Dalton Robertson missed the top of the podium.
“I got a little homesick for first place,” the Weld Central junior wrestler said.
He remedied that on Saturday, winning his second state title with a 3-2 victory over a defending state champion, Valley’s Brendan Gonzales, in the Class 3A 160-pound division.
Robertson won his first state title as a 106-pound freshman. Last year he finished fifth at 126.
He’s grown seven inches between his freshman and junior years, part of the reason for the jump in weight class.
“But the big thing is I like to eat,” he admitted.
In fact, he was under weight for all of his matches this season.
There were two more showdowns of defending state champions in the 3A state finals at the Pepsi Center.
In the 132-pound class, Robert Lucero of Valley, last year’s 126-pound champion, took on Mead’s Sage Budd, the 4A state titlist in the same weight class.
The two had met only once before, durring the summer, with Budd taking a one-point victory late. This time, it wasn’t so close as Budd built up a 5-0 second-period lead on the way to a 9-2 victory.
Lucero was originally given credit for a takedown in the first but after the two went out of bounds the referee reversed the decision.
He finished the season unbeaten at 46-0.
Jimmy Fate of Berthoud and Joseph Prieto of Holy Family wrestle in the 145-pound 3A final. (Kai Casey/CHSAANow.com) More photos.
Two matches later, at 145, Jimmy Fate, who won the 4A 138-pound title last year, went up against Joseph Prieto of Holy Family, the 3A 138-pound champ.
They had met three times previously this season, with Fate winning all by comfortable decisions.
Leading 3-0, Fate allowed an escape to start the third.
“I love to wrestle on my feet,” he said of going to the neutral position. “It’s kind of my strong suit.”
The strategy worked as he went to win 7-3.
Also earning their second straight state 3A crowns were Conrad Cole of Brush at 126, Joel Contreras of Sterling at 152,
Valley held a 13-point lead over Brush in the team race entering Saturday night’s championship matches. That was fortunate for the Vikings as they lost all three of their finals bouts.
Valley won its second straight state team crown, finishing with 126.5 points, five points ahead of Brush. The Beetdiggers won two of their three championship matches.