All-Tribune First Team
Wt. Name Yr. School Comment
106 Tristan Moran Fr. Chandler Openly talked about winning four state titles. One down, three to go.
113 Travis Matt So. Horizon Top-seeded third-place finisher lost a tough semifinal match to end title hunt.
120 Dalton Brady Jr. Chandler Returned from Olympic Training Center rusty in folkstyle but never challenged after first match.
126 Octavio Penunuri Sr. Mtn. View Epitome of a Toro wrestler - keeps busting his tail until he finds the top of the podium.
132 Robbie Mathers Sr. Desert Vista Went 21-1 in state tournaments, winning three titles after finishing third as as freshman.
138 Robert Sobarzo Sr. Desert Vista Wrestled his best when it counted most, winning the toughest weight class in the state.
145 Seth Monty Jr. Mtn. View Came up short in winning his second state title, but will be a top contender for No. 2 next year.
152 Samson Imonde Sr. Horizon Showed last year’s epic fail at state was a blip as he cruised to state title after transfer from Central.
160 Dorian Coleman Sr. Mesa Didn’t make lineup full-time until last season and promptly ripped off two state titles in a row.
170 Garrett Ryan Jr. Horizon Smooth and dedicated, Ryan brings home title after finishing fifth last seasson.
182 Christian Allen Sr. Highland Physical specimen won state title handily after being upset in last year’s quarterfinals.
195 Alex Bambic Jr. Desert Vista Three-time state placer, two-time state champion can become school’s second three-timer next season.
220 Ben Andrew Jr. Mesa Leap year? Yeah, no kidding. Went from state qualifier to state champ by beating four champions in one year.
HVY Richard Castro Sr. Marcos de Niza Second seed, made the finals before falling to undefeated champion Luke Braun of Shadow Mountain.
Wrestler of the Year: Ben Andrew, Mesa
Coach of the Year: Vidal Mejia, Chandler: Mejia may have taken a lesser role this year in announcing Curtis Owen as co-head coach, but his fingerprints were all over the Wolves’ first state title since 1990. The top is pretty far from the bottom where the Wolves finished at the state tournament in Mejia’s first season 10 years ago.
All-Tribune Second Team
Wt. Name Yr. School Comment
106 Gary Smith So. Desert Ridge Continued Jaguars’ lower weight tradition of putting some in title contention before finishing third.
113 Zach Roybal Jr. Marcos de Niza Took long road to fourth-place finish after losing first-round match.
120 Da’Wayne Robertson Sr. Westwood Self-made wrestler beat a four-time champion (Safford’s Trey Andrews) and almost reached Brady’s level
126 Glenn Farina So. Corona del Sol Made the semifinals in Division I before finishing sixth.
132 James Sanchez Sr. Tempe State champ had chip on his shoulder after finishing lower on the podium as a junior than as a soph.
138 Jesse Morales Jr. Marcos de Niza The path to his second state title was almost stopped in the quarterfinals, but squeaked out 6-5 win.
145 Jared Johnson Sr. Gilbert One of the state’s best athletes frustrated opponents with speed and elusiveness.
152 Marshall Varner Jr. Brophy State runner-up pushed Imonode but didn’t have enough in the end.
160 Derek Schiefer Sr. Canyon State Third-place at state.
170 Diego Alvarado Sr. Chandler Helped Wolves to state team title after breakout year led to runner-up finish.
182 Jay Tucker Sr. Corona del Sol Looked unbeatable early in the year but injuries slowed path to state title.
195 Alex Burgoyne Sr. Hamilton Three of five defeats came at the hand of two-time champion Bambic.
220 Jake Lee Jr. San Tan Foothills Rocked his way to becoming the program’s first true state champion.
HVY Steve Rodriguez Sr. Corona del Sol One of the few Aztec wrestlers to wrestle to potential at state tournament, finishing second.
Honorable Mention
106: Ryan Kuhn, Basha; Brian Mitchell, Desert Vista; Gabriel Cobb, Williams Field.
113: Nathan Bosley, Perry; Ted Rico, Combs; Zach Sanchez, Camp Verde.
120: William Maxon, Horizon; Joey Diaz, Skyline; Marcus Begay, Higley.
126: Brian Devine, Chandler; Estevan Ulibarri, Hamilton; Marc Uehling, Apache Junction.
132: Zach Walton, Corona del Sol; Jordan Velasquez, Hamilton; Cayman Nielson, Mountain View; John Naeole, Basha; MacKenzie Hill, Queen Creek.
138: Curt Done, Highland; Bryant Wood, Horizon; Daniel Cartegena, Corona del Sol; Blake Monty, Mountain View; Rich Flores, Marcos de Niza; Rand Hawk, Campo Verde, Justin Olmsted, Higley.
145: Derek Alllen, Desert Vista; Ethan Tursini, Corona del Sol; Austin Schmidt, Brophy; Tyler Graham, Notre Dame.
152: Joe Pyper, Mesa; Mason Darveaux, Highland; Curtis Buelna, Chandler; Andrew Finn, McClintock; Alex Bacon, Valley Christian; Miguel Villegas, San Tan Foothills.
160: Brandon Stratton, Red Mountain; Daniel Savage, Chandler; Payton Vermeesch, Pinnacle; Robert Butler, Corona del Sol.
170: Dante Patrick, Desert Mountain; Dylon Yole, Marcos de Niza; Hayden Moore, Queen Creek; Andrew Jensen, Campo Verde; Alex Farrar, Seton Catholic.
182: Alex Andresen, Hamilton; Anthony Aguilar, Chaparral; Dillon Pigsley, Marcos de Niza; Talon Higgins, Canyon State.
195: T.J. Thomas, Dobson; Hugo Villa, Desert Mountain; Adam Pavlenko, Marcos de Niza; Alex Buppert, Campo Verde.
220: Jerad Humphries, Basha; Drew Lattner, Chandler; Zack Yazzie, Higley.
HVY: Mike Kaledjian, Red Mountain; RayShawn Bogan, Desert Ridge; Matt Sohky, Campo Verde; Sean Little, Combs; Sidney Causey, Tempe.
azwrestling posted at 2:41 pm on Wed, Mar 7, 2012.
Walton at Corona should be on second team, he defeated sanchez twice on head to head matches.