D-III Wrestling: Sahuarita wins third D-III championship in a row
February 18, 2024 by Andy Morales, AZPreps365
Sahuarita beat district rival Walden Grove 142 to 131.5 to capture the third state championship in a row, all under head coach Paul Vasquez. Safford beat Sahuarita to win the Section IV championship leading up to state, but Vasquez reminded his team that state was different than sectionals.
Walden Grove had two three-time champions in senior Zachary Bates and junior Pedro Mendoza. Sahuarita junior Gabriel Gallardo also won his third. Sahuarita had eight placers with two champions and Walden Grove had five placers with three champions. The extra placers proved to be the difference, especially with nine different schools winning an individual championship.
Sahuarita head coach Paul Vasquez picked up his third straight D-III championship and is favored next year. @Horsepwrwrestle @azpreps365 pic.twitter.com/ZalMpve1pp
— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) February 18, 2024
TEAM STANDINGS
1 Sahuarita 142
2 Walden Grove 131.5
3 Safford 116
MULTIPLE D-III STATE CHAMPIONS
126 Zachary Bates, Sr. Walden Grove (2022, 2023, 2024)
132 Pedro Mendoza, Jr. Walden Grove (2022, 2023, 20243)
157 Gabriel Gallardo, Jr. Sahuarita (2022, 2023, 2024)
215 Devin Kinlicheenie, Jr. Snowflake (2023, 2024)
INDIVIDUAL CHAMPIONS
D3-106: Chrystian Owens (Mohave) 43-1, Jr. over Mark Lipsky (Mesquite) 44-6, Sr. (Dec 10-3)
D3-113: Che Jenkins (Salpointe) 38-0, Jr. over Gage Palace (Payson) 55-4, So. (MD 11-2)
D3-120: Daniel Guerrero (Sahuarita) 55-1, Jr. over Zemira Wilhelm (Show Low) 58-6, Sr. (SV-1 3-1)
D3-126: Zachary Bates (Walden Grove) 52-1, Sr. over Angel Casillas (Mingus) 23-1, Sr. (Fall 3:44)
D3-132: Pedro Mendoza (Walden Grove) 45-3, Jr. over Bergen Doolen (ALA Gilbert) 54-2, Sr. (MD 11-2)
D3-138: Troy Kinlicheenie (Snowflake) 52-1, Sr. over Tyler Metcalf (Deer Valley) 34-4, Jr. (Dec 4-2)
D3-144: Nathanial Higgins (Salpointe) 66-2, Jr. over Nolan Wilson (Coconino) 55-4, Jr. (Fall 5:11)
D3-150: Zayden Cundiff (Florence) 51-3, So. over Alexander Soleimani (Cortez) 18-7, Jr. (Fall 2:30)
D3-157: Gabriel Gallardo (Sahuarita) 50-0, Jr. over Stosh Jobe (ALA Gilbert) 41-5, Jr. (Dec 5-3)
D3-165: Enzo Morales (Walden Grove) 38-1, Jr. over Kaleb Cordova (Safford) 27-4, Sr. (Dec 4-2)
D3-175: Wyatt Rewerts (Prescott) 46-2, Sr. over Tyler Shumway (Mica Mountain) 31-7, Jr. (Dec 6-3)
D3-190: Eric Rodriguez (Mesquite) 42-10, Sr. over Sean Luedy (AZ College Prep) 47-6, So. (SV-1 5-3)
D3-215: Devin Kinlicheenie (Snowflake) 55-0, Jr. over Cayden Gibson (AZ College Prep) 50-3,
D3-285: Nick Hutchins (AZ College Prep) 61-1, Sr. over Santiago Reyes (Deer Valley) 35-5, Sr. (Dec 2-1)
Walden Grove. (Andy Morales/AZPreps365)
