By Nathaniel A. Lopez
On Friday, Feb. 18, three wrestlers from Hayden geared up to compete in the first day of the Division IV Wrestling State Championships at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Colosseum in Phoenix.
Representing Hayden High School were: Sophomores Johnny Arbizo (157 lbs.) and Ismael Gallego (165 lbs.), and Freshman Fernando Aragon (285 lbs.).
The first round of wrestling saw Arbizo pin his opponent from Camp Verde. Gallego lost by fall to Benson, and Aragon lost by fall to Morenci, sending the two to the consolation rounds. In the consolation rounds Gallego faced off against Wickenburg, losing by fall once more. Aragon wrestled against Mountain Valley for his consolation round match, but lost by fall, putting Gallego and Aragon out of the tournament.
In the second round, Arbizo found himself wrestling against Morenci. During the match Arbizo had trouble finding control of the match, and was down 0-10 in the second period when the match was paused due to Arbizo receiving a leg injury. After checking to see if Arbizo was fine enough to wrestle, they continued into period three, until his leg continued to cause trouble. The referee ended the match at the beginning of the third period due to injury, giving Arbizo his first loss of the day and sending him to the consolation round. For his consolation round match, Arbizo went up against St. Johns. During the match Arbizo fought hard for control, but his opponent wouldn’t budge. In the remaining seconds of the match Arbizo found himself fighting hard to stay off his back, but St. Johns was able to get the pin, putting Arbizo out of the tournament, and ending the 2021-2022 season for the Hayden wrestling team.
“This season had its ups and downs, with injuries, and this COVID pandemic. The wrestlers stuck with the program and finished the season with three wrestlers competing at state. We are very proud of them,” commented head coach Rupert Gonzales. “For next year’s wrestling season, we’re hoping for more wrestlers to come out and have more wrestlers qualify for state.”
Fernando Aragon (in blue) wrestles for the Lobos. (Photo by Nathaniel Lopez)
Johnny Arbizo (in blue and white) wrestles for Hayden.