Amaya Hinojosa can make levels of history for Widefield girls wrestling

DENVER – Amaya Hinojosa made history when she and Myka Martinez became the first girls from Widefield to qualify for the state wrestling tournament.

But it’s not enough for her.

Hinojosa had another historical moment when she won her semifinals match to place her in the 115-pound state championship match which will take place on Saturday night at Ball Arena.

That’s still not enough.

She can be the first Gladiators wrestler to claim an individual state championship since 2005 when Vinny Vigil won at 160.

Not enough.

With just one more win, she can become the first wrestler in her school’s history to make it through a high school season undefeated. That doesn’t make her a Gladiators standout, it makes her a legend.

That’s enough to keep her motivated.

“I really want to end [the school’s championship drought],” Hinojosa said. “That’s not my biggest goal, but I want to put Widefield on the map and get my coaches the credit they deserve.”

The reality is that she has a chance to do something that no athlete in her school has ever done, not just something a girl hasn’t done. Her talent on the mat certainly makes her worthy of such a feat, but it’s personality that will make Widefield beam with pride with her representing the school as a champion.

But getting there won’t be an easy task. To win a state title, she’ll have to get through a familiar opponent in Discovery Canyon’s Mia Hargrove. The Thunder junior handed Loveland’s Lindsey Lopez her first loss of the season and will now go toe-to-toe with Widefield’s undefeated freshman, who is on a bit of a mission.

“I’ve been training my whole life for this,” Hinojosa said. “This is the time to lock in. I’ve been working really really hard for this.”

Hargrove’s win made the team race very interesting heading into Saturday’s championship matches. The Thunder finished the night with 104 points to Chatfield’s 96.5. Discovery Canyon has four wrestlers in championship matches and Chatfield has three so every point will count not just in first-place matches, but in the consolation bracket as well.

The Thunder have looked like a team that could challenge the Chargers all year, but in order to do so they needed to score some perceived upsets on the front side of the bracket. Hargrove’s win against Lopez certainly falls in that category. Adrianna Lopez, Janida Garcia and Victoria Guinard also advanced to championship matches.

In the three years that state wrestling has been a sanctioned sport, Chatfield has won the team title each season.

The team race will add some intrigue to what is already expected to be an historic championship night at Ball Arena.