Justin Williams achieved a goal he set for
himself a year ago as the Englewood High School senior captured the
Class 4A 285-pound state wrestling title with a 2-1 decision over
Tad Davis of Rifle.
On Feb. 21 at the
Pepsi Center, Williams, rated No.1 in the state, faced off against
Tad Davis, the Rifle senior with a 40-0 record, who was ranked No.
2.
The match lived up
to its billing as both wrestlers battled for the upper hand. It
appeared the match would go into overtime as time ticked down with
the score tied at 1-1.
The rules require
wrestlers to be aggressive and the referee had issued a stalling
warning to Davis. Then, with about 10 seconds left on the clock,
the match was decided when the referee called Davis for stalling
and awarded Williams one point, which proved to the the margin of
victory.
Williams announced
his goal was to be state champion in 2009 after he took runner-up
honors in the 215-pound division at state last year.
He focused on
building strength and bulking up a little as he moved up one weight
class to heavyweight. Heavyweight wrestlers weigh between 216 and
285 pounds. At state, Williams weighed about 245.
The Pirate senior
build an impressive winning streak. The only blemish on his record
was the much-disputed loss in the dual match against Wheat Ridge.
But, he put it behind him and finished the year undefeated. The win
in the state championship match raised his record to
34-1.
Williams is the first Englewood High School
wrestler to take a state title since Jon Manning won the
heavyweight division crowd in the late 1990s.
