Santa Fe High grappler overcomes struggles for shot at medal

RIO RANCHO — Ryan Means Jr. stepped onto the State Wrestling Championships mat Friday as a first-time qualifier, yet the Santa Fe High sophomore’s debut carried the weight of lessons learned the hard way. A year ago, Means watched the tournament from the stands after academic ineligibility erased his postseason. On Friday, he turned that memory into momentum.

Seeded sixth at 175 pounds in Class 5A, Means opened with a statement, building a 15-0 lead before pinning Carlsbad’s Eddie Lopez at 1:10. The quarterfinals brought a setback—Albuquerque Eldorado’s Martin Lovato countered for a pin with a 10-1 advantage—but Means responded in consolations, flattening La Cueva’s Louis Pennington late in the first period. A Saturday-morning win over Organ Mountain’s Carlos Maldonado will lock him onto the medal podium.

“Not being able to go to regionals and state last year gave me a goal to make it here and stay on top of my grades,” Means said.

Demons head coach Joe Jiron traces the turnaround to a player who embraced the classroom with the same intensity he shows on the mat. “His grades are awesome now,” Jiron said. “He’s just going all out and doing good.”

Means credits family, faith, and wrestling for steering him through personal turbulence that began in middle school after relocating from Chardon, Neb., to Santa Fe. The death of his grandmother and family upheaval sapped his focus; grades slipped once he reached high school. Missing the 2023 state meet became the wake-up call. Stepmother-led church attendance, tutoring, and daily sessions in the wrestling room restored eligibility and confidence.

A five-year-old when he first wrestled in Nebraska, Means arrived at Santa Fe High with polished technique. Jiron’s task was adding strength and mat awareness. The coach praises the sophomore’s coachability—”He listens on top of putting in the work”—and a fluid style that keeps him from stalling in any position.

Means also sings in the school choir and plans to add baseball this spring, keeping a crowded schedule that, Jiron believes, will keep improving the grades that once derailed him.

Santa Fe’s tournament outlook brightened further with sophomore Marina Martinez racing to the girls 235-pound semifinals, pinning both opponents in a combined 83 seconds. She will face Roswell Goddard’s Vanessa Martinez Saturday morning. Pojoaque Valley’s Natalie Romero (140) likewise advanced with two pins and will rematch Kirtland Central’s Hailey Robinson, who defeated her in the Region 1 final.

For Means, the path from ineligible spectator to potential medalist is almost complete. One more victory guarantees hardware—and validates a year spent proving that setbacks can become setups.