5A Boys Wrestling: Pomona Continues Streak, Wins Seventh-Straight State Title

Winning is winning, but the Pomona boys wrestling team won its seventh straight Class 5A state championship Saturday night at Ball Arena in much different fashion than the previous one.

The powerhouse Panthers were nearly shut out individually last season and still won the team title, but got to celebrate the program’s 12th all-time title — tied for third-most in Colorado state history — in addition to having every one of their five individual state finalists get their hands raised in victory.

Pomona had state champions at 106 pounds (freshman Lincoln Valdez), 138 (junior Angel Serrano), 144 (junior Derek Barrows), 165 (junior Kalob Ybarra) and 175 (junior Emmitt Munson) and had wrestlers place in the top three in 10 of 14 weight classes on its way to 235 points, which left Ponderosa second with 202 and Grandview third with 137.5.

“Winning is contagious,” Pomona coach Sam Federico said. “You get the ball rolling, and it keeps rolling. Everyone wants to win when their friends are winning.”

Valdez got the ball rolling for the Panthers with a 5-1 victory in the 106-pound final against ThunderRidge junior Emmett Alexander and the momentum continued all the way through to the end.

Serrano held off a late challenge from Cherokee Trail senior Chance Mathews to take a 5-4 decision in the 138-pound final to score what turned out to be the clinching team points for Pomona. Barrows followed with a 4-2 victory over Ponderosa junior Michael Lopez Jr. in a battle of two wrestlers who had won state championships previously (Barrows at 120 in 2023 and Lopez Jr. at 126 in 2024) and Ybarra also claimed a second career individual title with a pin of Fruita Monument senior Will Stewart.

Last in the order was Munson, who had pulled off an upset in the semifinals when he earned an overtime win over Grandview senior Charlie Herting (last season’s 165-pound state champion) to reach the final. Going against Vista Ridge senior Wesley Coddington — who beat him by a point in the Region 1 championship match a week earlier — Munson pushed the pace and it delivered him a 9-3 win that made the day complete for the Panthers, who had five other wrestlers win third-place matches earlier.

“It feels amazing, we knew if we took care of our jobs the team title would take care of itself,” Munson said. “I’m really proud of the guys going 5-for-5 in the finals. We’re on top of the world right now, way more than last year with only one champion. It’s a way better feeling this year.”

Ponderosa gave itself a chance in the team chase with six wrestlers making it to championship matches, but only sophomore 126-pounder Jack Simpson (who defeated Chaparral senior Declan Strait by two points) and senior 190-pounder De’Alcapon Veazy won championships.

Veazy, a transfer from out of state, earned a title in his only year at the Colorado state tournament as he got a takedown 11 seconds into his matchup with previously undefeated Erie senior Carson Hageman and went on to win by fall in the second period to complete a 39-4 season.

“I try to showcase my dominance from the start, just let them know that I’m nothing to play with,” said Veazy, who is headed to the University of Michigan. “I just focused on myself, went out there and did what I do best.”

The Mustangs had nine wrestlers finish in the top four of their respective weights.

The only repeat state champion in the field was Poudre senior Billy Greenwood, who claimed the 144-pound state championship in 2024 and added a 157-pound crown this season. He got up big early, then held off a challenge from Ponderosa senior DJ Wince before winning 11-4.

Greenwood finished with two career championships, while his older brother Jacob won four.

“I’m super excited, really grateful to get another one,” he said. “I felt really good coming into this tournament, really confident.”

Grandview — which finished in third place as a team for the second straight season — had three finalists and one state champion in sophomore JR Ortega, who bested Fruita Monument sophomore Ken Unrein with a 5-0 decision in the 113-pound final.

Vista PEAK Prep junior Ian Bacon prevented Cherokee Trail sophomore Cooper Mathews from winning a second straight state championship, as he defeated the 2024 106-pound winner with a pin in the second period to take the Aurora school’s first-ever individual or team state championship in any sport.

Pine Creek senior Elijah Banks took the 132-pound championship, while Arvada West’s Auston Eudaly finished a remarkable 49-2 senior season with the 150-pound crown and Northglenn junior Eli Stevens (215) and Fruita Monument senior Tatum Williams (285) also claimed titles.

Stevens was the heavyweight runner-up last season and nearly was the same in his move down to 215, but he stunned Ponderosa’s Bryson Tidwell with a takedown with 10 seconds remaining to escape with a 6-4 win. Williams also got a late takedown against Grandview sophomore Leland Day to preserve a slight lead to earn a 4-0 victory.