Colton high senior wrester Joel Hidalgo made it to state finals and put Colton on the map. The CIF’s are hard enough to get in, and we all know that then it’s hard to win. Hidalgo did not make it to the very end but he gave a good run and wrestled hard. Unfortunately, his loss at Finals was marred by what he considers unfair treatment on the part of the officials.

He claims that he took an “unjustified” defeat, supposedly being cheated out of the match. “They didn’t want me to win,” he said bitterly, upon returning to school. He claimed that even the refs were against him.

Hidalgo claims that he pinned his opponent, De La Salle’s Darryl Aiello, but the ref didn’t count it– and he believes that’s how he lost the match. He lost by a score of 9-8, his opponent Aiello ended up taking 3rd in state. Hidalgo took 24th in state and if he wasn’t cheated out of his match, he could have had a real shot at taking home the championship, he believes. And there are more than a few who believer that right along with him.

Going to CIF State Finals is a real accomplishment and it takes hard work and guts to make it to CIF. Colton High should be proud that one of our own has made it and put our city out there for people to see us coming for the gold. Hidalgo admits, ”It was an amazing experience,” showing his pride and respect for the competition. He remains thankful for the experience even after the bad decision that cost him the match. If you see him walking around school, give him a congratulations for his hard work and dedication for making it to Finals.