Aztec reclaims 4A state crown

By Quentin Jodie | Feb 26, 2025 | Wrestling |

RIO RANCHO, N.M. – The balance of power took a seismic shift in New Mexico Class 4A boys wrestling on Saturday night.

With nine state placers, the Aztec Tigers claimed the school’s 22nd state crown and its first since 2022 at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

The Tigers finished the two-day state meet with a team score of 184 points while last year’s state champ Bloomfield finished second with 169.5 marker followed by West Las Vegas with 152.5 points.

“It really took teamwork and hard work,” Aztec coach Levi Stout said. “You know, good attitude, positive mindset, and just hard work.”

Aztec had four individuals make the title match with junior Ian Vigil being the lone state champion at 127 pounds.

“I’m pretty excited but it didn’t hit me right away,” Vigil said of winning. “I did it for my family, so I’m more excited than anything.”

Vigil wrestled Miyamura’s Gage Sellers in the finals with the Aztec grappler improving his overall record to 29-13 overall after scoring a 14-4 major decision.

At 107, Aztec sophomore CJ Saiz was pinned by state champ Dane Padilla of St. Pius X. The Tiger took another loss at 145 when sophomore Delano Black came up short to Bloomfield’s Kellan Ray in sudden death with a fall.

Senior Zach Sanders, meanwhile, lost his match to St. Pius X wrestler Valentine Popadiuc in his final at 152 with a tech fall (21-6).

“They’re all special individuals,” Stout said of his state finalists. “With Ian, I haven’t seen anybody that can handle that kid’s speed. Delano and CJ are sophomores, and they have a bright future.”

The Tigers earned most of their points in the bloody rounds with sophomore James Moore (114) and junior Ethan Vigil (121) taking third while sophomore Cory Douglas (139) and junior Aidan Trujillo (189) placed fifth. Junior Rylee Clinton finished sixth at 160.

“It was absolutely a team effort,” Stout said. “There’s no way we could have done it without having guys in the consolation side, so they came through.”

Vigil agreed as the Tigers built a 24.5 cushion at the end of the third- and fifth-place matches on Saturday afternoon.

“We felt like we had a chance to win it, but we weren’t going to overdo it,” Vigil said. “Just because we beat a kid doesn’t mean we’re going to beat them again. With it being state, they were going to try harder, so we had to come out hungry.”

And while this year’s group added another state crown to Aztec’s trophy case, Vigil says it took months to build up their confidence.

“We looked horrible at the beginning of the year and we didn’t think we would finish in the top three,” he said. “But our coaches told us to keep working, and to keep wrestling.

“They took us to some big tournaments at the beginning of the year and we got our butts whipped,” he added. “But I think (those tournaments) made us better to who we are now.”