3A wrestling: Robertson, Fate claim third championships; Valley claims team title
DENVER — After securing the 106-pound state championship in Class 4A as a freshman, Weld Central’s Dalton Robertson had an ambitious vision.
As wrestlers mature over the course of their prep careers, naturally they tend to move up in weight classes. But Robertson wanted to go from one extreme to the other.
“My goal since my freshman year after winning 106 was, for my senior year, to win that heavyweight,” the senior said. “I wanted to be the first person to win the lightest weight and then the heaviest weight. I fell a little short, but I guess 182 isn’t bad.”
Robertson, a soon-to-be Northern Colorado Bear, won bookend state crowns, along with another his junior season, to cap off a storied career with three state championships in four seasons by defeating La Junta’s William Tyler 3-0. He also placed fifth in the 126-pound division in 4A in 2014 and won the 160-pound division in 3A in 2015.
While Robertson wasn’t the only state champion to repeat on Saturday at the Pepsi Center — five of six defending champions won again in 3A — Robertson’s wrestling journey has been particularly uncommon.
“It’s something that’s very unheard of,” Weld Central coach Jason Schellenberg said. “I think there’s a kid in California that graduated a few years back that jumped from 106 to 182, but I don’t think it’s ever happened in Colorado with that big of a jump — with undefeated seasons especially.”
Just as Robertson crossed classifications and won at multiple levels, Berthoud senior Jimmy Fate did the same during his illustrious career for the Spartans. As a sophomore, he topped all competitors in the 138-pound division in 4A. As a junior, he conquered 145 in 3A.
Finally, in his state tournament finale, Fate pinned Steamboat Springs sophomore Hayden Johnson in a mere 55 seconds for the 160-pound title to solidify his place in history as a three-time state champion.
“It’s probably the weirdest one that I’ve won just because I’m actually done now,” Fate said. “It feels great. I’m just kind of reflecting on all the people that have helped me get to where I am today. It chokes me up a little bit.”
Fate, another University of Northern Colorado signee, posted a 44-2 record in his senior year for Berthoud.
“The first one was real sweet, but I’m glad to get this one taken care of,” he said. “It just feels good to get this third one and close it out right.”
Alamosa junior Isaiah DeLaCerda (38-5, 113), Fort Lupton junior Jody Sandoval II (42-2, 120) and Berthoud senior Chad Ellis (33-2, 195) filled out the group of five that won at least back-to-back crowns. Dolores Huerta senior Marcus Garcia was the only defending champion to get taken down as he was defeated 3-2 by Sheridan junior Ricky Ayala (42-3) at 220. Freshman Brendon Garcia of Dolores Huerta went unbeaten, 41-0, with an 8-1 decision over Brush’s Caleb Cox at 106.
As for the chase for the team title, Valley overcame all challengers for their third consecutive 3A championship with 144 points.
Dolores Huerta was the runner-up with 119.5 points, Berthoud was third with 97.5, and Olathe was fourth with 94.
The Vikings from Gilcrest, coached by veteran Mike Caciari, have now won three titles in wrestling and 16 total titles in the school’s history.
The championship finals actually began with a defeat for Valley, sophomore Brandon Damian was beaten by Lamar senior Michael Johnson 9-7 in the 132-pound class, but the Vikings remained poised.
In the 170 finals, senior Macoy Flanagan tied the Colorado record for most wins in a single season by going 51-0 with an 8-5 victory over Holy Family junior Kolsen Welham.
“He’s just been dominating all year,” Caciari said. “I don’t think he’s been taken down once. He’s a great leader. That’s one of the reasons we win all these things, because he’s such a great leader.”
“It’s truly cool,” Caciari added about a trio of titles. “Every one of them has been a little different. This wasn’t decided until the finals.
“I think we just have a lot of kids who really buy in. They work really hard and they are tough, so they can be pushed hard and won’t quit. Not all kids are like that, so we have special boys.”
Junior Aaron Trujillo (48-3, 138) and senior Zach Damian (35-8, 145) also completed their weekends with gold medals for Valley. Kyle Cisneros of Jefferson (126), Jacob Jimenez of Olathe (152) and Sam deSeriere of Mullen (285) triumphed in 3A as well.
