Amelia Bacon took the mat at Ball Arena Feb. 15 with tears of joy in her eyes.

She had a state championship match against a tough opponent in front of her, but the raw emotion of seeing her twin brother, Ian, crowned a state champion just a few minutes earlier overwhelmed her like no opponent to date has been able to do.

In perhaps the greatest illustration of how wrestling is likely the greatest of family sports at the high school level, the Bacons became the first twin duo to win state championships in Colorado history since girls wrestling became sanctioned by the Colorado High School Activities Association five years ago.

“I’m standing there on the side freaking out and cheering him on the whole time and he does such a great job and wins and then I started crying,” Amelia said after she joined her brother as Vista PEAK Prep’s only state champions (team or individual) in any sport.

“I was like ‘Ian, how dare you make me cry before I have to go out and wrestle?’ I am so, so proud of him.”

With his championship secured via a pin in the Class 5A boys 120-pound state title match, Ian got his prizes and slipped into a seat in the front row and watched his sister hold up her end of the family bargain with a tight win by decision in the 5A girls 125-pound final.

“She’s my practice partner, the person I go home and talk about matches with and the person I complain to when practice is hard,” Ian said. “We have such a great bond and I thank her so much. …She’s always been the better one, so she motivates me so much. I want to be as good as she is.”

The history-making Bacons — who were joined later in the night by Canon City’s Jack (4A boys 190 pounds) and Kate Doughty (4A girls 145 pounds) as brother-sister state champions — were just part of the family stories among the 24 girls and 32 boys qualifiers from Aurora programs who competed over three days.

Cherokee Trail brothers Cooper and Chance Mathews both made it to 5A state championship matches as well in their second and last season together on varsity (both finished as runners-up), while Regis Jesuit sophomore Remington Zimmerer wrestled for — and won — the 5A 120-pound girls state championship with her dad, Zach, in her corner as her longtime coach.

The intensity of the work and physical and mental sacrifices to be great naturally can create a brotherhood or sisterhood in wrestling rooms, but shared DNA adds an entirely different element to the equation.

It can be the ultimate stuff of motivation and in a sport where every result is somewhat unpredictable and the margin for error is minuscule, the internal push given by a sibling or parent can in some cases be what can push a good wrestler to be great.

Here’s a look at how family ties played out during the state wrestling tournament:

Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports

FAMILY REVELRY: Ian and Amelia Bacon drive each other to matching mat titles

Brought to tears by watching her twin brother, Ian, complete a remarkable run to the 120-pound state championship at the Class 5A boys wrestling state tournament, Amelia Bacon earned her own crown a short time later.

She also realized that her brother had beaten her to the punch as the first state champion in Vista PEAK Prep history.

“I was like ‘Darn it, Ian, you did it before me!’” Amelia said with a smile. “I’m just so proud of him, but he’s always going to be like ‘I did it first!’”

Ian Back had come to that realization a little bit earlier and it definitely brought a smile to his face.

“I’m the first, I beat Amelia!” he said with a laugh.

The full story of how the Bacons became the first twins in Colorado history to win state wrestling championships, here

FATHER-DAUGHTER TITLE DANCE: Regis Jesuit’s Remington Zimmerer gets to share first state championship with father, Zach, up close

Remington Zimmerer had learned everything she knew on a wrestling mat over the last six years from her father, Zach.

So having him in her corner and getting to share her big moment at Ball Arena as she wrestled for the Class 5A 120-pound state title gave the Regis Jesuit sophomore the help she needed to go out and win against a nationally-ranked opponent.

Zimmerer defeated Amaya Hinojosa of Widefield and shortly afterwards shared an embrace with her father after she made program history.

“It was so much fun watching her come into her own in this tournament,” Zach Zimmerer said.

The full story of how Remington Zimmerer became Regis Jesuit’s first-ever girls wrestling state champion with her father as the team’s coach, here

ARMY OF SUPPORT: Backed by supportive family, coaches and teammates, Grandview’s JR Ortega captures Class 5A state championship

Thanks to the support of his family and those in the wrestling rooms at Grandview and with his club team, JR Ortega believes he has everything he needs to wrestle his best.

He did just that over three days at the Class 5A boys wrestling state tournament, where he won all four of his matches claimed the 113-pound championship with a strong performance in the final.

“I know I can go out there and handle business because I know I have the right people behind me and I have God behind me,” Ortega said. “It means a ton.”

The full story of Ortega’s super sophomore season that ended with a state title, here

BROTHERS IN FINALS: Cherokee Trail’s Cooper and Chance Mathews have a sibling bond already and got to share state championship match appearances

For two seasons with the Cherokee Trail boys wrestling team, Chance and Cooper Mathews have been able to share time together on the mat.

They got to share the big stage at Ball Arena as well, as they both qualified for championship matches at the Class 5A boys wrestling state tournament.

Neither ended up with titles, but they both definitely want the best for each other.

“I want to be the best I can, but I want him to be better than that,” Chance Mathews said.

The full story of the Cherokee Trail brothers reaching the pinnacle as state finalists, here