Seniors Black, Glade lead Mead to its first state championship
An hour before the championship round of the CHSAA state wrestling tournament, spectators filled the stands to the upper level at Ball Arena. The line to get inside stretched to the parking lot.
But Mead seniors Otto Black and Jake Glade were unfazed.
Their faces were stonecold, as they were unaffected by the atmosphere and pressure that comes with making school history. There wasn’t an ounce of fear or doubt inside their bodies, as their confidence washed it away. Black and Glade knew the Mavericks were going to finish at the top of the boys 4A team standings. They were not wrong. On Saturday afternoon Mead captured its first team title to cap off an impressive season.
The Mavericks entered the final day of the state tournament with a strong chance of finishing at the top. They had six finalists and held a 36-point advantage over Pueblo East.
“It’s historic for us,” Mead coach Ty Tatham said.
Black and Glade were instrumental in the team’s success. Glade (52-7) won his second straight title after defeating Thompson
Valley Kellen Engelhardt, 10-8, in a sudden victory in the 150-pound weight class.
Black (49-0) ended his high school wrestling career with a perfect senior season after defeating Roosevelt sophomore Chris Lalonde (46-5) in a 3-2 tiebreaker in the 138-pound weight class.
“We expected to win. We are not surprised,” Black said.
Tatham said Black and Glade’s impact on the program has been significant. Tatham said Black has been a perfect example of a high level athlete, while praising Glade for being a role model.
“(Glade) would help anybody on the team,” Tatham said. “He’s a coach’s athlete. He’s the kid in the gym that’s picking up trash after a match or tournament. It’s hard not to love (Glade) for the things he has done.”
Black said the Mavericks’ schedule prepared them for the state tournament. This season, Tatham had his team compete in tournaments in Nebraska, Alaska, Montana and all over Colorado in order to face a variety of wrestling styles.
“I use the example of video games. If you are always playing on level five or six and then come to the state tournament and its level eight, you’re going to struggle,” Tatham said. “(We went) against some tough, hard-nosed kids and you know it raised the level.”
Even in the moments when Engelhardt seemed like he had the upper hand against Glade, the Mead senior wasn’t rattled. And when Glade stood victorious with his hands held high, it felt like he knew all along what the outcome was going to be.
“I’ve competed in this state tournament for four years and placed (each time). But this was the year I believed that we could win it as a whole and we (did),” Glade said.