As Balcazar chases perfection, senior has nothing left to prove
Rylee Balcazar sees perfection standing in front of her. It’s calling her name and she’s eager to take it.
The Fort Lupton senior girls wrestler didn’t think much of her perfect record until she walked through the doors of Ball Arena for the 2024 CHSAA state wrestling tournament on Thursday.
“I was like ‘ I’m actually undefeated,’” said Balcazar, who enters Saturday 44- 0. “Now, I just want to go all in.”
So far, so good.
Balcazar pinned her way through her first two matches in the 105- pound bracket, taking down Palmer’s Sarah Brown in 47 seconds in the first round, then putting Bennett’s Katelyn Faczak on her back in the quarterfinals in 1: 51.
She cemented a spot in the finals after pinning Chatfield’s Lola Gonzales in 1: 39. Balcazar knows finishing the season undefeated would be a glorious end to her high school career. But her coach, Chris Tijerina, and her teammates would tell you her legacy at Fort Lupton has long been cemented.
As a sophomore in 2021, Balcazar became the first girls champion in the program’s history. Tijerina, a sixth- year coach for the Blue Devils girls team, said the program was known more for its boys wrestlers. He believes Balcazar gave the girls the respect they deserved.
“They look at us like ‘ Fort Lupton is tough,’” Tijerina said. “She has found a way to give us credibility.”
Balcazar has played softball and soccer, ran track and even cheered at Fort Lupton. As a wrestler, she’s pushed herself to be someone her teammates can look up to. Tijerina said Balcazar stepped up as a vocal leader this winter, whether she’s encouraging nervous freshmen at tournaments or singing and dancing during practice to boost the team’s morale.
Blue Devils senior Abigail Retana said Balcazar has been more of a coach to her than a teammate. She credits Balcazar for teaching her everything she needed to know about wrestling.
“I think I got this far because of her, being a good partner and a friend,” said Retana ( 28- 20).
Retana was originally wrestling at 115 pounds, but Tijerina feared she wouldn’t qualify for the state tournament because her weight class was tough. Balcazar, who wrestled at 110 pounds, stepped in and decided to drop down to 105 pounds so Retana could wrestle in her weight class and compete in the state tournament.
Even though wrestling is an individual sport, Balcazar has been the ultimate team player.
“( Balcazar) stepped up ( to be) the person ( that’s) willing to make sacrifices for the team because she wants to better the team. Not just herself,” Tijerina said.
While trying to be a source of inspiration for her teammates and future wrestlers at Fort Lupton, Balcazar puts plenty of pressure on herself to be the best.
A low point came when she lost in the state semifinals last season. Through that frustration, Balcazar has fueled an impressive senior season that could end with a perfect record.
Tijerina has encouraged her to treat wrestling as a learning experience and not worry about wins and losses. She already has a spot secured on Division II Chadron State’s wrestling team next year. Balcazar still wants more.
“I never went undefeated. And that was my No. 1 goal throughout my four years,” Balcazar said. “All the other ( wrestlers) look up to me… That keeps me striving to do more.”
Balcazar sees perfection in the distance. But no matter if she reaches that goal or not, she has set the standard for girls wrestling at Fort Lupton.
“I want her to be that staple that everyone in our program strives for,” Tijerina said. “I want ( them) to say ‘ I wanna be like Rylee.’”