Alex Abreu’s main goal for the season was not to be in the
hallways of the Pepsi Center crying like last year’s state
wrestling meet.
Instead, the Rock Canyon High School senior pushed himself to be
in the wrestling room more, the weight room more and spar with
collegiate-level grapplers over the past 11 months in hopes of
outdoing himself at the Class 4A state wrestling championships.
Abreu’s work lead him to fourth place at state in the 103-pound
class Feb. 21 at the Pepsi Center in Denver.
Last season, Abreu qualified for state as a junior but went home
after a 0-2 showing. Upset with his performance, the senior said he
trailed back into the under-halls of the Pepsi Center, sat down and
cried. His coach, seeing the then-junior in that condition, told
Abreu, “Don’t be sitting in the hall like this next year.”
From that point forward, Abreu has had one thing on his mind –
state.
However, having been to state before helped the senior revisit
the humbling atmosphere of the 4A mats.
“This time, I just came to wrestle,” Abreu said after qualifying
for the third place bout. “The glitz was gone this time, and that
was a good thing.”
The Jaguar’s state show began with a 6-0 decision in Round 1 and
an 8-3 decision in the quarterfinals against Mike Ashton of
Frederick. Abreu was later sent into the consolation bracket on a
6-3 loss to top seeded Pueblo Central undefeated sophomore Alex
Baca in the semis.
He made the third place bout after beating Castle View junior
Todd Bushman by a 7-0 decision and finished his final visit to the
state mats with a loss to Anthony Deleon of Fort Lupton to take
fourth.
Abreu said the competition was exactly what you would expect at
the state level.
“No one allowed me to walk through them,” he said. “I don’t
regret any of my matches. I left everything on the mat. I know with
every match, I can look at myself in the mirror and know I gave
everything I had.”
He was even pleased with his championship semifinals loss by
only three points.
“There wasn’t anything I could have done better,” Abreu said. “I
went after it.”
Senior Jake Eggett also qualified for state from the Rock Canyon
squad. Eggett was pinned in the first round but picked up a 7-1
decision over Silver Creek junior Ben Bechard. The Jags senior was
sent home in the next round of consolations when Jacob Arrellano, a
junior from Niwot, pinned him at 2:22 minutes.
