Alamosa’s boys wrestling team walked away from the Les Mattocks Invitational in Denver looking every bit like the top-ranked Class 3A program.
That’s not to say there weren’t some individuals that left their mark at the same time.

Eagle Valley freshman Cody Littlepage stormed the bracket at 106 pounds, pinning top-ranked Jeremiah DeLaCerda of Alamosa in the semifinals and then notching another pin in the title bout over No. 3 Dustin Alvarado of Mullen. Teammate Matthew Good had a strong showing of his own at 144 pounds, taking down 3A’s No. 3 Logan Vannest of Platte Valley and No. 4 Daniel Martinez of Alamosa in the finals.

Alamosa finished with 260 points, some 84 points ahead of New Mexico’s Atrisco Heritage. Wellington, Meeker and Eagle Valley rounded out the top five.

Alamosa’s Anthony Meder, ranked second at 120, took down Wellington’s No. 4 Ben Gomez to take first. Pablito Rodriguez, No. 2 at 132, also finished first along with top-ranked Uriah Martinez (138). Tony Griego (150) rounded out the victors for Alamosa.

Other top-ranked wrestlers placing first included Lincoln’s Jordan Romero at 126, Salida’s Samuel Johnson at 157 and Mullen’s Isaak Chavez (175). No. 2 Champion Dyes of Mullen was first at 285, as did 4A’s No. 3 Achilles Evans of Sand Creek.

As January enters its final weekend, with February’s first week right behind, here is a quick glance around the state:

Class 5A

Boys
Pomona took first place in 10 weight classes on its way to a team title at the Westminster Bob Landgraf Invitational, with Rocky Mountain finishing second. One of the top matches featured top-ranked Emmerson Claeys taking down No. 3 Brady Swigert of Rocky Mountain via technical fall at 190 pounds. Pomona’s Rylan Berger pinned 4A No. 1 Connor Simonds of Northridge in the heavyweight finals. No. 2 Maddux Najera of Pomona (215) posted a tech fall over No. 4 Keith Robinson of Brighton. The Bulldogs’ No. 2 Ethyn BravoPacker was first at 144.

Girls
Chatfield and Pomona finished 1-2 in the loaded field at the Tiara Challenge at Douglas County High School. The Chargers’ Ryen Hickey, ranked first at 145, took first, while Pomona’s Justice Gutierrez (100), Timmery Condit (105) and Alora Martinez (130) also won their brackets. Gutierrez defeated Emma Faczak of Bennett, ranked first in 4A at 105, in a 4-2 decision. In a matchup of the top two wrestlers at 155, Brighton’s Matilda Hruby edged No. 2 Timberly Martinez of Pomona via 10-9 decision. Other top-ranked wrestlers to win were Falcon’s Allison McDaniel (110), Prairie View’s Jaydin Cuevas (115), Regis Jesuit’s Remington Zimmerer (120), Vista PEAK’s Amelia Bacon (125) – the latter two of which topped 4A Alamosa’s top-ranked Gizelle Meraz and Samantha Maestas – Columbine’s Makena Heston (135) and Broomfield’s Shayla Martinez (190). Eaglecrest’s No. 3 Parice Jones pinned 4A No. 1 Madilyn Gitke at 170.

Class 4A

Boys
Thompson Valley put together a strong performance last weekend at the Mile High Classic at Thomas Jefferson High School, winning the tournament with 181 points. The Eagles held off No. 2 Air Academy by four points, with 5A’s No. 8 Chaparral taking third. Ty Eversman was first at 144 for Thompson Valley, and top-ranked Wyatt Malara did the same at 165. Landry Suarez (190) and Brayden Wall (285) all took first. For the Kadets, Eric Ochoa (126), Xaiyven Calma-Viloira (132), No. 1 Trent Lainez (138) and No. 2 David Burchett Jr. (157) won their brackets. … In the Northglenn Norse Invitational, No. 1 Robert Kendall (165) scored a 9-3 decision over No. 2 Elias Koonce of Canon City.

Girls
Ninth-ranked Holy Family won the Gator Girls Tournament at Standley Lake, with No. 4 Canon City taking fifth. No. 1 Breezy Johnston took first at 125, as did Canon City’s Piper Montoya at 110 and Zahara Thompson of Arvada at 235. Coal Ridge’s Lexi Thurmon, ranked No. 2 at 105, pinned No. 3 Veronika Hafer of Holy Family. Second-ranked Yaida Rodriguez of Fort Lupton (100) and No. 2 Margaret Burrier of Evergreen (140) also took first. … Strasburg’s Vivienne Gitke, ranked first at 140, took home a first place in the Tiara Challenge.

Class 3A

In a potential preview of state tournament clashes, top-ranked Isaiah Gallegos of Jefferson topped No. 2 Ethan Jordan of Bennett in the 150-pound final of the Northglenn Norse Invitational. Gallegos won via technical fall. Bennett’s Tommy Cearns (157) and No. 3 Kenneth Jordan (165) took first, with the Tigers third as a team. … No. 5 La Junta finished second at its own invitational, with Jordan Gamez (126), Raif Robinson (144) and Santos Nunez (150) placing first.

Class 2A

Cedaredge continued its march toward regionals with an impressive showing at the Butch Melton Invitational in Ignacio, winning the tournament with 231 points. No. 4 North Fork was second with 173 points. The Bruins’ Cash Martinez (120), Cole Wyatt (215) and Travis Gill (285) took first. North Fork’s Tallin Hall (106), Bronson Hall (126) and Braeden Flores (157) won their brackets, as did Ignacio’s top-ranked Lincoln DeKay at 165. … At the La Junta Invitational, Crowley County’s top-ranked Derreck Buford scored a 6-3 decision over 3A No. 2 Joseph Gamez of La Junta in the 113 final. Teammate Levin Gibson, ranked No. 1 at 175, fell to 3A’s No. 2 Austin Ley of Brush in the finals by major decision.