Standing in the tunnel in the Pepsi Center, fighting back tears, fresh off the biggest win of his life, surrounded by an entire team there to celebrate with him, Pine Creek senior Alex Smith was at a loss for words.

Four years of hard work boiled down to overtime in the 152-pound state final against Arvada West’s Randy Boerner, an opponent who had beaten Smith twice during the season. But it was Smith’s hand that was raised in the end after scoring the only takedown of the match for a 3-1 decision.

“It’s awesome,” Smith said. “Almost a surreal kind of thing. It feels really good to be appreciated by everyone at school that was there.”

Smith placed sixth as a sophomore and fourth as a junior, losing the last match of the season, and was determined to go out a winner this time.

Click here to read about The Gazette’s lower weights wrestler of the year

“My first thought was failure,” Smith said. “I didn’t do it. It was motivation, knowing how it felt to not win in past years and I didn’t want to feel bad again.”

It’s been a long road to the title for Smith, who came in as a promising freshman. Smith had wrestled one or two weight classes above his natural weight until this year.

Click here to read about The Gazette’s coach of the year

As a freshman and sophomore he couldn’t beat out others at his weight. As a junior he volunteered to wrestle up for the good of the team and fought illness throughout the second half of the season.

Click here to see The Gazette’s second team and honorable mention lists

Senior year was his time to erase the disappointments and make it all worthwhile.

“It means a little more because I wasn’t top dog from day one,” Smith said.

“This year it was a do or die season,” Eagles coach Billy Gabel said. “I think his mind shifted. All year long the coaching staff and myself, we were telling him ‘you’re going to win the state championship. You deserve it, you’ve put in all this time,’ and obviously he believed it.”

The rest of the team saw the dedication and responded to Smith as their emotional leader.

“I think as a group the guys saw the four-year process with Alex and they saw how bad he wanted to win the state championship,” Gabel said. “It was a Cinderella season at the end for him and I think the guys really bought into that with him.”

And they showed up in the tunnel at the Pepsi Center to share it with him.

“For those guys to come down was awesome,” Smith said “It wasn’t a sure thing that I was going to win, so I think it kind of shocked them. But that’s because I’ve spent so much time with them and them with me.”

Pine Creek’s Alex Smith is The Gazette’s Upper Weights Wrestler of the Year. Photo by