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PHOENIX — When Canyon View's four state champions won their title matches Saturday, they each chose to leap into their coach’s arms.
It made it easier on their coach that four of those five champs weighed 138 pounds or less.
The Jaguars already had a huge lead before the Division II finals over second-place Kofa of Yuma and ended up winning the title by a wide margin, 217 points to 160.5 to claim their first team title.
The Jags’ lighter weights made the title happen. With five individual state titles — from 106-pounder Chris Ramirez, Gabriel Ramirez (120 pounds), Giovanni Martinez Chavez (126 pounds), a defense of a state title by Giosue Hickman (138 pounds) and 190-pound No. 6 seed Sir Friday, who beat the No. 1 seed soundly to claim the final title — the Jaguars who were in the finals looked confident and in a groove with their team fate sealed.
Chris Ramirez of Canyon Vista, right, wrestles Daniel Alire of Kofa in the Division II boys 106-pound final at this weekend’s state championships …
“Our little guys, even the younger ones, they wrestled very poised and wrestled excellent tournaments,” said coach Joey Ortiz. “These guys really want to come through for each other. Those kids look to the left and to the right and they don’t want to let each other down. It’s the ‘band of brothers’ that we talk about a lot in the room.”
Chris Ramirez’s final was the closest. He beat Daniel Alire of Kofa by a 10-8 score.
Other Jaguars helped the team to its title status. Charles Laws-Albano placed third at 144 pounds while Asher Villapando also took third at 175.
Kolton Frye was fourth at 113 pounds. Ruben “Xav” Lerma took fifth at 150. Jonny Tapia was sixth at 132.
Williams Field was a distant third in Division II team points with 128.
Ortiz said with Hickman already committed to Northwestern University, he’s hoping Villapando, a senior, and Gabriel Ramirez, a junior, can end up in college wrestling programs.
Ortiz said a friendly rivalry exists among the wrestlers within the team.
“It’s an individual sport, and they try to one-up each other, and get that extra pin or those extra points,” he said.
Just before Saturday evening’s finals, the entire arena, along with several members of the Koury family, observed a brief presentation on the mats in remembrance of longtime West Valley coach and wrestling pioneer Mike Koury, who passed away in September.
We’d like to invite our readers to submit their civil comments on this topic. Email AZOpinions@iniusa.org. Jason W. Brooks can be reached at jbrooks@iniusa.org.
Asher Villapando of Canyon Vista, right, wrestles Gadiel Meraz of Willow Canyon in a Division II boys 175-pound match Saturday at the state …
Jason W. Brooks Associate Editor
Jason W. Brooks is a News editor for the Daily Independent and the Chandler Independent.
He covers the Chandler area for both yourvalley.net and the monthly print edition while writing for and assisting in the production of the Daily Independent.
Brooks is a well-traveled journalist who has documented life in small American communities in nearly all U.S. time zones.
Born in Washington, D.C. and raised there and in suburban Los Angeles, he has covered community news in California, New Mexico, Arkansas, Iowa, Nebraska and northern Arizona.
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