Safford Wrestling geared up for State

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Xavier Rivers (285) rolled Jaden Trebes of Walden Grove on his back. The Safford freshman brought the x-factor into play, posting a pin in 1:42 and was awarded a forfeit from Rio Rico. Safford defeated Walden Grove 57-24 and Rio Rico 77-0 on Jan. 17. The Bulldogs head to Apache Junction on Jan. 24 for a final meet before the Feb. 10 Sectional.

Bulldogs close regular season in Apache Junction

By Raymundo Frasquillo

SAFFORD – The Herman Andrews Jr.-coached Safford wrestlers are nearing the close of the regular season, competing in the Apache Junction meet on Wednesday, Jan. 24. The state qualifying meet is at Sahuarita Walden Grove, 15510 South Sahuarita Park Rd.

Douglas, Rio Rico, Sahuarita, and Sahuarita Walden Grove, along with Tucson schools Amphitheater, Empire, Mica Mountain, Sabino, Sahuaro, and Salpointe Catholic join Safford in the Division III – Section IV meet on Feb. 10. The state meet is a week later.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Noah Dominguez (157) grabs the torso and applies his weight on Walden Grove junior Luke Posey. The Safford senior recorded a pin with 57 seconds left in the first period, going 6-2 with six pins for the month.

The Bulldogs greeted 2024 by finishing second during the 22-team 57th Peoria Tournament of Champions, scoring 174 points or 168.5 fewer than meet winner Tucson Sunnyside (342.5) on Jan. 6.

A week later, Safford placed first place, scoring 199 points or five more than runner-up Gilbert American Leadership (194), in the 32-team 59th Doc Wright Invitational on Jan. 13.

The Bulldogs downed Tucson Mica Mountain 69-8 and Tucson Salpointe Catholic 48-29 on Jan. 10 as well as Rio Rico 75-0 and Walden Grove 57-24 on Jan. 17, with both meets held in Norma Bellamy Gymnasium.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Safford received seven forfeits from Walden Grove and six from Rio Rico on Jan. 17. Kaleb Cordova (165) heads for a handshake of the opposing head coach after being declared the bout winner. The Safford senior recorded a pair of forfeits versus Walden Grove and Rio Rico, totaling a 13-2 mark with seven pins and placing third in Peoria and second in Winslow this month.

Thus far in January, Safford’s line-up has been senior Jeremiah Durazo (106, 6-4, 6 pins), freshman Alex Chacon (113, 9-3, 4 pins) placed 1st in Peoria and 3rd in Winslow, sophomore Isaac Contreras (113/120, 8-7, 8 pins) placed 6th in Winslow, senior Gabriel Enriquez (120/126, 13-3, 9 pins) placed 3rd in Peoria and Winslow, freshman Elias Cardenas (126, 1-1), senior Anthony Garrobo (132, 12-5, 6 pins) placed 4th in Peoria and 6th in Winslow, junior Teegan Baldwin (138/144, 10-4, 5 pins) placed 3rd in Winslow, junior Nathaniel Rodriguez (138/144, 9-4, 6 pins), sophomore Daniel Roybal (150, 4-6, 2 pins), senior Noah Dominguez (157, 6-2, 6 pins), senior Kaleb Cordova (165, 13-2, 7 pins) placed 3rd in Peoria and 2nd in Winslow, senior Gary Smith (175, 11-4, 10 pins) placed 3rd in Peoria and 2nd in Winslow, junior Micah Chaplin (190, 9-5, 6 pins) placed 4th in Peoria, senior Brandon Aguilar (215, 9-4, 7 pins), senior Trevor Sanchez (285, 5-5, 4 pins), and freshman Xavier Rivers (285, 1-1, 1 pin).

Chacon and Cordova contributed 52 points apiece, Smith 47, Enriquez 46.5, Garrobo 35.5, Baldwin 27, Chaplin 26, Aguilar 16, Rodriguez and Sanchez 15 each, Durazo 13, Roybal nine, Dominguez eight, Contreras seven, and Cardenas four of the 373 combined team points scored in two tourneys.

Safford – 57, Walden Grove – 24

The Bulldogs posted wins in four of seven head-to-head bouts, three by pin and one by decision while the Red Wolves had three pins. Safford was awarded six forfeits and Walden Grove one.

Enriquez (120) decisioned Walden Grove junior Rand Porter 8-2, Baldwin (138) pinned Walden Grove junior Ammon Kiser in the first period, Dominguez (157) pinned Walden Grove junior Luke Posey in the first period, and Rivers (285) pinned Jadon Trebes of Walden Grove in the first period.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Daniel Roybal (150) works on escaping the grasp of Walden Grove sophomore Joseph Goehring. The match ended favoring the visitor 24 seconds short of the allotted time in a third-period pin.

Garrobo (132), Rodriguez (144), Cordova (165), Smith (175), Chaplin (190), and Aguilar (215) received forfeits.

For Walden Grove, sophomore Brett Bates (113) pinned Contreras in the third period, senior Zachary Bates (126) pinned Cardenas in the first period, and sophomore Joseph Goerhing (150) pinned Roybal in the third period. Senior Parker Boring (106) received a forfeit.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Teegan Baldwin (138) awaits the mat pounding from the official. The Safford junior pinned Walden Grove junior Ammon Kriser with one second left in the first period, posting a 10-4 mark with five pins in January.

Safford – 75, Rio Rico – 0

The Bulldogs notched wins in seven head-to-head bouts, six by pin and one by decision. Safford was awarded six forfeits and there was a double forfeit at 106.

Enriquez (120) pinned Rio Rico sophomore Christian Torres in the first period, Garrobo (132) pinned Rio Rico senior Yael Franco in the first period, Baldwin (138) decisioned Rio Rico senior Joshua Hernandez 1-0, Rodriguez (144) pinned Rio Rico senior Jonathan Escalante in the second period, Dominguez (157) pinned Rio Rico junior Julian Castro in the first period, Smith (175) pinned Rio Rico sophomore Josue Ramirez in the first period, and Aguilar (215) pinned Rio Rico senior Diego Saralegui in the first period.

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Elias Cardenas (126) grabs a wrist to counter the held ankle Walden Grove senior Zachary Bates had. The Safford freshman was pinned in 1:26.*

Contreras (113), Cardenas (126), Roybal (150), Cordova (165), Chaplin (190), and Rivers (285) received forfeits.

Doc Wright Invitational

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Brandon Aguilar (215) inches back to apply his weight on Rio Rico senior Diego Saralegui for a pin. The Safford senior notched a 16-second first-period pin.*

Safford outdistanced a field of 38 teams for a first-place finish, as well as placed seven individuals from second to sixth. The Bulldogs totaled an individual match record of 50-29 with 36 pins and fielded a full team, an entrant in each of the 14 weight classes plus two extra.

Cordova (165, 4-1, 3 pins) and Smith (175, 4-1, 4 pins) both placed second; Chacon (113, 5-1, 1 pin), Enriquez (120, 5-1, 4 pins), and Baldwin (138, 7-1, 3 pins) each placed third; and Contreras (120, 5-3, 5 pins) and Garrobo (132, 4-3, 2 pins) both placed sixth.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Alex Chacon (113) uses his advantage over a Walden Grove opponent to record a first-period pin. The Safford freshman went 9-3 with four pins and placed first in Peoria and third in Winslow during meets this month.

Rodriguez (138, 3-2, 2 pins) bowed out in five bouts; senior Jeremiah Durazo (106, 2-2, 2 pins), senior Brent Richardson (138, 2-2, 2 pins), Dominguez (157, 2-2, 2 pins), Chaplin (190 2-2, 1 pin), and Aguilar (215, 2-2, 2 pins) went four bouts apiece; and Cardenas (126, 1-2, 1 pin), Roybal (150, 1-2, 1 pin), and senior Trevor Sanchez (285, 1-2, 1 pin) went three bouts each.

Cordova and Smith contributed 28 points apiece, Baldwin 27, Enriquez 26.5, Chacon 22, Garrobo 16.5, Rodriguez nine, Dominguez eight, Aguilar, Chaplin, Durazo, Roybal, and Sanchez six apiece, and Cardenas four.

The rest of the top 10 team placers were Mesa Mountain View third with 190 points, Morenci fourth (181.5), Yuma Catholic fifth (168), San Tan Valley Poston Butte sixth (145), New Mexico Bloomfield seventh (126.5), Heber Mogollon eighth (126), New Mexico Aztec ninth (123), and Boulder Creek 10th (113).

