Devin Atencio will be looking for revenge from last year.
The former state wrestling champion competed with Española Valley High School for the first time since last year, following a long journey after time away from the sport. He made it all the way back to the state final, but lost there and settled for a second-place finish.
Atencio was one of nine Sundevil wrestlers to qualify for the May 22 state tournament out of the 10 that competed at districts by finishing first or second at the district level. They will compete Thursday (5/27) in Rio Rancho for a chance at state titles.
“Ultimately, our goal is to place at state,” said Española coach Aaron Salinas. “I can see four or five of them placing in the top six in their respective weight classes.”
Salinas said they need to show confidence, especially with a lot of young wrestlers, but that they could accomplish much and place at state.
Atencio, the former state champion and last year’s runner-up, won the district title at 106 pounds over Moriarty’s Bruno Vaquera. The senior, undefeated this season but potentially unchallenged with many forfeits at his weight class, will look to get back to the top. He faces challenges along the way, with a potential rematch in the final against Aztec freshman Bryson Valdez, who beat Atencio in last year’s state final, and will have a tough road to get that far.
“He’s got to be very aggressive,” Salinas said. “He can’t lay down, he can’t make any mistakes. He’s got to catch his opponent on their mistakes. He’s got two really tough kids in front of him. He’s got to come out 100 percent and wrestle all his power, all his technique, and all his heart.”
Freshman Cruz Sandoval also took the district title at 126 pounds, with a decision over Moriarty’s David Vaquera. He will compete at state and have a chance to wrestle with the best in New Mexico.
Seven other Sundevils finished second in the tournament, still qualifying for state.
Salinas said it was hard for the wrestlers to find a rhythm during the day when only wrestling in one or two matches. He said he expects them to be more prepared and ready for competition this week, though it is still a challenge with a limited amount of time to prepare for states.
Sophomore Landon Atencio at 113 pounds won the semifinal but faced a tough competitor in the final and fell.
Aaron Altamirano finished second at 195 pounds, and the senior will look to improve after being one match away from placing at states last year. Salinas said that Altamirano, Landon Atencio and Sandoval could make it as far as the state final if they wrestle well.
Freshmen Noah Maez at 152 pounds and Eduardo Martinez at 220 pounds both made the finals and finished in second place to qualify for districts.
Junior heavyweight Adrian Padilla lost a hard-fought 2-0 decision in the final.
“And if anybody has a good tournament, you never know,” said Salinas. “If our kids are at that point and they want it, it’s more mental than it is physical.”
Also qualifying for state were Kevin Coffeen at 138 pounds and sophomore Kyle Coffeen at 145 pounds.
Salinas said they had to focus this year more on conditioning, and could not focus as much on practicing technique. For next year, he encourages wrestlers to compete in either football or cross country in the fall so they can be well conditioned and focus on “technique, technique, technique and wrestling.”
“We have a very, very young team,” said Salinas. “And we have a lot to improve on. But we have plenty of time from here, throughout the following years, to get these guys to the place they need to be. Which is the podium at the state tournament.”
Four wrestlers from Pojoaque competed as well, Ubaldo Garcia, Javin Lujan, Sergio Mesa and Diego Wheeler. All four finished third in the district tournament.