4A boys wrestling: Pueblo East finds redemption to win first team title since 2019
By Dan Mohrmann/Single Wing Media
Photo: Dan Mohrmann/Single Wing Media
DENVER – Before a single championship match was signaled to start, Pueblo East had reason to celebrate. Getting four wrestlers into championship matches combined with a fifth-place and third-place finisher gave the Eagles the Class 4A boys wrestling state championship.
But even with a team title in hand, there was work to be done for the Eagles. They battled their way to two individual championships to tie a bow on a memorable night. On the weekend that the state wrestling championships returned to Ball Arena, the team title returned to Pueblo East for the first time since 2019.
Now all that was left was the search for spots atop the podium. The night didn’t start as well as the Eagles had hoped but by the time the final arm was raised in victory, they had plenty to celebrate.
“When we first started the season, we’re a young team we just have one senior, I was a little apprehensive to see how we’d get things going,” East coach Pat Laughlin said. “After a few tournaments I knew these guys were for real. These young guys showed a lot of toughness and grit.”
L.J. Herburger fell victim to Thompson Valley’s Jackzen Rairdon in the 113-pound final. Rairdon now has two state championships and leaves Ball Arena with an undefeated record in his still young high school career. Not wanting to get too far ahead of himself, Rairdon is going to take some time to enjoy his championship and then turn his focus on how to improve next year, because he still believes there is room for improvement.
“I plan on going to a lot bigger tournaments,” Rairdon said. “I might go undefeated or I might not, we’ll just have to see.”
The loss to Rairdon didn’t necessarily set the Eagles back. But it did force Weston Dalton and the Freeman brothers – Sebastian and Xavier – to dial in their focus for their championship matches.
Dalton’s energy in his championship match seemed powered by the chip on his shoulder. He claimed a state title in 2020, only to lose in the 132-pound final to Loveland’s Cody Thompson last year. It was that moment, that feeling of coming up short that gave him his drive to dominate the 145-pound bracket this year. After his hand was raised, he couldn’t help but retreat to the tunnels of Ball Arena and just let every ounce of emotion escape his body.
“Sometimes you can’t contain your emotions as much as you’d like,” Dalton said. “I just have to embrace it and keep moving forward.
While Xavier Freeman completed his quest for a second championship, Sebastian Freeman was another Eagle looking for retribution for last year’s tournament. He fell in the semifinals of the 138-pound bracket and worked his way to a third-place finish. To win state, he had to go through Broomfield’s Ryan Vigil, who he would’ve met in the championship match had he made it last year.
In one of the best bouts of the night, Vigil came out on top with a 2-1 victory. The loss was disappointing for Sebastian, but he knows he’ll have another shot at an individual title next year. This year, his contribution and second-place finish played a big role in East’s rise to the team championship.
“I can’t say enough about him,” Laughlin said. “He’s a leader. This year he became more of a vocal leader. In the last, it was more by action.”
This is the second team wrestling title for Pueblo East but with the way the program has performed over the last few seasons, no one expects it to be the last. The Eagles will return nine state qualifiers to the team next year.
Elsewhere in the field, three other wrestlers claimed their second state championships. Discovery Canyon’s Dominic Hargrove (132) and Cheyenne Mountain’s Nico Gagliardi (195) came away with wins to have their hands raised on championship night for the second year in a row.
CLASS 4A WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH RESULTS
106: Zion Mares (Pueblo County) def. Damien Reyes (Mesa Ridge) Dec 3-1
113: Jackzen Rairdon (Thompson Valley) def. L.J. Herburger (Pueblo East) Fall 1:37
120: Kobi Johnson (Loveland) def. John Kenney (Windsor) MD 11-2
126: Ramon Salazar (Erie) def. Mikai Alirez (Greeley Central) Dec 9-5
132: Dominic Hargrove (Discovery Canyon) def. Isaiah Blackmon (Lewis-Palmer) TF 15-0
138: Nicholas Grizales (Cheyenne Mountain) def. Ezavian Ortega (Canon City) Fall 3:18
145: Weston Dalton (Pueblo East) def. Tyler Valdez (Falcon) Dec 7-0
152: Ryan Vigil (Broomfield) def. Sebastian Freeman (Pueblo East) Dec 2-1
160: Clayton Robinson (Roosevelt) def. Zander Alirez (Greeley Central) Dec 8-3
170: Bryce Garcia (Pueblo County) def. Bronco Hartson (Roosevelt) Dec 4-3
182: Max Coddington (Vista Ridge) def. Yahir Chairez-Salazar (Greeley Central) Fall 3:36
195: NIco Gagliardi (Cheyenne Mountain) def. Gavin Malek (Erie) Fall 0:29
220: Xavier Freeman (Pueblo East) def. Josiah Aldinger (Falcon) Dec 5-4
285: Dmarian Lopez (Montrose) def. Matt Moore (Mesa Ridge) SV – 1 9-7
Team scores:
