Arizona high school wrestling moves on to the offseason
February 19, 2015 by MaxPreps, AZPreps365
File photo by Chris HookDanny Vega, shown here in last year's Flowing Wells Invitational, cruised to a Division I state title this season.
It was an impressive showing.
But all of it thrown together might not equal what happens in the offseason. That's when two of the nation's best, as well as longtime friends, train together. It's intense, friendly and pay-per-view worthy action.
Ironwood Ridge (Tucson) junior Danny Vega (113 pounds) and Sunnyside (Tucson) freshman Roman Bravo-Young (106) have been training together ever since Bravo-Young's grandfather, Michael Bravo, and Vega's father, Danny Sr., started the Tucson Cyclone wrestling club.
Both wrestlers are nationally ranked in the top five by several websites/publications and only expect to get better this offseason while training together.
"We go way back," Bravo said. "We scrap it out. We don't keep score. I'll have a good day and other days he'll have a good one. We have similar goals. We go to (nationals) in Fargo together and we want to be on the national team together."
Anyone who has stepped into a wresting room knows the daily grind is where the most improvement is made, especially when the drill partner is of equal value or better. Struggling in the practice room leads to strides on the competition mat.
The combo of Vega and Bravo-Young, each of whom cruised to Division I titles, is the latest example.
Another is the Desert Edge (Goodyear) duo of Brandon Courtney (113) and Josh Kramer (126), as the practice partners rolled to Division II titles. Courtney, a sophomore, is another nationally ranked Arizonan while Kramer is a three-time state champ headed to Arizona State in the fall.
There is an inordinate amount, an all-time high, of Arizona state wrestlers that have cracked the national rankings this year, with nearly all of them coming back in 2015-16.
"We all want to be the best and work at it," Courtney said. "And we all hate losing."
Other than the 56 champions – 14 individuals in four divisions – everyone sustained at least one loss over the weekend. Most of the champions, like nationally ranked Ryan Allred, who became the state's 29th four-time champion, were fully expected to finish on the top of the podium. But there were plenty of surprises as well.
One was Dobson (Mesa) wrestler Josh Jaramillo, who took the Division I 145-pound title and looked almost dumbfounded while getting his hand raised before a smile took over.
"It's going to take a couple of days, maybe weeks before I stop (smiling)," Jaramillo said. "This is what we all work for. No one really thought I'd do this, but my coaches kept telling me it was possible.
"It's crazy to be honest and it is surreal," said Jaramillo, who earned his team a trip to Peter Piper. "(The smile) is going to stay with me for a couple of weeks or longer. It may never go away."
Sunnyside four-time finalist and three-time champ Juaquin Olivas needed overtime to beat Cory Crooks of Boulder Creek (Anthem) for the 138-pound D-I title, while Austin Moyer of Westwood (Mesa) hit a lateral drop to pin Weston Taylor of Mountain View (Mesa) for the 160 championship in D-I.
James Williams of Mesa knocked off Mountain View's nationally ranked Blake Monty, 9-8, with a last-second escape after Monty overcame a 6-0 deficit to tie it at eight.
Moves were made, some got countered, some hit the mark. It all added up to Mountain View (DI), Cibola (Yuma) (D-II), Thunderbird (Phoenix) (D-III) and Camp Verde (Camp Verde, Ariz.) (D-IV) coming away with team championships.
The individual wrestlers did their parts so the teams could find their ways to championships.
"Everybody came to wrestle in the Division I tournament," Mountain View coach Bob Callison said. "It's tough just getting here with all those great programs we have in our own backyard. We are proud of what the boys did and what they accomplished this season."
Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic and current Prep Sports Director for 1013 Communications, is a 20-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com.
