His legacy blossoming by the year, Jacob Greenwood understood his rivals were collected like storm clouds. As a two-time Colorado state wrestling champion, the junior from Poudre High could see them coming for his crown.
“I was waiting for it,” the 17-year-old said. “I knew there would be something crazy coming at me. I was ready.”
Crazy came late in the third period Saturday. Greenwood sat on a sizable lead over Coronado sophomore KJ Kearns in the 138-pound final and Kearns grew desperate. He leaped like an electrified spider right at, and over, Greenwood’s head. Greenwood calmly watched the threat go by on his way to a third consecutive state title.
Greenwood (31-3), who capped his third state title season with a 16-5 major decision victory, teed up the state’s only potential four-time champion for next season. This year, though, was no breeze.
“I definitely felt the pressure a little bit,” he said.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Poudre’s Jacob Greenwood fends off Coronado’s KJ Kearns in their Class 5A 138-pound title match at the Colorado wrestling championships at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Greenwood had just watched his brother Job, a Poudre sophomore, fall in a tight-fought 126-pound final to Arvada West’s Cody Fatzinger. The Greenwoods are a family affair, a wrestling dynasty through and through, with their own working club. A loss to one hits them all.
Jacob, he said, had ground to make up. “I’m a little emotional,” said Jacob, after hugging Job on his way off the mats. “I had to win it for him. I’m choked up. I said I was proud of him.”
The elder Greenwood’s path to a third title started as an underdog freshman, when he upset his way to a 126-pound championship. Since then, he has been a No. 1 seed throughout. In the first round Thursday, though, he was nearly pinned in the first round by Grandview sophomore Dylan Ranieri.
“I saw my life flash before my eyes,” Greenwood said. “It’s part of the plan. I’m not surprised.”
He survived and advanced. And now one more season remains to cement a legacy.
Fatzinger’s victory for Arvada West spoke to the difficulty of winning even one title. The senior medaled in each of his first three seasons at the state tournament, but without a championship. He finally won the top spot Saturday by edging Job Greenwood, 3-2.
“I worked harder,” said Fatzinger (35-3), yelling a “whoo” in between deep sighs. “I’ve been training 19 years for this one moment. It’s finally here.”
Three wrestlers completed undefeated seasons in impressive fashion. Trent Schultz, a Mountain Vista senior, used overtime to edge Cherokee Trail senior Zeke Silva at 195 pounds. Schultz finished his final season 40-0. And Castle View junior Malik Heinselman improved to 44-0 with a 23-9 major decision over Grand Junction freshman Dawson Collins.
His Castle View teammate, junior Tate Samuelson, interrupted Pomona’s victory parade with a 4-1 victory over Panthers senior Nolan Krone. Samuelson improved 44-0.
But Pomona won a fifth state team championship and second in a row after wrapping the title earlier in the day.
The Panthers added to their dominance with individual titles early in the night from Justin Pacheco, a 3-0 decision over Coronado’s Stephen Dabelko at 113; Colton Yapoujian, a 5-0 victory over Broomfield’s Darren Green at 120; Theorius Robison, a 3-2 decision of Grand Junction’s Dylan Martinez at 132; and Jason Romero, an 11-5 win over Cherokee Trail’s Josh Richardson at 160.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
At 132 pounds Pueblo County's Grant Willits works an escape from Mike McFadden of Cheyenne Mountain as he wins his 3rd state championship at Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Isaiah DeLaCerda, Alamosa, celebrates his victory over opponent A.J. Serna, Grand Valley, to win the 3A 113lb championship match at the 2017 Colorado state high school wrestling championships at Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Malik Heinselman, left, Castle View High School, wrestles Dawson Collins, Grand Junction for the 5A 106lb championship match at the 2017 Colorado state high school wrestling championships at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Poudre's Jacob Greenwood fends off Coronado's KJ Kearns in their Class 5A 138-pound title match at the Colorado wrestling championships at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Cohl Schultz, Ponderosa, left, and Max Gonzales, Cherokee Trail, battle during their 5A 220lb championship match at the 2017 Colorado state high school wrestling championships at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Mike Duran lifts his son Jacob Duran, Ft. Lupton High School, in celebration after Jacob defeated Elijah DeLaCerda, Alamosa to win the 3A 106lb championship match at the 2017 Colorado state high school wrestling championships at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Meeker 132 pound wrestler Garrett Frantz supporting his team at the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Lamar 195 pound wrestler Bart Gruenloe trading his cowboy boots for wrestling shoes at the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Meeker fans celebrate a win for their 106 pound wrestler Jacob Pelloni at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Natasha Velasquez of Mancos cheering for her son Richard Martinez in his 120 pound match at Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center. on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Ashley Benem (center) cheering for Rocky Ford's 138 pound Carlos Romo's win at Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
