Pomona wrestling dynasty continues with seventh straight Class 5A crown

Big Black is the warden of the wrestlebacks. The baron of the blood rounds. The king of the finals.

They are the reigning, undisputed Colorado high school wrestling dynasty. And so the juggernaut rolls on.

Pomona won its seventh straight Class 5A wrestling title, and ninth in the last 10 years, Saturday at Ball Arena. The Panthers were neck-and-neck with fellow powerhouse Ponderosa for much of the tournament but dominated the final day to pull away.

Big Black was a perfect 15 for 15 across the consolation semifinals, consolation finals and finals on Saturday, including 5 for 5 in the night’s title matches.

“It’s a good day because that’s not easy to do,” Pomona head coach Sam Federico said. “We redeemed some losses today, we beat some really good kids. Every year is different, and just because you won last year doesn’t make this year easy. And it wasn’t.”

You sure about that, Sam?

With the trophy in hand again, the Panthers are one championship shy of tying Ponderosa’s record of eight straight from 2003 to 2010. With the wind at its back, Pomona can tie that mark next season, and break it in 2027. Along the way to what could end up being a historic run, the Panthers set the state tournament record with 278.5 points two years ago and then won again last year despite going only 1 for 6 in their finals matches.

Who’s going to stop them? Ponderosa, now runner-up five years in a row, is the only one that has sniffed them in the last half-decade. Pomona, a Class 3A school in most sports, continues to wrestle way above its enrollment (1,133, according to CHSAA’s latest figures).

The last team to beat Pomona at state was Grand Junction in 2018, when the Tigers edged the Panthers by a mere 5.5 points. Pomona’s expansive youth program continues to plug state-tournament-ready freshmen into the program, while its dynasty status also makes it an attractive destination for open enrollment and transfers.

Pomona’s champions on Friday were freshman Lincoln Valdez at 106 pounds (beat ThunderRidge’s Emmett Alexander 5-1), junior Angel Serrano at 138 (beat Cherokee Trail’s Chance Mathews 5-4), junior Derek Barrows at 144 (beat Ponderosa’s Mikey Lopez 4-2), junior Kalob Ybarra at 165 (beat Fruita Monument’s Will Stewart) and junior Emmitt Munson at 175 (beat Vista Ridge’s Wesley Coddington).

Those four returning Panthers from last year’s team all got redemption after coming up just short of their respective crowns. Serrano was third in 2024 at 138, Barrows was third at 144, Munson was second at 157 and Ybarra was second at 190.

Meanwhile, Pomona’s unmatched depth — the Panthers brought all 14 wrestlers to state, and 10 of them finished third or better — racked up points on the back side of the bracket. Logan Dellow was third at 113, Zaidyn Quinonez was third at 120, Tyler Capps was third at 150, Emerson Claeys was third at 190 and Maddux Najera was third at 215.

Pomona finished with 235 points, while Ponderosa was second with 202 points, and Grandview a distant third with 137.5.

“We’ve been in that 220 to 280 range consistently, and if somebody is going to beat us, they’re going to have to score points like that,” Federico said. “Our kids have a lot of pride in wrestling hard for each other, and you see that when our kids come back and get third after tough losses in the semifinals.”

Pomona clinched the title early in the night after Serrano’s gritty win at 138. The junior credited Federico and the rest of the Pomona coaching staff for continuing to elevate the program to new heights. Pomona now has 12 total titles, tied with Alamosa and Rocky Ford for second-most all-time behind Wray’s 16.

“In the practice room, (Federico) pushes us to the limit because he knows what we can do, and at the same time, he is always there as support,” Serrano said. “We’ve got to just stay humble, and we can keep this thing rolling.”

Perhaps the most notable thread from a storyline that keeps repeating itself annually at Ball Arena came from the Panthers’ phenom freshman. Valdez, who wrestled for the Pomona youth program all growing up and won every youth state championship since he was five, delivered a 5-1 victory that he hopes is the first leg of a four-peat dream.

“I’ve grown up with this team, and Sam has been like (a father figure) to me for a long time,” Valdez said. “It means the world to be able to put my two cents into the pot.”

Valdez’s feat is all the more impressive considering the 15-year-old came back shortly before the season from open heart surgery.

He had the operation in the summer to address a heart abnormality, as his right coronary artery didn’t pump blood to his body as fast as it should have. The result was episodes of fatigue and fainting throughout middle school until doctors finally told him he needed surgery to fix his heart or he’d have to quit wrestling.

That was a quick decision for Big Black’s newest star.

“I chose to give wrestling my life because that’s what it deserves,” Valdez said. “Wrestling is life. It was an easy decision, especially for a chance to be a part of this program.”