Mat matters for girls, too

By Neil H. Devlin, Mullen Sports Information Director
Freshman first.
Mat matters for girls, too
Photo by John Leyba, Mullen Sports Photographer
Alina Antillon won the 136-pound title bout on Saturday to beocme Mullen;s first female champion.r
 
Antillon is first Mustangs female to win a wrestling title
By Neil H. Devlin
Mullen Sports Information Specialist
THORNTON – She was a young lady with few words afterward, not the boisterous female wrestler of the staged variety.
“It feels amazing,” Mullen freshman Alina Antillon said on Saturday, after winning a girls wrestling championship at Thornton.
The 136-pounder earned a 7-2 decision in the final against Peyton’s Samantha Krause-Mahan to cap a 20-1 historic season in which the sport for females is gaining ground and working toward sanctioning.
For the record, yes, there have been a couple of previous gatherings, but Saturday’s was being termed as the first year of a two-year pilot program to be recognized statewide and join the prep ranks in 2020-21.
Feeling like something of a pioneer, Antillon, who has been wrestling since her youth days with Pomona Elite, certainly enjoyed her run.
“This feels so good and the work I put into it was all worth it,” she said.
With the popularity of women’s boxing, participation in UFC events and women’s wrestling hitting the Olympics as contributing factors, schoolgirl grappling is on the doorstep of being a legitimate and accepted thing. Two years ago, there was a girls state field held at Frederick that had 80-plus entrants from 42 schools over seven weight classes, according to the Boulder Daily Camera. About 200 gathered a year ago as the weight classes grew to 10 and this year, officials said, there were an estimated 325 competitors from 114 schools.
While those aren’t drop-dead figures, the rate of growth is more important and being watched carefully. Plus, the winter season would be the ideal one of three during the school year to add another female sport.
As it was on Saturday, Thornton’s gymnasium and surrounding parking lots were crowded and virtually everything else was either matched or simulated from the boys tournament – including a parade of champions prior to the title bouts -- that has been going on since 1936 and will offer its latest version in a couple of weeks at the Pepsi Center.
Concerning Antillon, there also were the usual occurrences, such as her pacing before her bouts, concerned about meeting a competitor she defeated earlier, a long line of family and well-wishers that included Mustangs boys wrestlers, battling in a featured bout and proudly standing atop the podium.
She first pinned Marianna Estrada of Thomas Jefferson in 1 minute, 21 seconds, and followed with a rousing 13-12 decision of Nanen Aguilar of Burlington.
“That was the one,” Mullen wrestling coach John Howes said. “Coming back after getting pinned last week was something.”
In the final, Antillon never trailed, got the first takedown, earned some back points and only surrendered a couple of stalling points over the final minute.
Included among her following was Mustangs junior John Sumner (145), who wrestled with Antillon back in their youth days.
“She wrestled well and did a great job,” Sumner said.
Mullen athletic director Vince Massey, the team’s previous head coach, said he was as nervous as he ever was for one of the school’s wrestlers before a bout, but also knew Antillon would make program history as the first female to win a state crown, non-sanctioned or otherwise.
“I called it,” he said.
Antillon has stated she wants to be a four-time winner. Now, she has one and can look to the future.
“Definitely,” she said. “More girls will be joining, especially in Colorado.”
 
RESULTS
Team scores — Chatfield 54.5, Loveland 47, Mountain Vista 33, Skyview 32, Arapahoe 31, Douglas County 27, Doherty 25, Delta 24, Vista Ridge 22, Las Animas 21, Mullen 20, Prairie View 20, Peyton 18, ThunderRidge 18, Denver South 16, Fort Lupton 16, Lewis-Palmer 16, Ponderosa 16, Pueblo Central 16, Burlington 15.5, Chaparral 14, Denver North 14, Montrose 11, Holyoke 9, Northridge 9, Olathe 9, Mead 8, Eaglecrest 7, Thomas Jefferson 6, Fruita Monument 4, Mountain Range 4, Sierra Grande-Centennial 4, Air Academy 3, Calhan 3, Grand Valley 3, John F. Kennedy 3, Overland 3, Vista Peak 3, Heritage 2, Poudre 2, Yuma 1.
Championship Matches
100 — Alvarado, Prairie View, dec. Perez, Ponderosa, 4-0.
105 — Johnson, Mtn. Vista, maj. dec. Steele, L-P, 8-0.
111 — Felan, Las Animas, dec. Herrera, Skyview, 3-2.
118 — Koch, Delta, pin Bankes, Loveland, 2:52.
127 — Terpestra, Loveland, pin Savidge, Doherty, 4:44.
136 — Antillon, Mullen, dec. Krause-Mahan, Peyton, 7-2.
147 — Garcia, Chatfield, pin Aguiree, Skyview, 3:51.
161 — Mitchell, Vista Ridge, pin Harter, ThunderRidge, 1:54.
185 — Sams, Douglas Cty, pin Tanko, Denver South, 3:22.
215 — Dasialyn Barron, Fort Lupton, declared champion.
Third-place matches
100 — Ramos Cruz, Arapahoe, dec. Mosqueda, Holyoke, 5-3.
105 — McDonald, P. Central, pin Cummings, Northridge, :42.
111 — DeGraff, Denver North, pin Reyes, Mead, 3:52.
118 — Cosme, Chatfield, pin Huner, Doherty, 2:19.
127 — Fiordalis, Chap, maj. dec. Laskoski, Ft. Lupton, 10-1.
136 — Aguilar, Burlington, tech fall Myers, Montrose, 16-0.
147 — Sandoval, Mtn. Vista, dec. Gilliland, Arapahoe, 2-0.
161 — Mueller, Chatfield, pin Carlin, Loveland, 2:44.
185 — Plummer, Arapahoe, pin Alejandro, Olathe, 4:22.
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