5A boys wrestling: Pomona captures 5th straight team title in record-setting form

DENVER — Pomona’s wrestling machine steamrolled to its fifth straight Class 5A boys state team championship Saturday at Ball Arena.

The Panthers broke their team-point record of 256.5 points set last season. It was Pomona’s 10th overall state wrestling team title and seventh over the past eight seasons.

“I thought we would,” Pomona coach Sam Federico said when asked if he thought the Panthers would have another record-breaking state tournament. “Our freshmen are really good and we have some great leadership with our seniors.”

Pomona racked up 278.5 points while sending a program record nine wrestlers — Zaidyn Quinonez (106), Derek Barrow (120), Mark Cardenas (126), Jakob Romero (138), Kalob Ybarra (144), Vincent Cabral (150), Dante Hutchings (165), Jose Rosales (215) and Adrian Arellano (285) — to the championship bouts Saturday night.

Holly holds the record for most individual state champs in a single state tournament. The Wildcats had seven state champions back in 1972.

Pomona captured five individual championships. Freshmen Quinonez, Barrow and Ybarra, along with seniors Cabral and Rosales all won individual state titles.

“It is a blessing to be apart of this team,” Cabral said. “When I came to Pomona I knew I had to work hard just to make the line-up, let alone win a state title. It is amazing to have an environment with everyone around you to have the same mindset.”

Cabral placed 6th as a freshman, wrestled JV as a sophomore and placed third last year.

“It feels amazing. I’ve worked for it since I was a little kid,” Cabral said after winning the 150-pound title. “I would come watch the (state) tournament and I could just image myself getting my hand raised. Now it is finally here and it feels amazing.”

Pomona had a good mix of upperclassmen and youngsters in the finals. The Panthers had four seniors, three freshmen, along with one junior and one sophomore. Pomona placed all 13 wrestlers it qualified for the state tournament with a pair of third places, along with a fourth and sixth place finisher during the consolation matches that finished up in the afternoon at Ball Arena.

“We knew our freshman class was a strong class coming in,” Barrows said of the seven freshmen who made varsity this year. “We knew if we would win our matches we would win the state title easy.”

There is already a mindset that Quinonez, Barrow and Ybarra have a chance to join the exclusive 4-timer club three years from now.

“We talk about it for sure,” Barrows said of the opportunity to become a 4-time state champion and finish off as a senior in three years with Pomona having won 8 straight team titles. “It is defintely good to just focus on next year. We are looking for three 4-timers our senior year.”

Rosales, who had wrestled up to heavyweight his first three years, captured the last individual title of the night for Pomona and the first for his career.

“It feels great. I feel like a champion,” Rosales said. “I wanted to go out, wrestle as hard as I can and get the business done.”

Prairie View’s Ane’e Vigil becomes three-time state champ

Prairie View senior Ane’e Vigil finished off his impressive prep wrestling career becoming his school’s first three-time state champion.

“Confidence was through the roof,” Vigil said after victory to become the lone 3-time individual state champion in 5A this season. “I knew I wasn’t going to lose. I knew I was going to get that third state title.”

Vigil successfully defended his 113-pound title with a 4-2 victory over Ponderosa freshman Jaylen Burge. Vigil captured the 5A 106 pound title as a sophomore.

It wasn’t an easy match for Vigil who had a tech fall, pin and major decision in his first three matches of the state tournament.

“I was very impressed,” Vigil said of the tough match he got from Burge in the final. “That kid is a really good freshman. He is going to be a state champ for sure in the future.”

Vigil said he will continue his wrestling career at Northeastern Junior College in Sterling after graduating from Prairie View.

Ponderosa’s Jacob Myers wins second individual title

Ponderosa junior Jacob Myers helped led the Mustangs to a 2nd-place finish in the 5A team standings for the third straight year. Ponderosa put up 190 team points.

Myers won the 132-pound title with a pin of Regis sophomore Garrett Reece 35 seconds in the championship bout. It was the second individual title for Myers.

“This one was a lot more expected,” Myers said of becoming a 2-time state champion. “There was nowhere near the amount of nerves I had last year. It was a lot easier going out there this year with confidence.”

Ponderosa had six wrestlers in the finals. Freshman Thomas Verrette (126), Myers (132), senior Brandon Cannon (138) and sophomore Tyler Eise (175) gave the Mustangs four individual titles on the night.

Despite the success, Myers knows it is still a tough task to dethrone Pomona from atop the 5A team race in the near future.

“It seems like every year Pomona comes out here harder and harder,” Myers said. “Their kids get it done at state and we somehow fall short sometimes. Pomona has a great line-up and most likely will continue to have a great line-up.”

Adams City’s Levi Deaguero and Brighton’s Dylan Bravo-Packer repeat

Adams City senior Levi Deaguero (165) and Brighton senior Dylan Bravo-Packer (285) became two-time state champions to finish off their prep careers.

Deaguero edged Pomona junior Dante Hutchings 3-2 in his final match at Ball Arena. Bravo-Packer finished off the night with a first-period pin of Pomona sophomore Adrian Arellano.

FULL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH RESULTS

106: Zaidyn Quinonez (Pomona) def Adonias Cantu (Eaglecrest) – Dec 7-5
 
113: Ane`e Vigil (Prairie View) def Jaylen Burge (Ponderosa) – Dec. 4-2
 
120: Derek Barrows (Pomona) def DJ Wince (Ponderosa) – MD 8-0
 
126: Thomas Verrette (Ponderosa) def Mark Cardenas (Pomona) – MD 10-1
 
132: Jacob Myers (Ponderosa) def Garrett Reece (Regis Jesuit) – Pin (0:37)
 
138: Brandon Cannon (Ponderosa) def Jakob Romero (Pomona) Dec 1-0
 
144: Kalob Ybarra (Pomona) def Emilio Trujillo-Deen (Monarch) – Dec 6-0
 
150: Vincent Cabral (Pomona) def Seth Deaguero (Adams City) – Dec 10-5
 
157: Daniel Long (Adams City) def Sammy Mobly (Rock Canyon) – SV 3-1
 
165: Levi Deaguero (Adams City) def Dante Hutchings (Pomona) – Dec 3-2
 
175: Tyler Eise (Ponderosa) def Ian Crabtree (Castle View) – TF 16-1 (1:44)
 
190: Quinn Funk (Legacy) def Maxwell Kibbee (Grandview) – Pin (3:07)
 
215: Jose Rosales (Pomona) def Nate King (Pine Creek) – Pin (2:47)
 
285: Dylan Bravo-Packer (Brighton) def Adrian Arellano (Pomona) – Pin (1:42)