas. Schultz’s win over Solis-Ornelas was the second-straight time she beat Solis-Ornelas — the other being the Class 4A Region 4 Tournament final — to avenge a loss earlier in the year.

Team success

For the second year in a row, no area schools brought home team titles — though eight finished in the top 10 of their respective classifications.

Johnstown was the area’s top finisher, taking home second in Class 4A with 131 points — well behind first-place Pueblo East (192.5 points). Windsor finished just a half-point behind the Roughriders with 130.5 team points.

Eaton also finished third in 3A — the second-consecutive bronze finish after notching back-to-back titles the two seasons previous. They finished with 107.5 team points behind Brush (132) and Alamosa (110.5). Valley finished sixth (80.5), Resurrection Christian seventh (72.5) and Fort Lupton eighth (71.5).

Highland finished fifth in 2A with 102.5 points. Cedaredge won the classification with 141.5 points.

Severance was the lone area girls team to finish top 10, placing fourth in 4A with 71 points. Pueblo Central more than doubled any other team, dominating with 194 points.

Boys on the podium

In total, 42 boys from the area found their way onto a podium over the weekend. Here’s a brief look at all the boys top-six finishers.

Including LaLonde, Roosevelt had seven 4A place winners — freshman 120-pounder Kash Long (3rd, 37-9), senior Ethan Mora (3rd, 34-9), senior 132-pounder Travis Long (3rd, 40-7), Freshman 138-pounder Malakii Martin (2nd, 47-3), sophomore 165-pounder Thomas Dunn (6th, 38-11) and Sophomore 190-pounder Michael Garcia (5th, 41-7).

On their way to the third-place 3A finish, Eaton had five wrestlers find the podium. Alongside Hawkins and Sidwell, junior 132-pounder Dylan Paris (4th, 29-9), junior 138-pounder Ethan Deal (5th, 33-15), sophomore 150-pounder Paxton Pettinger (2nd, 33-11) found their way to top-six finishes.

Highland sent five, including Sittner, to the 2A podium — junior 120-pounder Korbin Hoke (4th, 34-14), sophomore 126-pounder Carter Jensen (6th, 26-16), junior 138-pounder Tyler Varra (2nd, 37-9) and junior 175-pounder Wyatt Chase (2nd, 34-4).

Alongside Czyszczon, Kendall and Perez Windsor had one more top-six finisher — senior 175-pounder Santi Fernandez (4th, 36-6).

Valley had four 3A place winners — junior 132-pounder Diego Manriquez (6th, 32-16), senior 150-pounder Garrett McGirl (3rd, 51-9), senior 157-pounder Nehemiah Whaley (4th, 37-2) and freshman 165-pounder Rocky Hoffschneider (3rd, 31-9) — on their way to the sixth-place finish.

Fort Lupton also had four find the 3A podium — freshman 106-pounder Isaiah Rodriguez (5th, 51-11), freshman 120-pounder Logan Sweetman (4th, 45-14), junior 138-pounder Josiah Gonzales (3rd, 26-12) and senior 165-pounder Christopher Galicia (2nd, 47-11).

Johnson and Stockton were the only two Resurrection Christian wrestlers to find the 3A podium.

Freshman 120-pounder Jackson Felker (6th, 32-13) joined VomBaur on the 4A podium for Severance.

Two Greeley Central wrestlers placed top six in 4A — junior 106-pounder Daniel Romero (2nd, 50-5) and junior 150-pounder Noah Garcia-Salazar (4th, 50-7).

Greeley West had two place winners in 5A — senior 126-pounder Julian Chavez (4th, 51-7) and senior 150-pounder Marcelo Marquez (6th, 32-10).

University sent a pair to the 3A podium — junior 120-pounder Ayden Arrellano (6th, 39-17) and sophomore 285-pounder Connor Simonds (2nd, 43-5).

Platte Valley sophomore Logan Vannest (39-5) finished third in the 3A 132-pound bracket and Weld Central junior William Ellerman (43-11) finished sixth in the 3A 157-pound bracket. Dayspring Christian senior Logan Clark (38-9) brought home fourth in the 150-pound 2A bracket.

Girls on the podium

Eight area girls also found their way onto state podiums. Here’s how they fared.

Severance had three top-six 4A finishers including Schultz’s state title — senior 135-pounder Faith Vondy (5th, 23-3) and junior 170-pounder Alisa Gonzales (5th, 34-12).

Fort Lupton had two 4A place winners — freshman 130-pounder Alyssa Solis-Ornelas (2nd, 41-8) and junior 190-pounder Dahlia Tijerina (6th, 33-15).

University freshman 190-pounder McKinlee Collett (19-9) finished second and Weld Central freshman 140-pounder Charlotte Ellerman (12-3) finished fifth — both in Class 4A.

Greeley West junior Abrianna Torrez was the only area placer in girls 5A, finishing fifth in the 190-pound bracket.

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