Caleb Gustafson Strikes Gold at Sandia Meet

The Moriarty High School wrestling team galloped into action this past weekend, delivering a strong performance highlighted by a championship run, two runner-up finishes, and a display of determination through the consolation brackets at the Sandia Invite on Saturday.

(Other than the final results, the East Mountain News was unable to obtain results from the girls matches. Kristina Means 2^nd, McKayla Miller 3^rd, Lilly Shoemate-Means 2^nd, Sydney Kelley 2nd, Karli Fulfer 3^rd)

Leading the charge for the Pintos was Caleb Gustafson, who put on a clinic at 157 pounds. Gustafson was virtually untouchable throughout the tournament. He opened his bracket with back-to-back pins in the quarterfinals against Volcano Vista’s Max Hsu and the semifinals against Atrisco Heritage’s Ryan Brown.

In the championship bout, Gustafson didn’t let off the gas, securing a 16-1 Technical Fall over Joaquin Gutierrez of Clovis to stand atop the podium as the tournament champion.

Silver for Gabriel Gustafson and Romero

The Pintos nearly had a trio of champions, with two other wrestlers battling their way to the finals.

At 113 pounds, Gabriel Gustafson pinned his way to the championship match. He made short work of Atrisco Heritage’s Manu Villanueva in the quarterfinals and Volcano Vista’s Adam Armijo in the semis. In the finals, he battled West Mesa’s Max Romero to the final whistle, ultimately falling in a hard-fought 8-4 decision to take 2nd place.

Marques Romero was equally impressive at 165 pounds. Romero pinned Ezra Wagner of Sandia and Erick Lujan of Clovis to punch his ticket to the finals. The first-place match against Atrisco Heritage’s Ethan Trujillo was a defensive war, with Romero falling just short in a heart-breaking 1-0 decision to claim the silver medal.

Grinding Through the Consolation Bracket

Lucas Rodelas Lozoya (138 lbs) showed the team’s resilience. After an early loss in the quarterfinals, Lozoya battled back through the consolation bracket. He racked up two pins against opponents from Del Norte and Cibola to reach the third-place match. He ultimately finished 4th after a loss to West Mesa’s Mason Padilla.

Notable Performances

The Pintos saw several other wrestlers pick up victories and contribute to the team effort:

• 120 lbs: Ethan McClaskey bounced back from a quarterfinal loss to pin Wesley Ateitty of Kirtland Central in the consolation round.
• 144 lbs: Sonny Apodaca secured a fall against Valley’s Jathen Priddy in the consolation bracket.
• 157 lbs: Victor Dominguez started his day strong with a pin over Valley’s Joshua Saiz in the quarterfinals before falling into the consolation bracket.
• 175 lbs: Angelo Montoya was a pinning machine in the back side of the bracket, flattening opponents from Del Norte and Sandia before being stopped in the consolation semis.
• 215 lbs: Mishen Jaramillo opened his tournament with a pin over Sandia’s Riley Roof.

Other Pintos competing included Domicio Brito (120), Gavin Everett (132), Frank Bullard (132), Fabian Silva (165), and Izrael Ramirez (215), all of whom gained valuable mat time against stiff competition from 5A schools including Albuquerque High, La Cueva, and Sandia.