Pueblo East repeats as state champs in Class 4A, Dalton named wrestler of the year

The Pueblo East Eagles become the third team in Pueblo History to earn back-to-back state titles in wrestling after claiming the 2022-23 CHSAA Class 4A title with a score of 154. Pueblo County finished fourth overall with a score of 104. The highlights of the final day include Weston Dalton of Pueblo East taking home his third state title after claiming victory in the 150-pound division. Additionally, Zion Mares claimed his second straight state title defeating Manuel "Pocky" Amaro of Pueblo East.

The second straight team title for the Eagles matches Pueblo County (2016-17) and Pueblo South (2004-05) for back-to-back team titles and ties Pueblo South (3) with the most team titles in Pueblo wrestling history. In total, Pueblo had four individual state title winners with Mares, Boden White of Pueblo County, Weston Dalton of Pueblo East and Thomas Mayer of Pueblo West.

More:Day 2 of state wrestling tournament sets up an all-Pueblo final, chance to make history

Weston Dalton takes third state title

Dalton has had a historic high school career and has ended it as a three-time state champion. On top of that, Dalton helped his team take home their second straight Class 4A team title in wrestling. He was also named the Class 4A wrestler of the year. Dalton finishes his high school career as the No. 4-ranked wrestler at 150 pounds in the nation as well.

“It feels great, to end my high school career on a high, that was the goal all year,” Dalton said. “It’s kind of sad it's all over. It's kind of hitting me right now, but it feels good to end on top.”

Not only did Dalton’s win today solidify his third state title in four years, it helped the Eagles lock in the team title for the second straight year.

“It’s awesome, the team worked so hard this year, we had so many highs and lows, and injuries, but (coach Pat) Laughlin and the coaches pushed us as hard as we could and we worked hard and deserved it,” Dalton said.

Dalton went on to say that he has learned a lot since his sophomore year when he lost the state title. It's something that has stuck with him ever since and has helped become a better wrestler. The results speak for themselves.

“I'm way happier now, I learned what it was like to lose in the state finals and it makes me appreciate it more and enjoy the moment more,” Dalton said. “I learned that you can push yourself harder every day. What I've been telling myself is just get 1% better every day. You can push back your barriers every day. I just learned that you have to work harder and have confidence in your ability.”

Dalton will continue his wrestling career at the collegiate level with the University of Nebraska.

Zion Mares ends on a high note

Mares finished his high school career as a back-to-back state champion after defeating Amaro in the finals of the 113-pound division. The win also helped the Hornets lock in the fourth spot in team scores.

Mares is happy and proud of the way he finished his wrestling career at County.

“It feels amazing, it was a tough road to get here," Mares said. "I'm just proud of what I was able to accomplish."

Wrestling a friend is always tough, but to do it in the finals is a bit more complicated. The two wrestlers knew each other very well before going into this match and it was evident at the way the match played out.

“It was kind of like old times,” Mares said. “He's a stud. He’s a tough guy, and I have mad respect for him. He’s a great wrestler.”

Mares was still at a loss for words when asked about what it means to finish his career with a state title.

“Honestly, I'm still kind of star-struck over it,” Mares said.

As of now, Mares has yet to decide if he will continue his wrestling career at the college level. For now, he is enjoying the moment and the opportunity to eat.

“I never have to be at 113-pounds again!” Mares said.

Fourth time's a charm for Boden White

White has been in the state tournament for four years now and each year he was there he progressively slipped down in the standings. As a freshman he finished second, as a sophomore third and last year as a junior he finished fifth.

White had other plans this year.

“It’s the perfect ending for me. I said I wanted to finish out on top. That was the main goal, to go win a state title and end my wrestling career there and then carry on with my life,” White said. “I took second my freshman year, third my sophomore, and fifth my junior. You hear the talk from your pals about you choking and I said that’s not happening. I came out here and it was a blast.”

White has decided to call it a career as far as wrestling is concerned but that doesn’t mean he is completely done with the mat. He hopes to continue training with his teammates and helping them finish out their careers the way he did.

“I still got Tony (Macaluso) and I'm still going to go practice with him because he is a junior so I'll still be in there helping them get better,” White said. “They just need to keep pushing through it, that’s kind of what I did.”

White hopes that through his training and his story he can inspire the future generations at County to never give up hope.

“I just hope that everyone that sees my picture up on the wall can remember to keep pushing through it,” White said. “Just because you didn’t win your first year, second year or third year doesn’t mean you can’t pull it off your senior year.”

Thomas Mayer finally earns state title

Mayer is another senior finishing his career as a state champion. He defeated David Lopez of Greeley West by decision to take home his first ever state title. It’s something Mayer has been working on for a long time, and all that hard work has finally paid off.

“I feel so good, it’s the most exciting moment ever for me,” Mayer said.

It was a close match the whole way through. When Mayer finally saw an opportunity to attack, he reacted quickly and earned the necessary points in the last few seconds to get the state title.

Mayer was emotional after the victory and was short on words but simply put he was excited to earn the state title in his senior season. Next up for Mayer is to continue his career at Trinidad State College as a wrestler. He hopes to use this win as a stepping stool at the next level.

“It’s motivation to keep on being great and keep on going,” Mayer said.

Mayer is proud to be able to leave a mark on the history of Pueblo West. He spoke about how the wrestlers before him have laid down the groundwork and he hopes his win will inspire the next generation of wrestlers the way he was inspired when he started.

Pueblo East takes home multiple awards

Aside from winning the state title for Class 4A, Laughlin and Dalton took home coach of the year and wrestler of the year for Class 4A as well. The trifecta of awards is fitting for a team that earned back-to-back state titles and its third overall since 2019.

“This one was really special,” Laughlin said. “This was a nail-biter from the first match until after the 126-pound weight when we knew that Windsor couldn't catch us. But it was really close and very competitive. My hats off to all the other coaches and the other teams here, they gave us all we wanted and we're just fortunate to come away on top.”

The win moves East into a tie with Pueblo South for the most team titles in Pueblo history.

“It means a lot, you know, especially the kids,” Laughlin said. “They work so hard, and my coaching staff put in a lot of hours and a lot of time, and it's just good for the East Side community knowing that we can do it, too.”

The Eagles are losing some seniors this year, but the core group of young talent is still there and as usual, the program is going to reload and prepare for next year.

“The expectations and the tradition that we've established here, the young kids coming up they don't want to be the team that kind of lets everyone down,” Laughlin said. “It's kind of built in them — they know the expectations and what it's going to take, and they know it's a great tradition and they don't want to let it go by the wayside.”

As far as a three-peat is concerned, Laughlin knows there is still room to improve but is hopeful that they can accomplish the task.

"A lot of hard work,” Laughlin said. “Just like last year’s, you know, we just take it day by day and do what we can and try to prepare. That’s what I try to do as a coach, I try to prepare them the best that I can knowing that next year's coming.”

More:Pueblo East dominates Day 1 of title defense; Central girls solidify quarterfinals spot

Christopher Abdelmalek is a sports reporter for the Pueblo Chieftain and can be reached at cabdelmalek@gannett.com or on Twitter @chowebacca

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Dalton and Eagles earn back-to-back state titles and other awards