Heritage Academy wrestlers pin third consecutive state title

It’s three consecutive state championships for Heritage Academy’s boys wrestling team.

The team recently took a third title at the high school wrestling championships, with Aiden Behnke and Jaxson Howell leading the team.

Behnke, a sophomore in the 175-pound weight class, said he owes his success to his coaches, David Hettinger and Matt Kondravy. Through their teaching wrestling fundamentals, Behnke said he has learned his own successful style.

“They really care about your character,” he said of his coaches. “It really builds you as a human being.”

He said he should have his own style of wrestling down by his senior year.

Behnke said he hopes to move on to college and become a pastor, a career that would also allow him to coach wrestling. He has a 3.5 grade point average.

Howell, a junior in the 113-pound weight class, said he defeated his opponent from Mission Heights Preparatory High School in Casa Grande by one point and it completely sapped his energy.

He took several advanced courses this school year, driving his grade point average up to 4.125. With that GPA he hopes to earn a full-ride scholarship to Northern Arizona University. He hopes to continue hobby wrestling in tournaments.

Hettinger, the team’s coach since 2021, credits his coach, Matt Kondravy, with keeping it a championship team.

“He’s completely changed my way of wrestling,” Hettinger said.

Kondravy said he brought to the team a new way of looking at wrestling.

“I pretty much brought a different perspective. Go against what you learned growing up. It’s kind of what people are teaching these days, which is something different.”

He said he and Hettinger teach college wrestling rather than junior high or high school.

“We always tell these guys that part of wrestling is science, it’s physics actually,” Kondravy said. “It’s motions, counter-motions like a fulcrum, balance counter-balance like using your opponent’s momentum and movement to your advantage.”