DENVER — History was made Saturday night at Pepsi Center.
The prestigious group of Colorado high school wrestlers to win four-straight individual state championships grew. Four more joined at the 2020 tournament -- the most in a single year -- to make it 28 all-time to accomplish the impressive feat.
Three of them came from Class 4A, and two of those from Windsor -- the first time two wrestlers from the same school four-peated in the same year.
Dominick Serrano won the 132-pound title, capping off an undefeated career. He is just the second wrestler in Colorado history to never lose a high school match.
"It's unreal. Never in a million years would have I thought I'd be the one to do that," Serrano said. "It just showed the dedication, the hard work. I'm so grateful."
Windsor hadn't boasted any four-peat champions throughout school history until now. Serrano's teammate Isaiah Salazar joined him in the elusive club later in the night after he won the 182-pound title for his fourth championship.
"I've known that kid (Serrano) forever. It's really awesome for him. I couldn't be more happy for him," Salazar said. "It's the best feeling out there."
The Wizards had five individual champions, which powered them to the team title with 190 points, 40.5 ahead of runner-up Pueblo East. It is Windsor's fourth title in program history.
Andy Garcia of Pueblo East was the other to four-peat in 4A. The Eagles' heavyweight won all four of his career titles at the 285-pound weight class.
He also noted that he had a pretty good relationship with Serrano and Salazar, making the night they all made history that much sweeter.
"For us to go through this journey, just kind of see it from far away and every time I see them, I ask them how they're doing. They're great guys, great wrestlers," Garcia said.
"To see them get the fruits of their labor, and get mine the same year, it's one heck of a way to go out."
Wesley Van Matre of John Mall also got his fourth title, winning the 2A 145-pound championship.
"It means everything to me," Van Matre said. "Coming from a small town, everyone's behind you, and that's pretty special to me."
TEAM CHAMPIONS
Perhaps the most dominant performance this weekend was put on by Pomona.
The Panthers won the 5A team title by racking up 198.5 total points, clearing the next closest team by 88 points. It is Pomona's seventh team title in program history and fourth in the past five years.
"It always feels great to be helping the team win a state title," said Gage Bernall, who won his first individual title at 5A 160 pounds. "It's great to say I was part of the reason why our team won state."
Wray continues to possess the most team championship titles out of any school in Colorado.
The Eagles added their 14th program title Saturday for their third in a row (2A), breaking a 30-year drought in dominant fashion.
In rare fashion, there was a tie for the 3A team title. Both Eaton and Valley scored 105.5 total points, splitting the title as co-champions.
It is the fifth for Valley, which most recently four-peated from 2014-17, while Eaton had never won a team championship before Saturday.
UNDEFEATED SEASONS
Seven wrestlers capped off undefeated seasons with state championships.
In 2A, Adam Schiluz of Crowley County went 42-0 at 170. In 3A, Roberto Estrada of Weld Central went 48-0 at 106 and Jaziah Whaley of Valley went 41-0 at 160.
In 4A, Windsor's Dominick Serrano went 43-0 at 132, and Isaiah Salazar went 37-0 at 182. In 5A, Tyson Beauperthuy of Doherty went 40-0 at 170 and Sam Hart of Cherokee Trail went 38-0 at 220.
"I'm just amazed. This has been a blessing," Hart said. "My teammates and I all worked our butts off and coming into this tournament we didn't have any state champions, and coming out with two and another finalist is just unbelievable."
DAY 2 (FRIDAY)
Championship Saturday is set.
After a thrilling Friday night at Pepsi Center, the state final matches for each weight class for 2A-5A wrestlers have been determined.
The only undefeated wrestler (among eight) to lose on Friday was Jake Hamilton of Colorado Springs Christian. The other seven listed below will wrestle for a title on Saturday night.
One of the undefeated survivors was Valley's Jaziah Whaley after he escaped with a 4-3 win over Eaton's Cael Jordan.
