Maricopa wrestlers strive against rugged competition

Maricopa High School wrestling coach Conroy Bowman believes that in order to become the best, an athlete must compete against the best.

Bowman’s wrestlers have squared off against several of Arizona’s top programs during the first month of the season, with the goal of gaining valuable experience that will help them in their quest to qualify for the state tournament.

“I feel that the tougher competition that we have, the more chances they have to improve,” Bowman said. “You always want that.”

After beginning the season on Dec. 2 with a 45-34 loss against defending Class 4A-I state runner-up Queen Creek, the Rams won three out of four matches on Dec. 8 in a quadrangular meet at Apache Junction, falling to the host Prospectors and defeating Florence, Chandler Seton Catholic and Tempe McClintock.

Maricopa then competed in the Larry Faust Invitational at McClintock High School on Dec. 17-18. The field for the prestigious tournament featured perennial powerhouses Tucson Sunnyside (which has won 12 consecutive state championships, including last season’s title in Class 5A-II), Payson (last season’s state runner-up in Class 3A), Mesa Dobson and Mesa Red Mountain.

“The tournament at McClintock was extremely tough,” Bowman said. “But it’s good to see how they respond to that much competition. It gives them pretty much a reality check. You can feel good in practice, but once you get out to the mat, you will see how you put things together.”
While none of the Maricopa wrestlers placed at the tournament at McClintock, several advanced deep into the brackets of their weight classes.

“Considering the competition, I think we did well,” Bowman said.

Maricopa freshman Ryan Dougherty (125 pounds), sophomore Jacob Lara (130), junior Adolfo Franco (145) and senior Joey Kelly (171) each advanced to the quarterfinals, while senior Sean Dodge wrestled well against top-notch competition at 215.

“The 215-pound weight class at McClintock had three returning state champions in it, and he was one round away from placing,” Maricopa assistant coach Ryan Nachreiner said about Dodge. “He wrestled tough. He showed a lot of heart and dedication. It was the same with Joey Kelly at 171 pounds. There were a lot of returning state place-winners in the 171 bracket. Both of those guys really stepped up, and they’re making their last surges as seniors.”

Dodge and Kelly both won all five of their matches in the Rams’ early-season meets on Dec. 2 and Dec. 8, as did Lara and sophomore Kyle Kingery (189). Dodge and Kelly are among the team’s senior leaders, along with Dre Diaz, Bradley Thompson and Shakeil Becker.

Diaz wrestles at heavyweight, while Thompson has been planning to move from the 119-pound weight class to 112. Becker has been intending to shift from 152 pounds to 145, with Franco making an accompanying move from 145 to 140.

The Rams’ lineup of top wrestlers also includes sophomore Walter Ibarra (160) and freshmen Sky Murcek (103), Collin Blackburn (112), Aaron Masterson (119) and Fermin Salvidar (135).

“Our veterans are kind of taking us through,” Bowman said. “We have some of the younger underclassmen who are brand new to the sport, so they are trying to learn a huge amount of information in a short span of time. We have both ends of the spectrum, but I’m pretty satisfied with our progression so far.”

The Maricopa wrestlers have been working not only on their physical skills but also on the important decision-making aspects of the sport.

“They have to turn things between being offensive and defensive at a split second,” Bowman said. “It’s good to see guys that are constantly putting combinations together. I think we’re getting more to that point where a guy tries for his primary move, and if that doesn’t pan out, he should immediately go to a backup move.”

The Rams are aiming to be in peak form by the first weekend of February, when they will wrestle in Division III sectional competition at a venue to be announced.

The Arizona Interscholastic Association has assigned Maricopa to Division III, Sectional III for this wrestling season. The Rams will compete in the 16-team sectional along with Safford (which won the Class 3A state championship last season), Tucson Amphitheater, Gilbert Campo Verde, Tucson Catalina, Coolidge, Douglas, Tucson Empire, Florence, Gilbert Higley, Tucson Palo Verde, Rio Rico, Tucson Sabino, Sahuarita, Tucson Santa Rita and Chandler Seton Catholic.

The goal of each wrestler at the sectional will be to place among the top five in his weight class, thus guaranteeing qualification to the following weekend’s Division III state tournament.