Wrestling in the 100-pound weight class, Doherty’s Katey Valdez is often the first person on the team to compete in a tournament, coach Jacob Masias said.

She’s also often one of the last Spartans to wrestle.

Saturday night played out no differently as the Doherty sophomore battled in the championship round of the Colorado Springs Metro Wrestling Championships and scored a pin on Cañon City’s Piper Montoya.

The win moved Valdez to 25-0 on the season and gave her a second consecutive first place finish at Metros on her home turf. To celebrate, Valdez leapt into the air to hug her coach and, shortly after, raced up the bleachers to hug her loved ones.

“For the finals match, I knew Piper was going to throw the high legs, I’ve wrestled her before. I knew they were coming, I just gotta get better at catching them when they’re coming in and getting stronger with that defense,” she said. “I think it’s really fun being able to wrestle at our own tournaments. We don’t really have many home tournaments anymore because we have such a small team now.”

Valdez and teammate Naomi Kidd are the only two girls to be two-time Metro champs, with the inaugural girls tournament taking place last year. 

The undefeated record is the product of year-round training for Valdez. Because of that she’s eager to take on any challenge.

“It’s really hard to find a kid who has so much heart and so much skill as her. She brings so much to the table,” Masias said. “Every day in practice she’s wanting to wrestle everybody. It’s hard to stay away from her because she’s such a monster. Even our bigger weights are scared of her. But I think that’s great for our team. She comes in with so much hype and so much energy that it also helps out our team bringing that same energy as well.” 

Valdez, who is ranked first in her weight class in the state, eyes a run at not just a state title but an international victory as well. Last year, Valdez competed at 95 pounds in the Under-17 Pan Ams in Argentina where she won gold. She reveled in the experience of representing her country, but has higher goals for 2023.

“My goals are to take state this year, make the world team and take worlds this year instead of making the Pan AM team, and just better my technique in every style and just be the best wrestler I can be.” 

Valdez wasn’t the the only one to take honors at the event. Discovery Canyon took the team title with 171 points, despite only having a program for two years. Their individual winners were Mia Thorne at 110, Adrianna Lopez at 130 and Victoria Guinard at 155.

Thunder coach Morgan Flaharty takes a holistic approach to wrestling, emphasizing the physical and mental health of his wrestlers and participating in the sport the correct way, advising them to be aggressive, but not malicious, and maintain their weight in a healthy manner.  Beyond wins and losses, it’s about growth.

“We’re really trying to focus on building the best, strong girls as we can and we’re really trying to develop their mentality and their character to push through adversity and push through tough times no matter how you’re feeling and they’re performance is just a reflection of their character,” Flaharty said. “These girls all act like champions in practice and they work really hard every day so it doesn’t come as a surprise that we would win the tournament but it feels well earned and that they deserve it.”

Doherty’s Katey Valdez prepares for the semifinals at the Metro Wrestling Tournament at Doherty High School on Saturday, Jan. 21, 2023. Valdez beat Fountain-Fort Carson’s Eyvori Jacquez, 12-4. (Parker Seibold, The Gazette)

Parker Seibold

Doherty’s Katey Valdez is congratulated by coaches after securing her place in the finals with a win against Fountain-Fort Carson’s Eyvori Jacquez on Saturday.

Doherty Katie Valdez wrestles Canon City Piper Montoya in the 100lb. weight class during the 22nd annual Colorado Springs Metro Wrestling Championship at Doherty High School in Colorado Springs on Saturday January 21, 2023. (Laura Domingue/ Special to the Gazette)

LAURA DOMINGUE