Cleveland boys, Volcano Vista girls earn metro wrestling titles

Volcano Vista’s girls, in a tiebreaker, and Cleveland’s boys won titles on Saturday afternoon at the Albuquerque Metro Wrestling Championships at La Cueva.

The Storm outdistanced district rival Volcano Vista 222 1/2-195, while the Volcano girls and Las Cruces finished in a deadlock with 169½ points.

Tournament officials said the Hawks were determined to be the metro champions because they had more wins by scoring wrestlers (39) than did the Bulldawgs (33).

Cleveland had three individual champions in eighth-grader Xzavier Gomez (34-6), the 3 seed who won the opening match of the finals with a pin of top-seeded Rio Rancho freshman Jaxon Moralez at 106 pounds (and Gomez won all four of his matches by pin); senior Roman Luttrell at 120, where the four-time state champion – who recently won his 200th career match – improved to 42-0 this season with a technical fall of La Cueva’s Zack Valdez; and heavyweight Riley Haussler who recorded three first-round pins and a technical fall.

“We wrestled really well,” Cleveland coach Evan Copeland said. “We’ve got to improve these next two weeks and make sure we’re healthy and we’re continuing to get better. We’re not satisfied with where we’re at.”

Metros represents the last major competition of the regular season. The state tournament comes up in three weeks, Feb. 20-21 in Rio Rancho.

Volcano Vista’s boys have won multiple major events this calendar year, including the Conflict at Cleveland and the Joe Vivian. The Hawks fell short to their 1-5A rival this weekend.

But they did produce champions nevertheless in senior Jonathon Romero (who won by forfeit over a Storm wrestler in the final at 144 pounds) and 215-pounder Elijah Gawronski, who took first as the second seed with a hard-fought 14-10 decision over Manzano’s fourth-seeded Vincent Varela.

Senior Lorenzo Gallegos, one of Volcano Vista’s mainstays, lost at 150 pounds Saturday to Moriarty senior Caleb Gustafson (23-1). However, Gallegos was wrestling up two weights from his normal 138 for this event.

Cleveland actually forfeited two championship matches Saturday. Copeland said Reagan Luttrell at 165 pounds was under the weather.

One of the most anticipated finals didn’t let down, with the 157-pound battle between two state champions, St. Pius senior Valentin Popadiuc and Las Cruces sophomore Kolby Gonzales.

The two were tied 1-1 through six minutes, but Popadiuc (41-0), the No. 1 seed, registered a quick takedown 10 seconds into overtime to win the match against the second-seeded Gonzales (31-2).

“My opponent was really good, he wrestled really smart,” Popadiuc said. “I would say that the constant grind of it, being patient most of all is the key factor. I was just waiting for my moment and I took it.”

Junior Diego Torrez of Cibola became a three-time metro champion with his triumph. At 132 pounds, Torrez (35-1) won by major decision, 13-2 against Los Lunas’ Noah Chavez, and also had three technical falls this weekend. Another junior, Diego Garcia (31-4) of Atrisco Heritage, was the winner at 138.

Eldorado produced two metro champions in top-seeded senior Jacob Andrada-Munoz, who dominated the bracket at 106, and then later sophomore Martin Lovato at 175.

Rio Rancho was third in the team standings with 147 points. The Rams had metro champions with senior Josiah Neri (31-4), the No. 1 seed at 126 pounds, and junior Jacari Smith, who won all his matches by pin this weekend at 190 pounds where he was the top seed.

For the girls, co-champ Volcano Vista celebrated two individual champions in 100-pound sophomore Esperanza Gallegos, who had four pins as the top seed, and junior Sophia Rimbert (17-2) who was top-seeded at 130 pounds.

Senior Jaden Meadows of Sandia (29-0) continued her unbeaten season, and she was only on the mat for a combined 92 seconds with three pins at 170 pounds.

“It’s been a great season,” Meadows said. “I feel like my form is pretty, and I’m good where I’m at.”

All three of the Matadors who were top-seeded won their brackets, with junior Neviah Varela-Marquez (26-1), the top seed at 145, and Kassandra Arundale-Walton (20-1), a sophomore who had three first-period wins as she claimed first at 190 pounds, joining Meadows as metro champions.

Aside from Meadows, metros did not feature the other prominent girls wrestler, Eloise Woolsey of Cleveland, who had the week off. This metro tournament was also unique because it was the first to have a truly expanded field that included the likes of Las Cruces, Moriarty, Valencia, Los Lunas and Bernalillo.

Legacy Academy didn’t bring a full team, in fact just one wrestler, but the Silverbacks made some metro history Saturday, as senior Mya Gonzales became the first athlete from her school to win an individual metro title. She was the 125-pound champion, taking the title by forfeit.

“Means a lot to me,” she said. “I was pretty nervous.”

The younger Popadiuc who wrestles in Albuquerque, Vivienne, a freshman at Albuquerque Academy, made it a sweep for the family with her first-period pin of Emberlyn Atma of Las Cruces in the 110-pound final. She is 24-0 this season and won all her metro matches by pin.

“I’m really proud of her,” Valentin said. “It makes me happy to see my sibling succeeding in the sport.”

Albuquerque High’s Jiselle Bustillos, a 3 seed, had four pins to win at 120 pounds. Also from AHS, junior Jessia Armendariz (23-2) was first at 135 pounds.

Atrisco Heritage (160) was in third place, led by freshman Leah Duran, the top seed and champion at 105 pounds. For La Cueva, freshman Aneira Yaney was one of the most unlikely champions, as she won the 115-pound bracket from outside the top four seeds.

Diana Gutierrez (26-3), a West Mesa sophomore, was the metro champ at 155 pounds. At heavyweight, there were only three girls, and Highland’s Faith Bryant won a round-robin.

Girls regionals are next weekend, boys regionals the week after that.

James Yodice covers prep sports for the Journal. You can reach him at jyodice@abqjournal.com or via X at @JamesDYodice.