While battling in the quarterfinals of the CHSAA state tournament on Friday, James Horton’s corner included his two coaches plus a couple of interpreters, who moved around the mat and signed the coaches’ instructions to him throughout the match.
That was the only indication of the hearing hurdles that Horton, who has been deaf his whole life, overcame to make it to Ball Arena this year. Besides his interpreters, the Littleton junior 190-pounder was just another wrestler chasing his dreams as he refuses to let his deafness define him.
Horton won the Class 4A Region 2 tournament en route to his first appearance at state this weekend. He lost in the quarterfinals on Friday, but isn’t giving up on eventually becoming a state champion as a senior.
If he achieves that goal, he’d be the 14th deaf wrestler to do so and first since 1993, according to CHSAA wrestling historian Bob Smith. Previously, 13 wrestlers from the Colorado School for the Deaf and Blind won a title, but none of them did it in a classification above 2A.
“From my freshman year, I’ve worked really hard, developed my mental game, and not only my strength — how to use my mind, how to plan out my moves and my technique,” Horton said through an interpreter. “It feels so inspiring to be here. I was ready and I’m so thankful for all the things I’ve picked up, and I was able to bring them into matches at state.”
Horton, who also plays tight end and defensive end for the Lions’ football team, made it to Ball Arena after falling just short of qualifying at regionals the past two years. He is now 46-8 heading into the consolation bracket, and credits his coaches and family for helping push him on the mat despite being in the sport for only three years.
“I’ve worked really hard and persevered through everything to be successful,” Horton said. “My family has always supported me, and they’ve helped me think about my dreams. And since I’ve gotten involved with sports, those opportunities have really helped me grow.”
Littleton head coach Ronnie Kois said Horton focused on improving his technique throughout the winter, which enabled him get to the state tournament and then win his first-round match over Pueblo West’s Josh McGonigal by third-period pin on Thursday.
After that win, Palmer’s Noah Austin got the best of Horton in the quarterfinals in an 11-5 decision, a match that was tied through the first two periods.
Horton’s ultimate desire, besides finding his way to the top of the podium as a senior, is to wrestle in college.
“The sky is the limit for (Horton),” Kois said. “James has never brought (his deafness) up as if it’s a disability for him, and we treat him the same as anybody else on the team. He’s embraced that he’s a part of our team. And he works just as hard as everybody else.”
Leister Bowling IV rolling: The Mead junior put up a 16-4 major decision over Roosevelt freshman Michael Garcia in the quarterfinals of the Class 4A 175-pound bracket, and then pinned previously undefeated Loveland senior Walker Hayman in the semifinals in 1:55. The Iowa commit, who took fifth as a freshman at 152 and second last year at 157, is the son of Leister Bowling III, a notable local MMA and wrestling coach for Elevation Fight Team.
Bowling IV is a third-generation high school All-American wrestler, matching his grandpa and dad’s feat with his podium finish at the U.S. Greco-Roman National Championships in 2022. His grandfather also coached his dad at Lyons, where Bowling III was a three-time state champion.
“My dad pushes me to be the best wrestler I can be, and it’s great having him (in my ear) and having all those connections to help me succeed,” Bowling IV said. “I want to be a (MMA) fighter after college and my wrestling career is over, so that dream is definitely out there, for sure.
“Last year’s runner-up finish, just motivated me to work hard all summer, and remember that I never want to feel that way again. I’m not going to feel that way, because I’m going to keep dominating this season and carry it on to the freestyle and Greco seasons.”
Cherokee Trail’s brothers: The Cougars had two pairs of brothers in the Class 5A quarterfinals on Friday, but only one will wrestle for gold on Saturday night.
Freshman 106-pounder Cooper Mathews and junior 138-pounder Chance Mathews both advanced to the semifinals. Senior 126-pounder Jay Everhart did too, while his brother, sophomore Ryan Everhart, lost to a defending champion in the 144-pound quarterfinals, Ponderosa’s Jacob Myers. In the semifinals, Cooper Mathews scored a 10-1 major decision over Pomona’s Logan Dello, but Chance Mathews lost a 7-3 decision to Ponderosa sophomore Thomas J. Verrette, and Everhart was pinned by Ponderosa sophomore Michael Lopez Jr. in 3:26.
Team leaders after Day 2: Pomona leads the Class 5A field with 194 points, with Ponderosa in second place with 179 points. The Pomona girls are also in first place as they seek their first state title, leading second-place Grand Junction Central by 26 points. In Class 4A, Mead (145.5 points) leads Pueblo East (93.5), while the Class 3A race is close between Mullen (112.5), Eaton (90), Resurrection Christian (89) and Brush (86.5), and Meeker (113) and Wray (107) are locked in a battle for the Class 2A championship.
