Lakewood’s Dinette wins a close one

Lakewood’s Gabriel Dinette’s heart must have been beating especially hard as he awaited the decision in his championship match against Pomona’s Jayson Romero in last Saturday’s Class 5A state championship at the Pepsi Center in Denver.

After all, the duo had just finished going through four overtimes in their 145-pound final. It was such a relief for Dinette, only a sophomore, when the official’s conference at the scorer’s table came to an end and the official came and lifted Dinette’s hand.

That decision came after the two wrestlers had gone the distance with the score tied, 1-1. And, since they are both underclassmen, they certainly could be meeting one another next season. Dinette finished the season with a 46-1 record, Romero, 25-7.

“It was tough to get the shots and neither of us could escape,” said Dinette. “I’ve never had a four overtime match and we both worked hard. I just wanted to pace myself and push hard. We just held each other down and he almost escaped several times. This is a first title for me and I’m so excited.”

Pomona, did however, come through to win the team championship scoring 139.5 points. The Panthers were followed by Poudre, 106.5, and Ponderosa, 95.5.

Dinette opened the tournament last Thursday with a 3-1 victory against T.J. Skalecki. He then moved on with a 5-0 victory against Caden Feenstra of Monarch in the quarterfinals and 5-1, over Zack Martinez of Mountain Range in the semis.

Indeed, it was a tough loss for Romero, a junior. Still his overall effort helped lead Pomona to the team championship.

“We both wrestled good, but the outcome was not for me,” said Romero. “It just didn’t work out. I’ve had a few four overtime matches and this one was certainly tough. I felt confident coming in, but this is such a tough loss.”

Joining Dinette in the state competition from Lakewood was Tiger teammate Jake Debruyn at 195 and Hayden Still at 285.

Debruyn pinned Ian Helwick of Brighton in 3:10 to open his tournament competition. His quest for the title ended in the quarterfinals as he was defeated by Pine Creek’s Kacin Nowlin, 6-5.

Still was halted early as he lost to Monarch’s Ian Scott, 8-6, in the first round.

Arvada West’s Jack Gomez came through with a third-place finish at 195 as did teammate Cody Fatzinger at 113. Gomez defeated Kacin Nowlin of Pine Creek, 7-4, for his third-place medal, while Fatzinger pinned Fabian Santillan of Grandview in 3:17.

“State’s tough as there is plenty of good talent,” said Gomez, 32-8. “But this is really something. The key was just to come out and not get nervous. You have to stay confident.”

Gomez opened with a 4-2 decision against Brandon Woolsey of Prairie View then beat Robert Woods of Smoky Hill, 9-3, in his quarterfinal match. His quest for a title would end in the semifinals as he was beaten by Legend’s Nolan Funk, 13-3.

Fatzinger defeated Poudre’s Brody Lamb, 10-8, in his first round match, then followed with a 6-2 victory against Doherty’s Maverick Keigher. A 3-1 loss to Louie Romero of Mountain Range ended his tourney in the semifinals.

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