"That's what we preach in the room. Everything we do, how hard we go, it's for this tournament," Whaley said. "It's to get here and get to this moment, we live for these moments."
One of the best stories of the tournament is Windsor's Dominick Serrano, looking to cap an unbeaten high school career on Saturday. He won his semifinal match over Anthony Flores of Pueblo East by fall.
His teammate Isaiah Salazar also advanced to the finals with a win by tech fall over Cheyenne Mountain's Billy Maddox.
For full semifinal results, click here.
RACE FOR TEAM TITLES
Front-runners for each classification have emerged as favorites to win their respective team titles after Friday's semifinals.
Wray leads Rocky Ford in the Class 2A race by 29.5 points. Jefferson's margin in 3A in the smallest, leading Eaton by just 9.5 points.
Windsor and Pomona both made big moves on Friday.
The Wizards have a 33.5-point cushion in 4A over defending champs Pueblo East, while the Panthers are in the 5A driver's seat with a 52.5-point lead over Cherokee Trail.
"It's really nice being able to win and put extra points onto the scoreboard for my team," said Pomona sophomore Daniel Cardenas, who will wrestle for the 5A, 138-pound championship Saturday.
WATCH | 4A/5A HIGHLIGHTS, DAY 2 (BELOW)
WATCH | 2A/3A HIGHLIGHTS, DAY 2 (BELOW)
SEEKING THE ELUSIVE FOUR-PEAT
Class 4A boasts three out of the four wrestlers trying to join the club of four-time state champions. Only 24 wrestlers in Colorado history have accomplished the feat. Last year, three out of four joined the club -- the most in a single year.
Of those three, two are from Windsor, which could set up the first time two from the same school join the club.
Dominick Serrano (132) is looking to become just the second wrestler in state history to complete an undefeated high school career. He won his prelim match against Jadon Lara of Cheyenne Mountain by pin in 2:30.
His teammate, Isaiah Salazar (182) remains undefeated on the season (34-0) after pinning CJ Anderson of Mesa Ridge in 3:24.
Andy Garcia, the heavyweight from Pueblo East, is seeking the four-peat after defeating Samuel Mondragon of Wheat Ridge by pin in 124.
In 2A, John Mall's Wesley Van Matre (145) completes the list of wrestlers seeking four-peats.
"I'm just excited. I couldn't wait to get out on the mat. This is what it's all about," Van Matre said. "I don't think about (the pressure). I just work hard and control what I can control, and everything else will work itself out."
STILL UNDEFEATED
Windsor's dynamic duo of Serrano and Salazar account for two of seven wrestlers undefeated on the season.
The other six include: Adam Schuiluz of Crowley County (2A 170), Roberto Estrada of Weld Central (3A 106), Jaziah Whaley of Valley (3A 160), Tyson Beauperthuy of Doherty (5A 170), and Sam Hart of Cherokee Trail (5A 220).
There weren't any big surprises after the first day of the wrestling state championships.
The three-day tournament kicked off Thursday at Pepsi Center with preliminary matches and didn't experience any big upsets. After Day 1, there are still four wrestlers seeking four-peat championships and eight are still undefeated after bringing perfect records to Denver.
Out of the 896 wrestlers who qualified for the state tournament, those advanced past their opening-round matches are now three wins away from championship titles.
DAY 1 (THURSDAY)
There weren't any big surprises after the first day of the wrestling state championships.
The three-day tournament kicked off Thursday at Pepsi Center with preliminary matches and didn't experience any big upsets. After Day 1, there are still four wrestlers seeking four-peat championships and eight are still undefeated after bringing perfect records to Denver.
Out of the 896 wrestlers who qualified for the state tournament, those advanced past their opening-round matches are now three wins away from championship titles.
WATCH | 4A/5A HIGHLIGHTS, DAY 1 (BELOW)
WATCH | 2A/3A HIGHLIGHTS, DAY 1 (BELOW)
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