Ignacio Villasenor popped up, looked to the Pomona cheering section above Mat 5 and flexed.
One more dominating performance in the books to cap a sterling debut season for the Panthers.
This one for a state title.
Under the bright Ball Arena lights Saturday night, the freshman 113-pounder stated his case as perhaps the next big thing in Colorado boys high school wrestling with a dazzling array of speed, timing and strength.
By the time he’d rolled to a 15-2 state title-winning major decision over Eaglecrest’s Adonis Cantu, little doubt remained about either Villasenor’s lofty perch or his school’s, which locked up a sixth straight Class 5A team title.
“He’s pretty special,” Pomona coach Sam Federico told The Post of Villasenor (50-1) after his freshman knocked off an accomplished senior in the title match. “A lot of people don’t know, but in the semis he beat a two-time state champ from Oregon that transferred here to Pine Creek (Everest Sutton) and beat him 9-0.
“He’s that good.”
So, too, are the Panthers.
They secured an eighth team title in the past nine years by qualifying 14 wrestlers for state and placing 12 of them despite Villasenor eventually standing as the only Pomona champion. Sophomores Zaidyn Quinonez (120), Emmitt Munson (157), Emmerson Claeys (175) and Kalob Ybarra (190) and senior Geno Cardenas (126) all finished second.
Even still, the Panthers racked up 250 points and cruised over Ponderosa (215.5) and the rest despite the relative youth on the mat.
In Federico’s mind, runner-up finishers like Quinonez and Cardenas exemplified what made his team so tough this season.
“(Quinonez) had ACL surgery eight months ago,” Federico said of the returning champ. “That’s a real quick comeback and he wasn’t as fit as he needed to be to be in an environment like this, but we got him as fit as we could in the short amount of time that he had. I’m really proud of him to come here and compete and make the state finals. He could have said, ‘You know, I need 12 months recovery’ and that’s what they say you need.
“Instead at eight months he’s out here competing.”
Cardenas got pinned by Ponderosa’s Michael Lopez, Jr. in 1 minute, 57 seconds. A senior on an otherwise young team, he missed last year’s postseason due to torn ligaments in his hand but staged a comeback that came up just short this spring.
He said from the start of the season that he believed he’d bounce back.
“I knew I was going to make it to the finals and I wanted it in my whole soul to win,” he told The Post. “But just being here is so fun. So fun.
“I’m proud of the way I went out, honestly. I’m honored to come here and be in the state finals and I would have never thought. Last year I was injured and I had no clue what the future held. Being here and being on this stage, I’m so proud of myself.”
Federico assures his team would not have made it to this point without him.
“He and Dante Hutchings are both leaders of this team and both seniors and neither one of them won a state title tonight, so it’s bittersweet when your team seals it up and you win. Those guys have won every year in high school and you really want those guys to win a state title. It’s not the end of the world.
“They’ll go on to do great things and they’re great young people and that’s important.”
Cardenas, not surprisingly, is a big fan of Villasenor, who can take the torch for this program well into the future.
“Ignacio, he has to be one of my favorite wrestlers on the team,” Cardenas said. “He works so hard and he has fun with it no matter what. Even if he’s down some day and his girlfriend just broke up with him or something, he’s probably the happiest guy on the mat.”
One of the most fearsome, too.
“He’s going to be a great one,” Cardenas said.
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