DENVER – There wasn’t a moment Saturday night where Pomona’s Timberly Martinez wasn’t in control during the Class 5A girls 140-pound of the Colorado state wrestling championships. With a sizeable contingent of Panthers’ fans supporting her, Martinez secured a technical fall over Discovery Canyon’s Sophia Flores, running the scoreboard up to 15-0 before the match was ended early in the second period. She had two near falls, two takedowns and an escape during her dominant performance.
The victory sets up Martinez, a junior, to be the third female four-time champion at the state tournament. With no other potential four-timers among the boys or girls, Martinez could be the only wrestler honored for the feat at next year’s tournament.
But while the third championship is satisfying and the chance at the fourth is welcome, Martinez said her aspirations have shifted.
“Being a four-time champion is definitely something I’ve wanted to do since I was a little kid,” she said. “But it’s not what I fully want to do. I’d love to make a world team. That’s what my focus is and what I’d love to do right now.”
Pomona finished fourth in the team standings and Martinez said she was happy to provide a boost to her team.
“Knowing that I had this great community behind me every step of the way is amazing,” she said. “Especially seeing it on a stage like this is something really special.”
Despite having no individual champions, it was the District 51 team, competing under the label of Grand Junction Central, that took home the team title in 5A.
With two finalists and six more podium finishers, the Phoenix secured the title in the first year the girls tournament was split into two divisions. Coach Chad Dare said the victory is a testament to the entire team.
“Every girl on this team contributed to this win,” Dare said. “Whether they were at this tournament or not. Every girl at home who didn’t get the chance to compete makes our wrestling room better. Our JV team is formidable and they would have some representation here if they were with other teams. They push our varsity kids to be the best they can be. It’s a lot of fun for me, as a coach, to see this level of competition from everyone.”
Shylee Tuzon (155 pounds) and Claris McCoy (170 pounds) both reached the finals. Tuzon faced Brighton’s Matilda Hruby, one of the nation’s top sophomores, staying close early before Hruby secured an 11-0 lead and a third-period pin. McCoy’s final ended quickly, pinned in 30 seconds by Loveland’s Anabelle Gerrard — an outcome reminiscent of last year’s title match against Hruby.
Solid performances across the roster secured the team win. Marissa Martinez-Quezada (100 pounds) finished fifth, Shyann Page (120 pounds) and Harleigh Prater (125 pounds) placed fourth, and Violet Gray (130 pounds) claimed third with a pin at 2 minutes, 24 minutes — her fastest of the tournament. Rya Burke (135 pounds) and Clara Denton-Baleztena (140 pounds) won fifth-place matches, with the latter earning a 10-0 major decision.
(Dan Mohrmann/ColoradoPreps.com)
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Class 5A girls
| WEIGHT CLASS | CHAMPION | SCHOOL |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | Justice Gutierrez | Pomona |
| 105 | Katey Valdez | Doherty |
| 110 | Saydee Lussenhop | Loveland |
| 115 | Jaydin Cuevas | Prairie View |
| 120 | Remington Zimmerer | Regis Jesuit |
| 125 | Amelia Bacon | Vista Peak |
| 130 | Makena Heston | Columbine |
| 135 | Hayden Newberg | Vista Ridge |
| 140 | Timberly Martinez | Pomona |
| 145 | Dakota Hull | Westminster |
| 155 | Matilda Hruby | Brighton |
| 170 | Anabelle Gerrard | Loveland |
| 190 | Shayla Martinez | Broomfield |
| 235 | Mariah Gonzalez | Poudre |
Top 10 teams
| PLACE | TEAM | SCORE |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Grand Junction Central | 159.5 |
| 2 | Loveland | 115.5 |
| 3 | Widefield | 101 |
| 4 | Pomona | 99 |
| 5 | Brighton | 96 |
| 6 | Chatfield | 90 |
| 7 | Vista Peak | 68 |
| 8 | Douglas County | 67 |
| 8 | Thornton | 67 |
| 10 | Pine Creek | 63.5 |
