Bloomfield trio wins gold

RIO RANCHO, N.M. – The math in Bloomfield’s pursuit for a second consecutive state wrestling title didn’t quite add up.

The Bobcats finished as the state runner-up to region rival Aztec for the New Mexico Class 4A state crown on Saturday at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

The state champion Tigers capped the two-day state tournament with 184 points while Bloomfield garnered 169.5 points for second ahead of third-place finisher West Las Vegas, which finished with 152.5 points.

Despite coming up short in the team standings, the Bobcats took home three individual gold medals with sophomore Kellan Ray and seniors Hunter Samora and Logan Gosnell winning first in their respective weight classes.

“We did what we could,” Samora said of the team’s state runner-up finish. “Everybody wrestled their hearts out. For some people, things didn’t go the way we wanted but stuff happens.”

Samora (30-3) captured his third consecutive state crown by outlasting Miyamura’s Adam Abdeljawad in the 133-pound finale. The Bloomfield wrestler won by a 4-1 decision.

“This means a lot,” Samora said of his win. “I’m Bloomfield’s second three-time state champion. I’m going to continue to do better things at college and hopefully build on that.”

Samora followed the footsteps of three-time Bloomfield state champ Adan Benavidez, who captured gold in 2021, 22, and 23.

“I’m part of that legacy,” said Samora, who dealt with injuries after completing his junior year. Prior to the big national meet in Fargo, North Dakota last summer, Samora injured his shoulder.

“I wrestled at Fargo with a torn shoulder and that wasn’t fun,” Samora said. “Midway through the season, I had knee problem problems, so I had to sit out three weeks.

“I made a comeback, and I worked my ass off and now we’re here with three state titles,” he added.

At 145 pounds, Ray rallied from a 7-2 deficit entering the third period and force sudden death with a pair of takedowns as he pinned Aztec’s Delano Black in overtime.

“It was definitely a fight to the end,” said Ray, who improved to 33-6 overall. “I was struggling there for a minute, you know, when he was up 7-2.”

The win on Saturday was Ray’s first medal as he did not make the podium last season in his first state qualification as a freshman.

“In my mind. I thought I could do it,” Ray said when asked if he expected to win. “There’s a lot of people that didn’t think I could do it and thought that I shouldn’t be there, but with the work I put in, you know, with all the extra practices, I thought I could do it.”

Entering the state tournament, Ray earned the fifth seed. En route to the championship bout, he earned a fall over Moriarty’s Caedon Kamplain in the first round. In the second round, he pinned fourth seed Dallas Shendo of Ruidoso to make the semifinal in the top half of the bracket.

He then teched fall top-seeded Zac Fernandez of Albuquerque Academy by a 16-1 count to wrestle against Black, the tournament’s second seed.

“I just tried to leave everything I had on the mat,” Ray said his pathway to his gold medal.

In the 215-pound finale, Gosnell (26-4) had to hang on to beat Academy’s Isaiah Rivera for the state crown as he posted a 9-6 decision.

“Going into the match I was like, ‘Hey, this is my senior year and I better win it.’ I place third last year and there was no reason why I shouldn’t win it,” Gosnell said.

The Bloomfield grappler wrestled Rivera in a previous match with Gosnell pinning him in the first period.

“His coaches probably taught him how to defend what I do,” said Gosnell, as the Academy wrestler took a 6-2 lead after the first period.

With a takedown and a near fall, Gosnell regained the lead at 7-6 heading into the third period. He then tacked on an escape for another two points as he won the match 9-6.

In addition to the three state champions, Bloomfield also received a third-place effort from senior Elias Johnson at 139, a fourth-place effort from junior Cole Gosnell (189), a fifth-place showing from sophomore Bryce Lance (114) and a pair of sixth-place finishes from seniors Eli Snell-Martinez (152) and Tyler Reinhardt (172).

“I feel like we got a great family on the Bloomfield wrestling team,” Logan Gosnell said. “I know wrestling is an individual sport but our team really sets that aside. We’re a family and we cheer each other on. I mean, pre-matches, we’re thinking of scoring points for the team and not just for ourselves.”

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