Pomona, a wrestling Goliath, comes to Fruita Monument’s regional

The place to be this weekend for the nearest state qualifying wrestling tournament is Fruita. Fruita Monument will host the Class 5A, 15-team Region 1, that includes the top-ranked squad by On the Mat. Fans have an opportunity to witness arguably the best ever Colorado prep wrestling program in Pomona.

The Panthers own 11 state titles and have won eight out of the last nine. They were second to Grand Junction by 5½ points in 2018.

Pomona has 55 individual state champions, and recorded the most points scored at a state tournament with 278.5 in 2023.

No other period since the first state tournament in 1936 has such dominance been on display.

Ponderosa won eight in a row between 2003-2010, but have found themselves finishing second to Pomona in five of the past six seasons.

It’s a tall order for other 5A teams to reach Pomona’s standard and disrupt the Panther dynasty.

The Panther’s success goes beyond the team. They have an enviable youth system — Pomona Elite — that is constantly feeding the Pomona powerhouse.

Due to additional monetary support from the booster club and parents, the Panthers travel to some of the country’s most competitive tournaments, like Doc Buchanan and Ironman.

You’ll rarely, if ever, see a Pomona wrestler have an undefeated season because of national competition.

However with success comes a reputation not always respected.

As a result of their dominance, some see the Panthers as villains at the state tournament. It’s not uncommon for Pomona wrestlers to hear boos when they win and cheers after a loss.

So just like the Yankees, Celtics or Patriots, when you’ve won a lot, don’t count on being embraced.

There should be some interesting matchups between sixth-ranked Fruita Monument and top-ranked Pomona.

The Wildcats’ Will Stewart has been ranked No. 2 at 165 pounds for most of the season behind the Panther’s Kalob Ybarra.

Ybarra, a state champion, also happens to be ranked No. 15 — in the nation — by FloWrestling.

They’ve met twice this season with Ybarra winning

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In this file photo from the 2024 state tournament, Fruita Monument’s Gage Chelewski wrestlers Eaglecrest’s Ethan Diaz in the Class 5A 120-pound third-place match. Chelewski is ranked No. 4 at 138 pounds with Pomona’s Angel Serrano is No. 1 in the weight class.

BY ALYSON MCCLARAN/ Special to The Daily Sentinel

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both. Ybarra defeated Stewart in a close decision in early December, and in early January by technical fall.

At 113 pounds, Fruita’s Kel Unrein is ranked No. 3 behind Pomona’s Logan Dellow. They each have won in two close matches this season.

Gage Chelewski is ranked No. 4 at 138 pounds for the Wildcats. Pomona’s Angel Serrano is No. 1 and defeated Chelewski 10-2 in the first week of the season.

All together Pomona has six wrestlers ranked No. 1.

Other top-ranked Panthers include state champions Derek Barrows (144) and Zaidyn Quinonez (120). Maddox Najera (215) and Lincoln Valdez (106) are also No. 1.

It does not appear that Pomona’s dynasty will be ending soon.

All of the aforementioned Panthers are underclassmen.

Only the top four from each region, in 14 weight classes, qualify for the state tournament.

Fruita Monument, who captured their fifth consecutive Southwestern League title last week, have eight wrestlers ranked within the top four spots of their regional.

In 2022 the Wildcats qualified 11 and hope to reach that mark again.

Central travels to Parker where Ponderosa will host the Region 2 tournament. Grand Junction will be at Denver North in Region 4. Palisade is in Class 4A’s Region 4, hosted by Windsor.

District 51’s consolidated girls team is ranked No. 1 in Class 5A by InsideCo Wrestling and will be at Coronado in Colorado Springs for the Region 1 tournament.

Beginning Friday afternoon, all wrestlers have a clean slate. The phrase “win or go home” will be the rallying cry.

The state tournament begins next Thursday at Ball Arena in Denver.