Remington Zimmerer has been coached by her father, Zach, since she started wrestling and all the way through her sophomore year at Regis Jesuit.
So it was appropriate that he was seated in her corner Feb. 15 at Ball Arena when she made personal and Regis Jesuit girls program history in one fell swoop.
Zimmerer emerged from a clash with Widefield’s Amaya Hinojosa with a 6-4 victory in the Class 5A 120-pound state championship match and she leaped into her father’s arms seconds after it was over.
“He’s coached me for the last six years, ever since I started wrestling, so it’s really special to have him here in such a big moment like this,” said Zimmerer as her voice cracked with emotion. “His presence just calms me and makes me feel grounded knowing he’s always looking out for my best interests. He knows how I wrestle, so he knows what to watch for during matches. He taught me everything I know.”
Zimmerer admitted that she was extremely nervous for all of her state matches as a freshman — when she finished 3-2 and placed sixth at 105 pounds — but another year of experience, plus her dad’s calming presence, put her in a better frame of mind for state this season.
She came into Ball Arena without a loss in Colorado, as her three defeats all came at the Napa Valley Girls Classic in January in California.
Zimmerer earned quick pins over Columbine’s Alexis Archuleta and Pine Creek’s Zaira Guerrero in the first two rounds Feb. 13 and handled a challenge from Brighton’s Kiahna Spellman for a 12-8 decision in the Feb. 14 semifinals.
That put her in the finals against Widefield’s Amaya Hinojosa, who picked up three dominant wins and came in with a 40-1 record that also was spotless against Colorado wrestlers as her only loss this season came at the Lady Horns Classic in Texas. Hinojosa also was ranked 18th in the country in rankings issued by USA Wrestling, FloWrestling and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and Museum.
The two hadn’t faced each other before and Zach Zimmerer said his daughter “didn’t seem stressed warming up, which had me a little worried,” but he felt pretty good as soon as she picked up the match’s opening takedown to go up 3-2 after one period.
Hinojosa worked a two-point reversal for a 4-3 lead after two periods and had control in the third until inside of a minute left, when Zimmerer worked her way out of the down position for a three-point takedown for a lead she was able to hold onto.
“It was a little back and forth there, so seeing her get those last points and then be ready to go for more, that’s how she’s been wrestling this year,” Zach Zimmerer said, “You never know how it’s going to be in this tournament. Some kids don’t really wrestle like themselves, but she did, which was awesome.
“It was so much fun watching her come into her own in this tournament.”
When the final whistle blew, Zimmerer was overcome with emotion as she had her arm raised is victory. A short time later, she raced to her corner and embraced her father as tears flowed.
“I’d been training a lot for a match like this, but I really didn’t expect to be in the finals, so this is thrilling and exciting,” Zimmerer said.
In the front row to witness the championship were Zimmerer’s Regis Jesuit teammates, which included three other state qualifiers in junior Hannah Pramita, sophomore Jordyn Walker and freshman Heidi LaTourrette.
Now that the program has its first state champion — as Zimmerer bested the runner-up finishes for 2024 graduate Alexis Segura in 2021 and 2023 — the growth hopefully will continue.
“We brought he most girls we ever had this year and they are all coming back and excited to continue to wrestle freestyle,” Zach Zimmerer said. “We’re getting a core and we have a great group of kids.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
