Judge denies prep wrestler’s petition
Beltran hoped for end to NMAA suspension
SANTA FE — A Santa Fe District Court judge has rejected a petition to allow a Santa Fe High School wrestler to participate in the state tournament after he was suspended for the season for punching another competitor.
The father of SFHS junior Isaac Beltran filed for an emergency temporary restraining order last week, seeking to halt the New Mexico Activities Association from carrying out the season-ending suspension. The NMAA disqualified Beltran after he threw three punches at the head of Albuquerque Academy wrestler Jackson Taylor during a match at the Joe Vivian Classic in Albuquerque on Jan. 18. The blows reportedly left Taylor unconscious.
Santa Fe High coaches have maintained that Taylor provoked Beltran by pulling his hair and elbowing him in the face. Taylor has not been disciplined by the NMAA.
The court petition argued that the NMAA was impeding Beltran’s opportunity to wrestle in front of college coaches at the district and state tournaments and hurting his chances at a college scholarship.
District tournaments were held last weekend. Beltran’s attorney, Jerry Archuleta, was hoping Judge Raymond Z. Ortiz would order that Beltran could compete in this coming weekend’s state tournament, where he would have a chance to win a championship and get scouted by college programs.
But the judge said there were insufficient grounds to grant injunctive relief for Beltran. Ortiz also said the case is moot because a wrestler has to
compete at a district tournament in order to be eligible for the state tournament.
Ortiz also said he didn’t immediately grant a temporary restraining order when the petition was filed last week because Archuleta didn’t follow rules requiring that opposing counsel be notified.
Beltran testified Wednesday that during the January match, he was winning by a large margin when Taylor pulled his hair when he had Taylor on his back. He said Taylor later elbowed him on the right side of his face, giving him a black eye.
“I responded in a really bad manner by punching him,” Beltran said. “I learned a lesson from this and understand it was really wrong.”
Although Beltran admitted it would be his fault if he wasn’t allowed to wrestle the rest of the season, he also said he has already faced enough punishment.
“I have already pretty much missed out on tournaments, and I think this will affect me getting scholarships to wrestle in college,” he said.
Videos obtained by the Journal showed that Beltran’s punches came immediately after Taylor — who was lying face down on the mat — threw his right elbow back into Beltran’s head.