Rams clinch state wrestling title
Ortega 1 away from record-tying 5th individual championship

By Eric Maddy
The SCORE

On a banner-winning night for a team and school that has garnered lots of banners recently, the Rio Rancho High wrestling team earned its seventh wrestling title in eight years and crowned four individual champions, including four-time winner Max Ortega.

Ortega, who won his first title as an eighth-grader, won his fourth title with ease, defeating Matt Sandoval 13-2 in the 140-pound weight class. Only one wrestler has claimed five New Mexico state titles, Michael Scott Owen of Carlsbad from 1994-98.

"The last time I beat him I wasn't as dominant," Ortega said of Sandoval. "It was nice to get off like that."

The Rams claimed three other indivdual titles: Louis Trujillo (125 pounds), Chris Rubalcaba (130) and Paul Cabbage (171), who won his second straight championship. Trujillo edged Seth Chavez of Albuquerque High 6-5, Rubalcaba decisioned Logan Ramirez of Carlsbad 6-3 and Cabbage blanked Eldorado's Adam Gonzales 6-0.

"This is a perfect ending to a perfect season," head coach Jason Nickal said. "They were our four horsemen, our four whatever you want to call them, all year long."

So dominant were the Rams that they entered the championship session having already locked up the team title with a insurmountable 41.5 point lead over Manzano. The \Rams finished with 214.5 points as a team.

Rio Rancho was able to secure its championship due to tremendous team depth. Only wrestlers in the top six score team points, and the Rams had four wrestlers in the consolation bracket and two more competing for fifth-place in Saturday's competition at the Santa Ana Star Center.

Still, the star was obviously Ortega, who joins his older brother Matt as a four-time state champion. Though he would have liked to cap his season with a pin, he was realistic in his performance.

"He was a real strong kid," Ortega said. "I don't think trying to do that would work real well."

So for now, Ortega can rest on his laurels But it won't be long until title No. 5 is on his mind.

"I probably have one or two weeks to kind of mess around and then get back into it," he said.

With the title already locked up, it might have been understandable if the four finalists had relaxed a little bit and perhaps not delivered their best performance. Understandable to you and me, but not to Nickal.

"We really wanted those four individual championships," he said. "We set high standards for our program, and an effort like this lives up to those standards."

Cabbage, a senior, wrapped up a two-loss career with his second straight title but said he felt no added pressure after the three teammates ahead of him earned their victories.

"I really wanted this one, to cap my career with two state championships," he said. "That's a good way to end up."

Cabbage was talking about his individual performance, but it could also have been talking about the team, which won its second title in two years under Nickal.

"We really were together as a team all year long," Cabbage said. "Coach is a great coach, and we wanted to make it happen for him."

It's the third state championship for Rio Rancho this season after girl's soccer and volleyball claimed the NMAA blue trophy in the fall.

2008 State Wrestling Tournament Results

Here are the results of the Rio Rancho wrestlers who competed in the NMAA state tournament with weight, final placing, team points earned and results of their final match:

103 pounds, Jake Williams, 3-2 record, fourth place, 16 team points, dec. by Nick Pino, Cibola, 2-1.

112 pounds, Nathaniel Lujan, 4-1 record, third place, 18 team points, dec. Kenneth Eye, Manzano, 6-3.

119 pounds, Caleb Rubalcaba, 3-2 record, fourth place, 18 team points, major dec. by Jordan Eye, Manzano, 7-2.

125 pounds, Louis Trujillo, 4-0 record, state champion, 27 team points, dec. Seth Chavez, Albuquerque High, 6-5.

130 pounds, Chris Rubalcaba, 4-0 record, state champion, 27.5 team points, dec. Logan Ramirez, Carlsbad, 6-3.

135 pounds, Martin Overfield, 4-2 record, fifth place, 12 team points, dec. Mike Lee, Cibola, 7-4.

140 pounds, Max Ortega, 4-0 record, four-time state champion, 29 team points, maj. dec. Matt Sandoval, Cibola, 13-2.

145 pounds, Eric Witt, 2-2 record, 5 team points, second round, dec. by Leonard Montoya, Los Lunas.

152 pounds, Armando Mendibles, 2-3 record, sixth place, 8 team points, pinned by Anthony Gomez, Sandia, 1:12.

160 pounds, Chris Morales, 4-1 record, third place, 17 team points, disqualification over Evan Zaluga, Valley.

171 pounds, Paul Cabbage, 4-0 record, two-time state champion, 24 team points, dec. Adam Gonzales, Eldorado, 6-0.

215 pounds, Shea Nolan, 2-2 record, second round, 5 points, dec. by Carlos Antillion, Albuquerque High, 3-2.

275 pounds, A.C. Crespin, 1-2 record, 4 points, first round, pinned by Franco Flores, Cibola, 3:48.

Note: Team points are awarded in this manner: 16 for first place, 12 for second, 9 for third, 7 for fourth, 5 for fifth and 3 for sixth. Additonal points are awarded for the speed and margin of victory or defeat, be it by pin, major decision or decision. (A major decision is where the margin is eight or more points.)