Volcano Vista dominates field, claims another title at Joe Vivian Classic

Volcano Vista’s talent, experience and depth cleared a path for another major team wrestling title as the Hawks won the Joe Vivian Classic crown on Saturday afternoon.

The Hawks, who next month will pursue their fourth straight Class 5A boys title, put on an impressive, collective display in the Vivian this weekend at Atrisco Heritage.

Volcano Vista had four individual champions and had multiple other finalists as it stockpiled 331½ points and fairly routed the field.

The Hawks’ front-line stars all won their brackets.

Junior Elijah Gawronski (24-2) cruised to the 215-pound title, and seniors Lorenzo Gallegos (138) and Jonathon Romero (144) also finished first.

Gallegos (19-2) had an 8-3 decision in the final over Atrisco’s Diego Garcia. Romero, the top seed at his weight just as Gallegos was at his, had multiple pins as he improved to 26-3 this season.

Junior Ben Duran (31-5) was a 3 seed at 150 pounds, but registered four pins for the Hawks during his triumph.

Third-place La Cueva produced two champions.

Junior Zack Valdez (15-1) won by major decision in his final at 120 pounds; at 126 pound, Bears junior Adam Killebrew, who has only 10 matches under his belt this season, was one of the more unexpected Vivian champions as he was a 4 seed. He edged Volcano Vista’s Hunter Finegan 8-6 to close the tournament and beat both of the top two seeds during the two days.

Eldorado wasn’t a factor in the team standings, but the Eagles opened the finals with two victories.

Junior Xavier Castillo, the 2 seed, pinned his way through the 106-pound bracket, including an 82-second championship match where he beat La Cueva’s top-seeded Alex Norby.

“I’m really happy with the way I performed over the two days,” Castillo said. “I’ve been working hard and it’s nice to see it pay off. … The improvements I’m making, it is heading me in the right direction.”

Castillo’s teammate, Jacob Andrada-Munoz, took the 113-pound final, as the top-seeded senior (25-3) decisioned Lane Owen of Volcano Vista 10-7 in the final.

Belen sophomore Ryder Williamson (28-2) closed the tournament with a second-period pin in the heavyweight final.

Cibola junior Diego Torrez at 132 pounds was involved in the most dramatic victory in any bracket Saturday. His reversal with less than 10 seconds to go was the difference in a 2-1 decision over 2 seed Gabriel Serros of Volcano Vista.

“The kid had legs in on me. He’s a good kid, long legs, long build,” Torrez said after his second Vivian title. “I’m like, ‘I gotta go here soon.’ With all my power … I tried to go over (and get the reversal).”

Valdez from La Cueva (lower weights), Duran from Volcano (middle weights) and Gawronski (upper weights) were voted most outstanding wrestlers.

Rocky Mountain High from Colorado (227) was second to Volcano Vista, followed by La Cueva (204), Atrisco Heritage (199) and Los Lunas (193).

Atrisco Heritage’s girls won the Vivian title on its home floor, scoring 201 ½ points. Las Cruces was seven points behind, and West Mesa (180) placed third.

There were individual champions from all over the metro area, a list headed by Sandia senior Jaden Meadows (21-0) who only had to wrestle three times, all pins, to win at 170 pounds.

Sophia Rimbert of Volcano Vista (13-2) pinned West Mesa’s Olivia Brody with just seven seconds left in the match to claim the 130-pound title. Rimbert is a past state champion at Atrisco Heritage but transferred after last season.

“I just had to keep my cool,” Rimbert, a junior, said. “I can’t let people get into my head. I don’t really care and I don’t let it get to me.”

Asked why she left Atrisco for Volcano, Rimbert didn’t say much. “Complications,” was all she said, declining further comment.

McKennah Gomez, the 3 seed from Valley at 100 pounds, opened the finals with a victory, and had three, first-period pins in the tournament.

Olyvia Sanchez of Belen, a junior who improved to 24-2, was never threatened in her run toward the 115-pound title. Onaleigh Leiro (26-4) from Eldorado was competing unattached at the Vivian, and she took first at 120 pounds.

Sandia had a second winner in Neviah Varela-Marquez (20-1) as the junior recorded four pins this weekend. West Mesa sophomore Diana Gutierrez (23-2) took the 155-pound bracket with a first-period pin.

Haidyn Garley, a junior from Los Lunas (24-5) was first at 190 pounds.

Gomez from Valley (lower weights), Varela-Marquez from Sandia (middle) and Meadows (upper) were the tournament's most outstanding wrestlers.

NEXT: The newly expanded Albuquerque Metro Championships are the next major local meet on the metro docket, Jan. 30-31 at La Cueva. 

The tournament has been expanded to include some schools – like Las Cruces, for example – that never have appeared at metros before. Cleveland and Rio Rancho will also be in the strong, expanded field.