The 2026 New Mexico State Wrestling Championships concluded with individual titles, podium finishes and one of the strongest collective showings in recent memory for local programs, highlighted by a state championship performance from Las Cruces High sophomore Kolby Gonzales and a runner-up team finish from the Las Cruces girls squad.
By Levi Gwaltney
Images: Courtesy
Two days earlier, Las Cruces Digest highlighted Centennial’s Paige Jorge description of the experience awaiting wrestlers inside the Rio Rancho Events Center — hundreds of eyes surrounding the mats, every movement exposed, every mistake visible.
There is nowhere to hide at the state wrestling tournament.
By Saturday night, dozens of Las Cruces-area wrestlers had proven they belonged exactly there, and that there was nowhere to hide from them.
The 2026 New Mexico State Wrestling Championships concluded with individual titles, podium finishes and one of the strongest collective showings in recent memory for local programs, highlighted by a state championship performance from Las Cruces High sophomore Kolby Gonzales and a runner-up team finish from the Las Cruces girls squad.
Gonzales Dominates on Championship Run
If the weekend belonged to anyone, it belonged to Gonzales.
The Las Cruces sophomore entered Rio Rancho as a contender. He left as a state champion — and did so emphatically.
Gonzales (39–2) captured the Class 5A title at 157 pounds, winning all four matches by fall. None lasted beyond the second period.
He opened with a first-round pin in 1:56, followed with quarterfinal and semifinal falls in under a minute, before sealing the championship with another decisive pin of Cleveland’s Jonathon Schmidt in just 1:50.
The performance delivered 30 team points and confirmed what had become increasingly clear throughout the season: Gonzales is no longer a rising wrestler.
He has arrived.
Amaro’s Long Road Ends on the Podium
Few paths through the bracket were tougher than Daniel Amaro’s.
After suffering a quarterfinal loss, the Las Cruces senior dropped into the consolation bracket — wrestling’s most unforgiving proving ground — where seasons are either resurrected or ended.
Amaro chose resurrection.
The Bulldawg fought through four consecutive consolation victories, including a major decision and an injury-default semifinal, earning a rematch with Cleveland’s Landon Colwell — the same wrestler who had knocked him from the championship side earlier in the tournament.
This time, Amaro finished the job.
He secured third place with a first-period fall, closing his tournament — and one of the most demanding athletic years in the state — with another medal performance after helping lead Las Cruces football to a state championship appearance just months earlier.
Bulldawgs Stack the Podium in 5A
Las Cruces’ depth showed throughout the Class 5A brackets.
Carlos Gamboa finished second at 165 pounds, while Alessio Cisneros added another runner-up finish at 215. Mateo Montoya claimed third place at 175, and Orbie Nabb secured fifth at 144 pounds.
James Rowan Langell added a sixth-place finish at 150 as the Bulldawgs accumulated points across multiple weight classes, powering Las Cruces to a third-place team finish with 151.5 points behind champion Cleveland and runner-up Volcano Vista.
Across the bracket, local wrestlers consistently survived the grind of the tournament’s stretched consolation format — proof of both depth and endurance.
Girls Wrestling Momentum Continues to Build
If the boys tournament showcased tradition, the girls bracket continued to demonstrate growth.
Las Cruces finished second overall as a team, fueled by a championship performance from Autiana Caro at 115 pounds.
Caro (33–13) stormed through the bracket with three falls before claiming the state title with another first-period pin over La Cueva’s Aneira Yaney. Her run delivered 28 team points and anchored the Bulldawgs’ runner-up finish behind Cleveland.
Las Cruces added podium finishes from Jazlyn Castro (4th, 100), Alise Eatmon (5th, 105), Emberlyn Atma (6th, 110), Paige Atma (4th, 140) and Jacky Castille (4th, 145), underscoring the program’s growing statewide presence.
Chaparral’s Kimberly Perez Lopez added a fifth-place finish at 115 pounds.
Jorge’s Run Highlights Centennial Effort
After spotlighting Jorge’s take on the intensity of the state stage earlier in the week, Centennial’s Paige Jorge nearly conquered it.
Jorge advanced to the Girls 170-pound championship match with dominant early-round performances, including two falls and a semifinal decision victory before meeting undefeated Sandia standout Jaden Meadows in the finals.
Though the championship bout ended in defeat, Jorge’s runner-up finish capped an outstanding tournament and delivered one of the area’s most significant individual performances.
A Region Showing Its Strength
Chaparral added boys podium finishes from Jule May (4th, 157) and Ashton Cortinas (5th, 165) in Class A-4A competition, contributing to a weekend that saw wrestlers from across Doña Ana County represented deep into medal rounds.
From first-round whistles Friday morning through Saturday night’s championship finals, local athletes repeatedly fought back through consolation brackets, avenged earlier losses and stood beneath the lights of the medal stand.
The results reflected something larger than individual victories.
They reflected growth.
The Work Behind the Moment
Wrestling rarely produces viral highlights or headline attention. Much of the work happens unseen — early mornings, weight cuts, empty gyms and long practices measured in repetition rather than applause.
But inside the Rio Rancho Events Center, surrounded by hundreds of spectators and competing against the best wrestlers in the state, that work became impossible to ignore.
For Las Cruces-area wrestling, there truly was nowhere to hide.
And this weekend, there was nowhere else the spotlight needed to be.
Boys (Class A-4A) Medalists
- 4th 157 Jule May (Chaparral)
- 5th 165 Ashton Cortinas (Chaparral)
Team Results
- Aztec (241)
- Belen (156)
- West Las Vegas (153)
Boys (Class 5A) Medalists
- 5th 144 Orbie Nabb (Las Cruces)
- 6th 150 James Rowan Langell (Las Cruces)
- 1st 157 Kolby Gonzales (Las Cruces)
- 2nd 165 Carlos Gamboa (Las Cruces)
4th 165 Rocky Rodrigues (Gadsden) - 3rd 175 Mateo Montoya (Las Cruces)
- 3rd 190 Daniel Amaro (Las Cruces)
- 2nd 215 Alessio Cisneros (Las Cruces)
Team Resuls
- Cleveland (317)
- Volcano Vista (283.5)
- Las Cruces (151.5)
Girls Medalists
- 4th 100 Jazlyn Castro (Las Cruces)
- 5th 105 Alise Eatmon (Las Cruces)
- 6th 110 Emberlyn Atma (Las Cruces)
- 1st 115 Autlana Caro (Las Cruces)
5th 115 Kimberly Perez Lopez (Chaparral) - 4th 140 Paige Atma (Las Cruces)
- 4th 145 Jacky Castille (Las Cruces)
- 2nd Girls 170 Paige Jorge (Centennial)
Team Results
- Cleveland (146)
- Las Cruces (114.5)
- Miyamura (110)
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