Grapplers take to Ball Arena for the 2026 state wrestling tournament

From top to bottom, this weekend’s state tournament is a must-see event.

From Pomona’s Timberly Martinez attempting to join the four-time state champion club, to a whopping 52 returning state champions looking for another crown, Ball Arena has a little something for everyone.

The first whistles will blow at noon on Thursday with first- and second-round action. On Friday, consolation bouts will take place in the morning, with the semifinal round starting about 6 p.m.

On Saturday, consolation matches through placing matches run from 9 a.m. to the afternoon. The Parade of Champions should go about 4 p.m., with the championship finals immediately following.

Here is a quick overview of the tournament for each classification and also the new edition of Colorado Preps Weekly as Kevin Shaffer chats with Tim Yount of On The Mat:

Class 5A

Boys
Defending state champion: Pomona
Returning state champions (from any year): 12
Overview: Pomona has won seven consecutive titles and nine out of 10 in Class 5A, and the bad news for the rest of the state is that the Panthers are a heavy favorite again. Pomona qualified its entire team after dominating Region 1 to the tune of 11 regional champions, with both Derek Barrows (150 pounds) and Kalob Ybarra (175) looking for a third title. Grandview has 11 headed to Denver after controlling Region 2, and Ponderosa’s contingent of nine led the team to the Region 3 championship. Brighton and Cherokee Trail each crowned four regional champions in Region 4, but the Bulldogs’ depth carried them to the team title.
Bracket to watch: 120 pounds. Vista PEAK’s Ian Bacon won the title in this classification a year ago, upsetting a returning state champion in the finals in Cherokee Trail’s Cooper Mathews (now at 132). Fruita Monument’s Kel Unrein was the runner-up at 113 pounds, losing to Grandview’s JR Ortega (now at 126). Logan Dellow lost in the semis at 113, but is the top seed in the field in 2026. Unrein and Bacon could be on a collision course to meet in the semis this weekend.
Girls
Defending state champion: Central of Grand Junction
Returning state champions (from any year): 11
Overview: Will Chatfield reclaim the throne for the first time since 2023? The Chargers won the first three state titles in the unclassified era. Pomona took it in 2024, and Central of Grand Junction won the 2025 5A championship. Chatfield easily won the Region 3 title in Littleton last weekend, qualifying 10 to state. That includes undefeated Ryen Hickey at 145. Central won the Region 1 title and is sending nine to Denver. Eaglecrest, the Region 2 champion, qualified 12; Ponderosa won Region 4 and qualified eight. Pomona’s undefeated Justice Gutierrez won titles as a freshman and sophomore, and will go for number three this weekend, though Sand Creek’s Peggy Dean is also unbeaten.
Bracket to watch: 155 pounds. This could shape up to be the class of the tournament if the bracket isn’t an upset-special. On one end is undefeated Matilda Hruby of Brighton, who won state titles in 2024 and 2025. On the other is Pomona’s Martinez, attempting to become only the third four-time state champion in the girls ranks. It has all the makings of main-event status.

Class 4A

Boys
Defending state champion: Pueblo East
Returning state champions (from any year): 5
Overview: Unseating defending champion Pueblo East won’t be an easy task. East won seven regional titles in Region 1 and is sending 11 to state. Roosevelt, the Region 2 champion, will send 11 as well – including Chris LaLonde (144) who is going for title No. 3 – while runner-up Severance qualified nine individuals. Windsor won Region 3 and qualified eight, as will Region 4 runner-up Palisade. The Region 4 victor, Widefield, qualified seven.
Bracket to watch: 120 pounds. Severance’s Drake VomBaur is shooting for a third consecutive title in a different weight class after winning the 106 title in 2024 and claiming 113 last winter. Sand Creek’s Tristan Pino was the 106 champion in 2025, and Air Academy’s Dylan Saba won all three matches in the Region 1 tournament last weekend by technical fall. Add it all up, and this class should stack up with any of the weekend.
Girls
Defending state champion: Pueblo Central
Returning state champions (from any year): 10
Overview: Pueblo Central returns two state champions in Acelyn Duran (100) and Lilliana Lopez (145) from a team that won the 4A crown. Central easily won the Region 1 title and will send six to state. Severance has 11 state qualifiers though after rolling in Region 2. Olathe won Region 3 and is sending seven; Holy Family won Region 4 and qualified five.
Bracket to watch: 145 pounds. Gunnison’s Roxie Uhrig is the top seed in the field, but could face Lopez in the semifinals. Lopez lost to Bree Tyler of Las Animas in the regional finals in a back-and-forth match that ended with a Tyler pin in the third period.

Class 3A

Defending state champion: Brush
Returning state champions (from any year): 11
Overview: Eaton may be one of the teams to beat, but it was Fort Morgan’s depth that carried the Mustangs to the Region 1 crown. Fort Morgan didn’t have any regional champions but qualified 10 to state. Eaton won five regional titles and had seven in the regional finals overall. Alamosa rolled in Region 3 and is sending 13 to Denver, including six regional champions. Fort Lupton has 12 going after winning Region 4, and Jefferson held off Pueblo Centennial and Lamar in Region 2 and will send eight to state. Brush’s Ritchie Bruno (190) is seeking a third state title.
Bracket to watch: 285 pounds. Mullen’s Champion Dyes won the heavyweight crown in 2024, but was upset in the semifinals a year ago. Resurrection Christian’s Samuel Stockwell pinned his way to his first championship. Both of them are in the 285-pound state bracket again, on opposite sides like last year.

Class 2A

Defending state champion: Cedaredge
Returning state champions (from any year): 3
Overview: Cedaredge is the reigning champion after finishing runner-up in 2024. The Bruins held off Wray in Region 1 but qualified only six to Ball Arena. Highland, the Region 2 champion, is sending eight and Burlington, the Region 3 victor, qualified 10. Sedgwick County/Fleming, which finished second to Burlington by only a point, qualified nine. North Fork won Region 4, qualifying nine to state. Wray’s Austin Collins (145) will attempt to claim a third state title.
Bracket to watch: 215 pounds. The only bracket in the four boys classifications to feature two unbeaten wrestlers, the 215 class stands out. Burlington’s Anthony Estrada is 35-0, and Buena Vista’s Carter Stromer is 39-0. They stand at opposite ends of the bracket. Norwood’s Kannon Sherman won a regional crown and is on Estrada’s side of the bracket.