Delta Wrestling Tussles for a State Championship

The 22-23 wrestling season has come to an end, with State Champions being crowned. The off-season has now begun and Delta High School has now started to prepare for the upcoming season. Before we move on, we must recognize the success and awards each DHS State Wrestler has accomplished at the state tournament.

This past February, Delta got the opportunity to send four wrestlers to compete at the Wrestling State Tournament in Denver. The tournament was held at the Ball Arena and wrestlers from all over Colorado battled to win a state championship title for their schools. 

Delta placed 22nd out of 50th in the 3A Division with a score of 33.0. Although DHS did not win state, all four of our wrestlers had qualified for state and were packing their bags to compete in the tournament in Denver. 

Senior Angel Romero came into the state tournament with a record of 18-27. In one of these last matches, Romero had almost 30 losses and had beaten a wrestler with almost 30 wins to qualify for State. Romero competed in the 132 lbs 3A division and finished the tournament with a record of 1-1. 

“Even though I didn’t perform the way I wanted to, I still enjoyed the tournament and will learn from my mistakes,” Romero said. 

Senior Kyle Kincaide came into the state tournament with a record of 29-18. This was Kincaide’s first year wrestling and he was placed on Varsity. Although this was his first year wrestling, he still qualified for state and got the chance to compete at a high level. Kincaide competed in the 144lbs 3A division and finished the tournament with a record of 1-2.

“To be honest, I had a blast coming out for wrestling this year, and having the opportunity to compete at state is a blessing,” Kincaide said.

Sophomore Ripp Lockhart finished the season and entered the tournament with a record of 35-15. Lockart is one of two sophomores to qualify for state, an accomplishment that has not been seen by a sophomore since 2016. Lockhart competed in the 215 lbs 3A division, finished the tournament with a record of 3-2, and placed 6th in his division.

 “ I went up against tough opponents and mostly prevailed; the ones I lost will help better myself and will make me a better competitor,” Lockhart said.

Sophomore Dawsen Drozdik went to the state tournament with a record of 48-5, which was the best record in his 3A 106 lbs division. Drozdik also had the best record on Delta’s Varsity team, all while being the only other sophomore to qualify for state. Drozdik competed and finished with a record 5-1 and got 3rd place in this division.

 “There’s nothing for me to do other than keep growing and reach for the sky; I’m satisfied with knowing that I tried my best and I will push myself to be even better this next season,” Drozdik said.

Coach Luis Meza went with these four wrestlers to Denver to coach and guide them through each match. 

“I enjoy every state wrestling trip I’ve ever been on, but this year watching the wrestlers was fun. They all did a great job,“ Meza said.

With sophomores qualifying for state and one placing 3rd and seniors being leaders and role models to their younger teammates, the future of the DHS wrestling program has never looked brighter than now. 

“ Our main goal is to win a state championship, nothing less! I’m excited for all of our wrestlers in our program,” Meza said.