Sunnyside won the 33rd state title in program history last year by putting up 277.5 points which is the third most in Arizona. The Blue Devils hold six of the top eight scoring totals including the state record of 282 scored in 2000.

The Blue Devils held off Mountain View Marana 277.5 to 176 to capture the Division II championship held in Prescott Valley. The Blue Devils also captured the D-II championship in 2019 but the team has been moved back up to D-I where the team won the 2018 state title.

Liberty won the 2019 and 2020 D-I titles so the Lions and Blue Devils are set to collide. Sunnyside returns seven medalists and five state champions and the Lions return four medalists and two state champions.

Chandler senior Zach Espalin is a 3-time state champion.

Mountain View Marans took second place to Sunnyside in 2019 and 2020 and the program returns nine medalists and two state champions. Ironwood Ridge took third last year and the team returns five medalists.

In D-III action, Sahuarita took second to Yuma 111 to 91.5 last winter and Walden Grove knocked off Yuma the year before and Yuma beat Walden Grove in 2018. Look for the three programs to battle this winter along with Chino Valley.

D-III individual title are up for grabs as only four state champions return from this division.

Santa Cruz won the D-IV title last year after winning it all in 2019. In all, the Dust Devils have seven team championships dating back to 1977 and the program returns eight medalists and five individual champions from last year including Wyatt Ogle (138) and Hunter Ogle (160).

Morenci and St. Johns are always in the mix in D-IV and Morenci returns four runner-up finishers from last year.

All ten state individual champions return on the girl’s side and an incredible 149 of the 160 medalists return including 2-time state champions Sierrah Thrun (Corona del Sol/110), Carolina Moreno (Kofa/125) and Mia Didur (Centennial/185).

The three standouts are seniors so we will not see any 4-time state champions next year or the year after. Current sophomores Adacelli Noriega (118) of Bisbee and Naomi Norton (225) of Arizona Lutheran are theoretically able to win four state championships but that will not happen until 2023.

This is the first year for a possible team champion in girls wrestling in Arizona.

Salpointe and Catalina Foothills opted out fo wrestling this year.

 

LINK: WINTER SPORT MODIFICATIONS

 

RETURNING STATE CHAMPIONS

 

D-I: Liberty

D-II: Sunnyside

D-III: Yuma

D-IV: Santa Cruz

 

 

NOTE: 2019-2020 weight classes

 

DIVISION I

106: Logan Smith (Desert Vista) So.
113: Zander Phaturos (Liberty) Jr.
120: Zach Espalin (Chandler) Sr. 3X
126: Juan Sierra (Cibola) Sr.
138: Tyler Sauter (Liberty) Jr.
195: Liam Hoffmeyer (Cibola) Sr.
285: Jacob Moore (Boulder Creek) Sr.

DIVISION II

106: James Williams-Armstrong (Sunnyside) So.
113: Job Lee (Sunnyside) So.
120: Gilbert Rodriguez (Mountain View Marana) Sr.
132: Jaime Rivera (Sunnyside) Jr.
138: Chris Lopez (Mountain View Marana) Sr.
145: Sebastian Robles (Sunnyside) Sr.
160: Fernando Villascusa (Sunnyside) Jr.

DIVISION III

113: Colby Evens (Chino Valley) Sr.
170: Conrad Brady (Mingus) Sr.
220: Jayden Dobson (Yuma) Sr.
285: Taniela Taunima (Combs) Sr.

DIVISION IV

106: Terrell Kinlicheenie (Joseph City) Jr.
113: Davian Guanajuato (Santa Cruz) Sr.
120: Cael Porter (Mogollon) Jr.
126: Emilio Ysquirre (Santa Cruz) Jr.
138: Wyatt Ogle (Santa Cruz) Jr.
160: Hunter Ogle (Santa Cruz) Sr.
182: Diego Chavez (Santa Cruz) Jr.
285: Christian Contreras (Bisbee) Sr.

GIRLS DIVISION I

101: Emily Porras (Ironwood) Jr.
110: Sierrah Thrun (Corona del Sol) Sr. 2X
118: Adacelli Noriega (Bisbee) So.
125: Carolina Moreno (Kofa) Sr. 2X
130: Bree Garcia (Barry Goldwater) Jr.
135: Genesis Higuera (Odyssey Institute) Jr.
145: Taliyah Armstrong (Westwood) Jr.
160: Angie Ochoa (Maryvale) Sr.
185: Mia Didur (Centennial) Sr. 2X
225: Naomi Norton (Arizona Lutheran) So.

 

RETURNING STATE RUNNER-UPS

 

D-I: Cibola

D-II: Mountain View Marana

D-III: Sahuarita

D-IV: Morenci

 

BOYS DIVISION I

106: Joey Jarman (Mesa) So.
113: Noah Kasprowicz (Boulder Creek) Sr.
120: Cesar Avelar (Brophy Prep) Jr.
138: Dalton Loyden (Chandler) So.
152: Kalvin Boggs (Queen Creek) Sr.
285: Dante Smith (Desert Ridge) Sr.

BOYS DIVISION II

106: Jackson Rustad (Casteel) So.
113: Colby Ryan (Raymond Kellis) So.
120: James Brown (Sunnyside) Sr.
132: Markell Rivera (Ironwood) So.
145: Austin Scott (Mountain View Marana) Jr.
152: Rene Flagoso (Sunnyside) Jr.
160: AJ Valle (Casteel) Jr.
170: Gabe Levy (Cienega) Sr.

BOYS DIVISION III

106: Cole Housley (Show Low) Sr.
113: Mario Bugarin (Yuma) Sr.
120: Christian Lopez (Sahuarita) So.
132: Armando Valencia (Peoria) Sr.
138: Jesus Rivera (Tempe) Sr.
145: Seth Fernandez (Combs) Sr.
152: Payton Wayman (Lee Williams) Jr.

BOYS DIVISION IV

106: Soloman Lucero (Morenci) So.
113: Zachery Ruiz (Page) Sr. 1X
120: Marcus Morales (Morenci) Sr.
126: Conrad Aguallo (Morenci) Sr.
138: Malaki Porter (Mogollon) Jr.
152: Cody Torres (Morenci) Jr.
220: Kellen Gibson (Az College Prep) Sr.
285: Skylar Guerrero (Miami) Sr.

GIRLS DIVISION I

106: Tori Miller (Gilbert) Jr.
110: Anneliese Kisting (Ben Franklin) So.
118: Isabelle Munoz (Casteel) So.
125: Tiffany Aguirre (Maryvale) Sr.
130: Mylei Seigla (Canyon Del Oro) Jr.
135: Sara Schmoker (Liberty) Sr.
145: Olivia Bauer (Ironwood) Sr.