The Grandview junior came back with a vengeance in hopes of a title shot this season and now he has it, as his 9-6 semifinal victory over Coronado’s Aaron Flores Friday night at Pepsi Center landed him a spot in Saturday’s finals.
Santillan improved to 43-4 on the season and set up a championship showdown against Adams City’s Nicholas Sanchez, a 6-0 winner over Bear Creek’s Joseph Enockson in the other semifinal. The pair have wrestled twice this season and each has won once.
The Parade of Champions is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by finals in Classes 2A, 3A, 4A and 5A at approximately 7 p.m.
Santillan was the only one of Grandview’s three semifinalists to advance, as his younger brother Alex and senior Giovani Federico lost at 113 and 120 pounds, respectively.
Courtney Oakes is Aurora Sentinel Sports Editor. Reach him at 303-750-7555 or sports@aurorasentinel.com. Twitter: @aurorasports. FB: Aurora Prep Sentinel