'Stangs Wrestlemania
Dale O'Blia wins his program-record 3rd title; Kaleb Valdez-Lemos grabs his 1st; Mullen boys finish 4th; Jzunie Jones places for girls.
Mullen was a big part of the rocking in LoDo on Saturday night.
The Mustangs’ Dale O’Blia and Kaleb Valdez-Lemos were crowned champions in Class 3A and had clean runs against in-state competition throughout the season to highlight a fourth-place finish among teams at Colorado’s annual tournament for boys, and added another girls placer in the infancy of their sanctioning.
Veteran head coach John Howes said he couldn’t have been more pleased.
“The highs, the lows of this sport, it’s crazy … but these kids were great all year,” he said. “They all pull for each other.”
Both of the program’s champions were unique.
In particular, O’Blia might as well be a professional. The junior’s approach, attitude, work ethic and ability are just about automatic, and his penchant for turning a task that takes immense work, heart and skill into fun can’t be overstated.
The 113-pounder won his third consecutive championship, the first in program history to do so. He was 40-3 in 2022-23 to leap to 101-3 for his career.
“It feels great that I accomplished this,” he said, adding that “it’s just another steppingstone.”
He even speaks about his career as a pro – candid, to the point and without telling the world how great he is. The 16-year-old who has been competing on the mat since he was 3 allows he admires inside what he has accomplished and definitely wants a fourth crown, but refuses to let it get out of hand.
“Yeah, I do,” he said about analyzing his performance. “I sit back and see that it has been tough and something I’ve wanted to accomplish since I was a little kid. I know, ultimately, I can get it done. I’m just trying to show that it’s possible.”
In his finale against Jonathan Morrison of Severance, O’Blia gave up the first two points of the match before taking control. His series of reversals, takedowns and back points were as fluid as in his previous three matches in the winners’ bracket that produced a fall and two technical falls.
O’Blia also said his losses “were a good thing, not a bad thing,” and is excited about his performance can do for the Mullen program.
And, just as he did in previous seasons, yes, he continues to speak frankly about becoming a four-timer.
So much for alleged taboo among wrestlers ...
“‘I deal with it by looking at every match as the same,” said O’Blia, who also has an ‘A’ average in the class room. “I prepare, train and recover. I consider it as something I enjoy doing … I‘m doing the right things 100 percent or as close to it as I can.”
As for Valdez-Lemos, he had been knocking on the proverbial championship door for a quite a while – the four-time state qualifier (no small feat) began 0-2 at 160 as a ninth-grader, was third at 165 as a sophomore and runnerup at 170 a year ago.
Plus, the school’s starting quarterback in football in the fall suffered a tear in a multiple knee ligaments, had surgery in October and never blinked.
“Kaleb’s just tough,” Howes said.
In his finale, Valdez-Lemos turned in a methodical 5-1 decision for the cap he so craved to his mat career as a schoolboy.
“Yeah,” he said, “I put in so many hours of work, the sweat, the blood, the tears … it feels amazing. It’s a great feeling and for my coaches and my family. It just feels amazing.”
Valdez-Lemos said he’s eyeing Division I wrestling at American, Bucknell and Lehigh universities.
Mullen nearly had a third on the top spot on the podium. At 138, freshman Isaak Chavez came thisclose to pulling off perhaps the upset of the evening. He lost a heartbreaker, by just 2-1, to Fort Lupton’s D’mitri Garza-Alarcon, a junior who also took his third title.
It was the first in-state loss (37-6) for Chavez, who was penalized a point for going out of bounds.
“That’s a tough way to lose a championship match,” Howes said.
In addition, the Mustangs’ Tony Herrera was fifth at 106 and Gilbert Antillon (126) wrestled into the consolations.
For girls, who are in their second year of being officially recognized, Jzunie Jones overcame an opening-round pin to fight back for fifth at 170.
Mullen boys totaled 88.5 points for fourth place. Eaton was tops with 128. For girls, the Mustangs, with two qualifiers, were 45th with 10 points. Chatfield won with 133.
“We don’t lose that much and have a really young team,” Howes said. “We’ll be back.”
COLORADO TOURNAMENT
At Ball Arena
BOYS
CHAMPIONSHIPS
Team score – 88.5 points, fourth.
--- 113: Dale O’Blia, Jr., 40-3 won by major dec. over Jonathan Morrison, Severance, 16-6, 17-6.
--- 138: Isaak Chavez, Fr., 37-6 lost by dec. to D’mitri Garza-Alarcon, Fort Lupton, 42-4, 2-1.
--- 175: Kaleb Valdez-Lemos, Sr., 41-3 won by dec. over Dilan Ruiz, La Junta, 34-4, 5-1.
FIFTH PLACE
--- 106: Tony Herrera, So., 42-5 won by major dec. over Damyon Funk, Gunnison, 43-14, 13-0.
CONSOLATIONS
--- 126: Gilbert Antillon, Jr., 38-9 was pinned by Joseph Ortiz, Arvada, 36-4, 3:47.
GIRLS
Team score – 10 pts., 45th.
CONSOLATION SEMIFINALS
--- 170: Jzunie Jones, 24-9 lost by fall to Allison Evans, Vista Ridge, 38-2, 0:55.
FIFTH PLACE
--- 170: Jzunie Jones, 25-9 dec. Raquel Rios-Paiz, Prairie View, 27-9, 7-6.
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