SARAH De La Cerda is your typical teen from Alamosa, except she’s also a state wrestling champion.
On her way home from winning the Colorado Girls State Wrestling title at 111 pounds and becoming the first student in Alamosa High history to bring home girls state wrestling gold, it was shopping and more shopping with her family that gave her celebration.
“Probably at the top, this is amazing, never quite done anything like this,” the 16-year-old said of her latest success. De La Cerda is a star cross country runner, star wrestler, star pretty much anything she sets her mind to, including a 4.0-plus GPA in the classroom.
She talked about the nerves she had going into her finals match against Jefferson High’s Shayla Gallegos on Saturday evening. The nerves quickly settled as she made quick work of her opponent with a pin 1 minute, 51 seconds into their state championship match at Ball Arena in Denver.
“I was shaking because I was so excited, but it was still so crazy for me to think about,” she said of the moment her arm was raised as state champion, “It was amazing.”
To reach the finals, De La Cerda had to defeat Bella Cross of Merino High, who she lost to at the state-qualifying regional meet a week earlier. “That definitely boosted my confidence,” she said of her semifinal victory over Cross, one of only three wrestlers to defeat De La Cerda this season. She finished the season 35-3 and said she’ll probably enter a national meet later this spring.
She comes from an athletic family. Her parents, Peter and Ronda, were both accomplished athletes at Adams State, and her brothers Isaiah and Elijah have been successful in their careers. She also has two younger siblings, Jeremiah and Hannah.
“We talked about the match,” she said of the family’s celebration. “Memories are really important for after the match and expressing thanks to all my family and the support they give me.”
With more memories and shopping ahead, Sarah De La Cerda is making history at Alamosa High.
Photo courtesy Peter De La Cerda
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