After a battle on the floor 132 pound Thompson Vally wrestler Zach Kennison works to contain his emotions as he leaves the mat after a loss on the last day of the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Meeker High School cheerleaders blowing away the competition at the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Meeker High School cheerleaders blowing away the competition at the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
10 mats busy during the last day of the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Enriquez Romero of Rocky Ford, won by decision over Caleb Bradford of Meeker 5-0 at the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Greeley Central 170 pound wrestler Andrue Rojas and assistant coach Adam Alirez hug their teammate, 132 pounder Zeke Alirez after winning his third place match by fall at the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
At 106 pounds in 2A, Rocky Ford's Jacob Rodriguez pins Chris McKenna of John Mall at the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
4A wrestler Josh Nira of Greeley Central pressuring Pueblo County's Josiah Nava on his way to winning the title at the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Jonathan Andreatta from John Mall kept the pressure on Cody Jacobsen from Burlington before winning by fall for his third state title at the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Jonathan Andreatta from John Mall jumps into the arms of best friend Zane Barber after winning over Cody Jacobsen from Burlington by fall for his third state title at the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
At 132 pounds Pueblo County's Grant Willits takes Mike McFadden of Cheyenne Mountain to the mat as he wins his third state championship at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
At 132 pounds Pueblo County's Grant Willits gives the three sign for his third state championship after winning against Mike McFadden of Cheyenne Mountain at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Wrestlers line up for the National Anthem during the parade of champions for the 2017 Colorado state high school Wrestling championships at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Pueblo County's Hunter Willits at 152 pounds wins his fourth state title over Longmont's Nathan Morris after his twin brother at 132 pounds Pueblo County's Grant Willits won his third on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Rick Willits is carried by his son Hunter Willits at 152 pounds after he wins his fourth state title at the Colorado high school state wrestling tournament at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Joe Amon, The Denver Post
Three-time state title holder Grant Willits of Pueblo County hugs his twin brother Hunter Willits at 152 pounds after he wins his fourth title on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Jacob Duran, Ft. Lupton High School, left, upends opponent Elijah DeLaCerda, Alamosa during the 3A 106lb championship match at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Cody Fatzinger, Arvada West, celebrates his victory over Job Greenwood, Poudre, to win the 5A 126lb championship match at the 2017 Colorado state high school wrestling championships at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Andy Cross, The Denver Post
Oscar Lopez, Jefferson High School, celebrates with his coaches Oscar Fonseca, left, and James Vogel after defeating Evan Hoff of Grand Valley for the 3A 220lb championship at the Pepsi Center on Feb. 18, 2017 in Denver.
Malik Heinselman cruised to an undefeated record in the Class 5A 106-pound division this season. But he didn’t quite breeze to a title. The Castle View junior found himself in a tight spot Saturday.
Grand Junction freshman Dawson Collins nearly flipped the tide with a near-pin in the second periods. Collins, who reached the final with consecutive shutout decisions after a first pin earlier in the tournament, proved to be a tough task.
“I was shocked,” Heinselman said. “He’s a strong kid.”
Heinselman (44-0) survived and, in the end, cruised to a 23-9 major decision. Late in the third, Collins made a move to pin Heinselman on his back. But Heinselman threw him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes to end in a flourish.
“I had to fight through it,” Heinselman said. He is now a two-time state champ.
Bring the house down
The annual parade of champions that wrangles in the wrestlers vying for titles on the final day of the Colorado state tournament ends in silence. It is a tight ball of anxiety waiting for matches to start.
On Saturday at the Pepsi Center, that silence ended in a rousing display. Kayla Hruby, a 17-year-old singer from Broomfield High, tore through the nervousness with a muscular and moving Star Spangled Banner. By her final notes of “home of the brave,” the crowd burst into applause.
“It’s deafening, almost, that silence,” Hruby said. “But after that, that was the loudest crowd that I’ve heard from after an anthem.”
Hruby started singing anthems at Broomfield as a sophomore. Now she sings before professional boxing events and at the Colorado National Speedway in Dacono. This, though, was her biggest stage. “That was the most awesome anthem I’ve done yet.”
Class 5A championship results
106 pounds — Malik Heinselman, Castle View, Jr. (44-0) major dec. Dawson Collins, Grand Junction, Fr. (42-3), 23-9.