Safford – 69, Mica Mountain – 8

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Gabriel Enriquez (120) sits on the arm of Rio Rico sophomore Christian Torres as he goes for the opposite wrist. The Safford senior posted a pin in 1:36, went 13-3 with nine pins, and placed third in Peoria and Winslow during January meets.

The Bulldogs posted wins in 11 of 13 head-to-head bouts, six by a first-period pin, three by second-period pin, and one by decision while the Thunder had a first-period pin, a decision, and was deducted a point for unsportsmanlike conduct. Safford was awarded a forfeit.

*Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Safford head coach Herman Andrews Jr. keeps a keen eye on his wrestlers, offering advice from time to time during each bout.*

Durazo (106) pinned sophomore Brandon Thomas in the first period, Chacon (113) pinned freshman Jackson Arnau in the first period, Contreras (120) pinned junior Dallen Tripp in the first period, Garrobo (132) pinned sophomore Lucas Hager in the second period, Rodriguez (138) pinned junior Julian Papadia in the second period, Baldwin (144) pinned sophomore Logan Brandt in the second period, Dominguez (157) pinned freshman Jeremiah Anderson in the first period, Cordova (165) decisioned junior Conner Hangartener 9-4, Chaplin (190) pinned junior Jaysen Criswell in the first period, Aguilar (215) pinned junior Conner Strong in the first period, and Sanchez (285) pinned junior Michael Quiroz in the first period. Roybal (150) was awarded a forfeit.

For Mica Mountain, Enriquez (126) was decisioned 2-6 and Smith (175) was pinned in the first period.

Safford – 48, Salpointe Catholic – 24

The Bulldogs posted five wins by pin during 11 head-to-head bouts while the Lancers had three pins, two major decisions, and a decision. Safford was awarded three forfeits.

Durazo (106) pinned junior Rhett Palmer in the first period, Enriquez (126) pinned senior Christian Dameron in the first period, Dominguez (157) pinned sophomore John Malovich, Smith (175) pinned junior William Diaz, and Aguilar (215) pinned sophomore Jace Schmidt in the second period.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Nathaniel Rodriguez (144) tries to free his hand as he applies his weight on the shoulder of Rio Rico senior Jonathan Escalante. The Safford junior was awarded a pin at the 3:41 mark.

Garrobo (132), Rodriguez (138), and Cordova (165) received forfeits.

For Salpointe, junior Che Jenkins (113) pinned Chacon in the first period, Aaron Gomez (120) defeated Contreras by 14-6 major decision, junior Nathaniel Higgins (144) defeated Baldwin by 9-0 major decision, freshman Gatlin Geile (150) pinned Roybal, sophomore Joseph Figueroa (190) decisioned Chaplin 10-8, and senior Alejandro Arellano (285) pinned Sanchez in the second period.

Raymundo Frasquillo Photo/Gila Herald: Anthony Garrobo (132) grabs a wrist and places his leg between the legs of Rio Rico senior Yael Franco. The Safford senior pulled him onto his back to record a pin at the end of the first period.

Peoria Tournament of Champions

Safford had six placers of 13 entrants. Chacon (113, 3-1, 2 pins) was first, Enriquez (126, 5-1, 2 pins) and Cordova (165, 5-1, 4 pins) both third, Garrobo (132, 4-2, 2 pins) and Chaplin (190, 4-2, 3 pins) both fourth, and Smith (175, 4-2, 4 pins) fifth.

Aguilar (215) and Sanchez (285) both went 3-2 with three pins; Durazo (106), Contreras (120), and Rodriguez (138) each went 2-2 with two pins; Roybal (150) went 1-2 with a pin; and Baldwin (144) 0-2.

Chacon contributed 30 points, Cordova 24, Enriquez and Chaplin 20 apiece, Garrobo and Smith 19 each, Aguilar 10, Sanchez nine, both Durazo and Contreras seven, Rodriguez six, and Roybal three.

The rest of the top 10 team placers were Phoenix Desert Vista third with 162 points, Glendale Ironwood fourth (161.5), Mesa Desert Ridge fifth (157.5), Mesa Mountain View sixth (146), California Anaheim Servite seventh (145), Gilbert Mesquite eighth (123.5), Yuma Kofa ninth (118), and Peoria Centennial 10th (96.5).