D-I wrestling: Mesa Mtn. View repeats as team champ

February 14, 2015 by Les Willsey, AZPreps365


Mesa Mountain View wasn't as dominating as anticipated this weekend, but the Toros still had enough firepower to claim their second consecutive Division I wrestling title at Prescott Valley Events Center.

Mountain View finished with 193 points with 10 of its 12 wrestlers placing. Sunnyside was a distant second at 158. Ironwood Ridge (118.5) was third, Red Mountain (109) fourth and Desert Vista (91) fifth. Eleven schools crowned a champ, led by Sunnyside with three and Mesa High two. Nine other schools claimed one title each. Mountain View won by 55 points last year and didn't eclipse last year's winning total of 197 points.

Mountain View was thought by many to be in line for at least four individual championships this weekend. Losses Friday by Paden Mason and Anthony Wokasch took away two of those possiblilites. Both came back through the consolaton bracket to finish third. In Saturday afternoon's finals Mountain View advanced three, but defending champ Blake Monty lost at 152 and Weston Taylor bowed to his toughest foe this year, Westwood's Austin Moyer, for a second time at 160. The Toros only state champ was Kieffer Taylor (170). Kieffer Taylor pinned Sunnyside's Sebastian Mordeca at the 4:55 mark.

Placing along with Kieffer Taylor, Weston Taylor, Monty, Mason and Wokasch for Mountain View were: Rylan Evans (113-5th); Kade Williams (126-6th); Jerod Booth (132-3rd); Phoenix Hollen (195-3rd) and Nicolas Estrada (220-5th).

Only two of four defending champions repeated. Ironwood Ridge's Danny Vega (113) and Sunnyside's Juaquin Olivas (132). Monty and Centennial's Lewis Arendall fell short. Olivas's ttile was his third in a row. The senior was runner-up his freshman year.

Joining Olivas as champs for Sunnyside are Roman Bravo-Young (106) and Angel Laguna (120). Mesa High's two champs are James Williams (152) and Jonathan Allen (182). Rounding out the first-place finishers: Corona del Sol's Ryan Farina (126); Sandra Day O'Connor's Taylor Rich (138); Dobson's Josh Jaramillo (145); Desert Vista's Jeremiah Imonode (195), Marana's Travis Howard (220) and Mesquite's Roy Lopez (285).