Watching his sons warm up for the state wrestling semifinals in matching white uniforms is a moment David Burchett Sr. will always cherish. 

After a disappointing fourth-place finish at the 2025 state wrestling championships, Air Academy’s David Burchett Jr. went into his senior year looking for vengeance and a second state title. 

The revenge tour went according to plan. Burchett took the 157-pound state title with a takedown in overtime to help Air Academy to a third-place team finish in the 2026 CHSAA 4A state championships at Ball Arena. The Kadets had three finalists to earn the highest team finish in school history.

“He wanted to go out on top,” Air Academy coach Brandon Lucero said. “It went exactly how he planned.” 

His other goal for the season? To get his younger brother, David “Alex” Burchett, on the podium, too. 

“It was a special year for us,” Burchett Sr., who has coached his sons for most of their lives, said. “This year, they got to be on the same team for the first time, so lots of special memories. They’ve been close since they were little and support each other as I’ve never seen before.” 

Burchett transferred to Air Academy after three seasons at Falcon to be on the same team as Alex, who is a freshman. Alex ultimately placed fifth at state, but the opportunity to train on the same team was invaluable. 

“My brother and I are really close, and this year we were reunited on the mat,” Burchett Jr. said. “He had some difficulties this season, but we are so proud of what he did. I think he has the ability to be a three-time champ and be better than me in that regard.”

The state championship caps a historic career for Burchett Jr. that includes four straight Colorado Springs Metro Wrestling Championship titles, the third athlete to do so in the tournament’s 25-year history.

Burchett Jr. ended with a 49-3 record this season to earn 4A first-team all-state honors.  

The state title came after an intense season of training following a frustrating junior year. The results began to show after a sixth-place finish (Greco-Roman) at the prestigious U.S. Marine Corps Junior Nationals meet in Fargo, North Dakota, in July, which Burchett saw as a turning point in his career. 

“I knew I needed to work harder this year,” Burchett said. “I changed my diet to make weight cutting easier so I can focus more on training. At times, I was down on myself, but I knew I worked hard. I put trust in myself.”

“He’s almost a college-caliber type athlete, which separates him from the majority of the group and has made him successful over his high school career,” Lucero said. “It’s cool to see because you see the hard work pay off, and it shows in a sport like wrestling that the more time you put in, the more you will get out.”

Burchett’s training regimen consists of multiple practice sessions a day, including at the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Training Center in the offseason. However, training with his brother was key in helping Burchett Jr. break through this year. 

“We were partners almost every day; we know each other the best,” Burchett Jr. said. “Our coach said we are the opposite of each other in fundamentals, so we know what works and what doesn’t without becoming too stagnant.”

In the championship match, Burchett and Pueblo East’s Justus Freeman were tied at 1-1 at the end of regulation before Burchett earned three points on a takedown for a 4-1 overtime victory. It was the senior’s second individual title after winning the 157-pound championship in 2024 with Falcon. 

The state final was Burchett Jr.’s fourth meeting with Freeman this season, and the victory was sweet after Freeman beat him in regionals the previous week. 

“He’s a smart, methodical wrestler,” Lucero said of Burchett Jr. “He is one who considers his strategy going into matches. I think it separates him from wrestlers who make silly mistakes because he thinks about strategy for specific opponents going into matches.”

Burchett Sr. has coached Burchett Jr. since he was 4 years old, and the trio now trains together in the mornings before Air Academy’s practice in the afternoon. He has instilled words of wisdom throughout their lives, the most common being, “Everything is fixable, and we have time.” 

The brothers soak in every session with each other, knowing the inevitability of Burchett Jr. leaving in the summer for Doane University, where he will continue his wrestling career. 

But the brothers aren’t thinking about that yet. There are still competitions to come, including the U.S. Open Championships in Las Vegas, where Burchett Jr. will compete in U20s to try to qualify for the World Championship team. 

“What makes him great is his ability to keep moving forward, no matter the losses, and not focusing on one thing,” Alex Burchett said. “He keeps pushing no matter what, and he’s someone I will always look up to.”