Southern Arizona teams ready to impact boys wrestling state championships after maskless sectionals

The COVID-19 pandemic changed the scheduling and location of the Arizona state championships.

But it didn't deny several perennial wrestling powerhouses from making their impact heading into state.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association's 2021 Division I through III boys wrestling state championship brackets were locked in after the preliminary sectional tournaments were held at 12 different high schools Saturday.

The state sectionals were the first boys wrestling competitions since the AIA removed its mask requirement for winter sports competition March 2.

"It's way better not having to wear the mask," Perry's 170-lbs. sectional champion Caleb Milnes said. "While wearing masks, you would be exhausted by the end of the first period, not being able to breath. But without the mask, you have your energy throughout the whole match, nothing restricting your breathing."

The Division IV state championships will be on the 12th and 13th, Division III is the 18th, Division II is March 19, and Division I is the following day.

The 2021 boys state tournament was originally scheduled to be at Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix last April, moving from the tournament's usual location at Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott Valley. But due to those venues rental costs and the AIA's loss of income from the pandemic,  the organization changed the state championships’ venue to a smaller capacity, scheduling for one division per day at Poston Butte High School.

Tucson Sunnyside, Safford, two-time defending Division I champion Peoria Liberty, Mesa Desert Ridge and Queen Creek Casteel are sending 13 of its wrestlers to state.

Those programs are tied for the most state championship qualifiers among the Division I through III's four sections.

Sunnyside has won four consecutive state titles as it has hovered between Divisions I and II over the past four season.

After winning the 2018 Division I team title, the Blue Devils were moved down the following year by the AIA to Division II and won back-to-back Division II titles.

Sunnyside won five state titles over the past ten years and had four consecutive Division I second-place team finishes from 2014 to 2017.

"I feel good about Division I competition, but the upper weights are a lot tougher," Sunnyside head coach Anthony Leon said. "Every team seems like they've come to wrestle. When we were in Division II, we were in the toughest division down south. I think that prepared our guys because our guys have done it before."

Sahuarita and Safford, two other southern Arizona teams that had success in state sectionals, are ready to make their presence felt in the East Valley next weekend.

"Lot of respect to the East Valley and lot of respect to the Phoenix area, but we're representing for Tucson and the south and we feel good," Leon said.

Two-time defending Division I state champion Peoria Liberty won Section IV at Surprise Shadow Ridge.

Division I Section II winner Desert Vista and Division I Section I runner-up Gilbert Perry are tied for the second-most with 11 of each school's wrestlers heading to state. 

Wrestlers competed in 14 weight classes from 106 to 285, vying for spots in the Divisions I through IV state tournaments from March 16-20 at San Tan Valley Poston Butte High School.

Division I

Sunnyside has the most team points among all teams in Division I teams.

The Blue Devils have three returning state champions and five state finalists in their respective weights last season heading back to state.

One of Sunnyside's defending state titleholders is undefeated senior Sebastian Robles (8-0), who won his second consecutive sectional title Saturday. 

Robles moved up to the 160 from 145 this season and beat Mesa Red Mountain junior Wyatt Powell by major decision, 13-8. 

"I just feel grateful for every opportunity we get because we almost didn't have one," Robles said referring to the AIA's winter season.

The 2020 Division I team runner-up Yuma Cibola took second place in Section 3 at Phoenix Pinnacle. Cibola has 10 wrestlers competing at state Saturday.

Team scores for Division I Sections I - IV team winners: Sunnyside (270.5); Desert Vista (189); Mesa Desert Ridge (213); Liberty (232.5)

Division II

Casteel's 13 state qualifiers are a solid reload to potentially win more individual titles. The Colts had just two state finalists in 2020, sophomore Jackson Rustad and junior AJ Valle.

Rustad (7-0) moved up from the 106 to becoming the Division II Section III's 113 state champion. Valle went from the 160 last year to earning a 195 sectional title. 

The Colts' top wrestle junior Brendan Callison (15-1) earned the 170 title. 

“I am excited for our team as we move on to the next level,” Casteel head coach and Brendan’s father Bob Callison said in an email. “Marana Mountain View has a great team and we will need to wrestle our best with those 13 guys in order to compete with that great team. With all that we have been through this past year, not sure how we could not be excited to have our state tournament.

“Thankful for the AIA and the administration for making the state tournament come about.  Great work from them and proud of our great state of Arizona wrestling family.”

Mountain View Marana was the Division II Section IV host and team title winner.

The two-time Division II state championship runner-up had six first-place wrestlers Saturday, including its unbeaten seniors Chris Lopez (13-0)  and Gilbert Rodriguez (5-0).

Lopez won the 138 last year and moved up to the 160 this season. Undefeated senior Rodriguez moved up being last year's 120 state champion and qualified at the 132 winner.

Team scores for Division II Sections I - IV team winners: Yuma Gila Ridge (154.5);  Ironwood (146); Casteel (264); Mountain View Marana (219)

Division III

Safford had just one 2020 state finalist Robert White who went undefeated at 55-0 before he graduated in May.

The Bulldogs will have thirteen state qualifiers in the championships. They earned first-place in Division III Section IV at Florence.

Sahuarita, which earned second place Division III in 2020, took second place (183) in Section IV and had four first place winners in their respective weights.

Three of Sahuarita's wrestlers are undefeated lightweights, and just one regular season loss among the program's four's sectional first-place winners record. Three of them are sophomores including 170-pounder Julian Prieto (7-1), Christian Lopez in the 126; the 113's Justin Fox in the 113, and junior Jayden Rael (11-0) in the 106. 

Snowflake edged American Leadership-Gilbert North by just nine points in Division III Section III at Payson.

The Lobos had the slimmest margin of victory and Safford had highest team point total among the division's four sectional team winners.

Team scores for Division III Sections I - IV team winners: Bradshaw Mountain (169); Snowflake (191); Coconino (164); Safford (204)

Division IV

There were not enough Division IV teams who had full regular seasons, or had them canceled altogether. The AIA is qualifying every wrestler who is able to compete in that division's state tourney.

“The drop in total numbers of wrestlers (for) Division IV had 466 certified wrestlers in 2020-21 compared to 895 in 2019-20,” said Dean Visser, the AIA Executive Board member who oversees the boys and girls wrestling state tournaments, in an email.

”The wrestling sports advisory committee and AIA staff made the decision to hold a two day state tournament allowing each Division IV school the opportunity to enter one wrestler per weight class instead of having four separate sectional wrestling tournaments. We anticipate that we will be back to sectional tournaments for Division IV next year.”

Teams to watch: Morenci, Santa Cruz, Heber Mogollon, Phoenix Arizona Lutheran, St Johns and Yuma Catholic.

Have tips for us? Reach the reporter at dana.scott@azcentral.com or at 480-486-4721. Follow his Twitter @iam_DanaScott.

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