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As the referee holds up his hand as the 220 lb. state champion, Eli Hinojosa points to the TV camera for all those who watched him wrestle in the championship match. (Johnson Publications photo)

State title a dream come true for Hinojosa

    Call it a dream come true.
    As a junior just a year ago, Eli Hinojosa found himself wrestling an undefeated, returning state champion in the 220 title match—a close match he lost 1-0 despite a near takedown in the final seconds.
    From that moment on, Hinojosa had one goal on his mind—a state championship.
    This year, Hinojosa was the undefeated wrestler in the championship match.
    His dream became a reality Saturday when he claimed the Class C 220 lb. title to cap off a perfect 48-0 season.
    His goal took on even more meaning when Hinojosa lost the biggest influence on his success—his dad.
    His dad, Abel, Sr., died suddenly July 12, 2017. “He was always pushing me to be the best,” Eli said this week.
    “He was a big influence on my achievements,” the young Hinojosa added.
    He knew it was going to be a tough senior season, not having his dad around.
     As soon as Eli turned 18, he got a tattoo in remembrance of his dad. It included three crosses with his dad’s name, date of birth and date of death tattoed in between.
    The tattoo appeared just below his wrestling singlet on his right thigh for all to see.
    Also in honor of his dad, he dedicated his senior wrestling season to him and with the goal of capping it off with a state title.
Loss a motivator
    Last year’s loss in the state final served as a motivator for Hinojosa. He pushed himself hard in the weight room over the summer.  
    “Ever since losing in the state finals last year I set a goal that I wanted to achieve this season,” he said.
    All that hard work didn’t hurt during the football season either as he dominated the offensive and defensive line game in and game out.
    Hinojosa started wrestling when he was a second grader and kept the pace up in junior high until he could wrestle varsity in high school.
    All the wrestling, especially in junior  high, prepared him for the big stage he found himself in this year and last.
    Last year he went 48-4 with two of those losses coming to state champions—one in Class A and one in Class C.
    This year, like last, Hinojosa started the season in the 285 lb. class, weighing in around 250 after football.
    This season, by the new year, he had cut his weight down to wrestle at 220.
    It was all in my gut so it went pretty fast,” he smiled.
    Looking back on an undefeated season, he recalled his toughest match of the season came against Alliance’s Nathan Lauder at 285, who ended up as this year’s Class B runner-up.
Appreciates support
    Hinojosa expressed his appreciation for the support he’s gotten from the community.
    It was also nice people could watch the match on TV, he noted.
    Not only did he have that support, he had lots of family and friends in the stands rooting for him including his mother, his brothers and their wives and cousins.
    “It was nice to have everyone there yelling for me,” he said.
    He praised his coaches Matt Vlasin and Jeff Rusher for always pushing him and his teammates during practice.
    Perhaps, more importantly, he said the coaches reminded  the team they represent themselves and the school both on and off the wrestling mat.
    They also encouraged behavior that would serve as a role model for younger kids, he added.
Plans to wrestle at Chadron
    Hinojosa plans to take his wrestling skills to the next level and will wrestle at Chadron State College.
    At the college level, he expects to wrestle in the heavyweight (up to 285 lbs.) class because they don’t have a 220  lb. class. The weight classes go from 197 to 285 so he knows he’s going to have to get stronger while keeping his agility as a heavier wrestler.

 

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