Grandview’s JR Ortega thought that he would wrestle for a Class 5A state championship last season as a freshman, but a semifinal loss derailed that plan.
It turned out he only had to wait a year until he got that chance, as he qualified for the 113-pound final and ended up taking home the big prize Feb. 15 at Ball Arena.
A season after he placed third at 106 pounds, Ortega confidently handled all comers throughout the tournament, capped by a 5-0 decision over Fruita Monument sophomore Kel Unrein. It provided the perfect ending to a 36-6 season.
“This is exactly what I wanted after last year,” Ortega said. “I’m not a big manifestation guy or anything like that, but I knew I was going to work my absolute hardest to come back and leave it all on the floor. I was going to work my hardest and let the result be the result.”
Since a two-point loss to Severance’s Drake VomBaur (the 4A state champion) in the championship match at the Top of the Rockies Invitational Jan. 18, Ortega hadn’t been touched. He won the Centennial League championship and Region 3 title with a mix of wins by pin and technical fall and ripped off a tech fall victory and two major decisions in his first three matches to earn his spot in the state final.
Standing in the way of the championship for Ortega was Unrein, who knocked off Ponderosa’s Silas Gomez in the semifinals. The Wolves’ standout earned a second period escape point to break a scoreless tie, then got a takedown and stayed in control the rest of the way.
“He was a worthy opponent, but I knew as long as I stayed on my game, there’s no reason I should be in any danger at all,” Ortega said. “I just stayed on my stuff and handled my business.”
When the match ended, Ortega turned and flexed in front of a large group of supporters in the first few rows of the stands who went wild with the result.
Afterwards, Ortega truly appreciated the type of environment in the Grandview wrestling room — which also included two other state finalists in junior 150-pounder Jonathan Montes Gonzales and sophomore heavyweight Leland Day, plus a slew of coaches who have helped many Wolves reach higher levels — that allowed him to thrive on the mat, as well as those that supported him off of it.
“I’m grateful for my friends and my family, it takes an army to do something like this,” Ortega said. “Mom cooking good meals and making sure I stay on weight, Dad pushing me and always being there. I don’t think he’s ever missed a tournament.
“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. It means a ton.”
Ortega’s victory as a sophomore gives him two more chances to become Grandview’s second multiple-time state champion.
Fabian Santillan — who went on to wrestle at Stanford — achieved the feat first with back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019.
Ortega plans to just a couple of days off to enjoy the victory, go skiing and then prepare for a big trips and competitions in Fargo, North Dakota, and Japan in the coming months.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at sports@sentinelcolorado.com. Twitter/X: @aurorasports. IG: Sentinel Prep Sports
