Broncs out in first round at state team wrestling tournament

By John Gutekunst
Wednesday, February 25, 2009 9:23 AM MST

The Parker Broncs wrestling team had some problems at the state 3A team wrestling tournament Feb. 21 at Payson High School. The Broncs lost to Blue Ridge High School of Pinetop-Lakeside in the first round, 35-23.

Unlike the meet held the week before for individual wrestlers, this meet was based entirely on team points.

Blue Ridge lost to Holbrook in the semi-finals. Safford defeated Holbrook in the finals to take the state 3A team wrestling championship.

Broncs' Coach Dave Daily said the match with Blue Ridge was hard fought, but the team's performance was off for this meet.

"We didn't come out and perform the way we usually do," he said.

This final meet did not detract in any way from a great season for the Broncs, Daily said. He noted they had six regional champions, a state champion, and five Broncs placed at the state individual tournament. As a team, the Broncs placed sixth in the state.

"We had some great accomplishment," he said.

The Pioneer has learned two more Broncs placed at the state individual meet than were mentioned in the Feb. 18 edition. Their pictures are included here. Phillip Fernandez placed fifth at 119 pounds, and John Russell placed fifth at 171 pounds.

 

Flores takes State 3A wrestling title

By David Bell and John Gutekunst
Tuesday, February 17, 2009 1:18 PM MST

The Parker Broncs have a new state champion.

Jerod Flores defeated Safford's Zach Garcia to take the title at the 3A State Wrestling Championships at the Toyota Center in Prescott Valley Saturday. This marked the fourth year Flores has reached the title round. This time, he came away a champion.

Flores went 3-0 in his quest for the state title, earning a first round bye thanks to his 55-0 record throughout the year and his 3A West Region title he won Feb. 7. In the second round match Flores defeated Wayne Hatch of Snowflake by technical fall (winning by more than 15 points), then he pinned Colton Mortensen of Springerville Round Valley at 1:14 of the first period.

To take the state title, Flores pinned Garcia at 3:10 in the second period.

Three other Broncs had strong performances at the state championships.

Heavyweight James Gilchrist, coming off his region title-winning performance in Wickenburg, looked to continue that streak at the state finals. He defeated Kemish Zielinski of Lakeside Blue Ridge by pin, then he took out Goodyear Estrella Foothills' Gene Olivarez by another pin in the second round. Gilchrist advanced to the championship match by defeating Zach Young of Winslow again by pin in the third round. But Aaron Dawson of Safford was able to avoid Gilchrist and won the title by a 7-2 decision.

The other two strong showings came from region champs Braxton Booth at 145-pounds and Matt Cruz at 160-pound, who both finished third in state competition.

Also placing at the state tournament were John Russell, who placed fifth at 171 pounds, and Phillip Fernandez, who placed fifth at 119 pounds

The Parker Broncs had six regional champions and had 13 wrestlers qualify for the state tournament, giving the school the 3A West Region team title.

The region champions include Dennis Lucas at 125-pounds, in addition to Flores, Booth, Russell, Cruz and Gilchrist.

The other Broncs who qualified for the state tournament included Billy Escoto, who placed third in the region at 103-pounds; Phillip Fernandez, third at 119-pounds; Casey Haacker, second at 130-pounds; Javier Gomez, third at 135-pounds; Nelson Wells, third at 152-pounds; Anthony Wixom, second at 189-pounds; and George Shiller, second at 215-pounds.

Coach Dave Daily said he was impressed with Haacker, who came within one bout of placing at the state meet.

Daily said the Broncs, as a team, placed sixth overall and are sixth seed for the state 3A team championships, which will be held Feb. 21 at Payson High School. This tournament features the top eight teams in the state. In this tournament, total team scores are what counts. The first school the Broncs will face will be Blue Ridge High School from Pinetop-Lakeside.

Daily said he was pleased with how the Broncs performed at the state tournament, and added all their hard work during the season paid off.

"I'm very proud of how our kids wrestled," he said.

Broncs three-peat as region champs

By John Gutekunst
Wednesday, February 11, 2009 12:08 PM MST

The Parker Broncs wrestling team took home their third straight regional title at the 3A West regional tournament Feb. 7 in Wickenburg. They also came away with six regional champions and had 13 wrestlers qualify for the state tournament.

The regional champions include Dennis Lucas at 125 pounds, Jerod Flores at 140 pounds, Braxton Booth at 145 pounds, Matt Cruz at 160 pounds, John Russell at 171 pounds, and James Gilchrist at 285 pounds.

The other Broncs who qualified for the state tournament include Billy Escoto, who placed third at 103 pounds; Phillip Fernandez, third at 119 pounds; Casey Haacker, second at 130 pounds; Javier Gomez, third at 135 pounds; Nelson Wells, third at 152 pounds; Anthony Wixom, second at 189 pounds; and George Shiller, second at 215 pounds.

Coach David Daly said another Bronc wrestler, Amanda Brown at 122 pounds, came very close to qualifying for state. She'll be going to the state girls' tournament.

Flores shared the title of the most outstanding wrestler in the tournament with Kyle Lindahl of Chino Valley and Chris Bas of River Valley. Daly was named the 3A West Wrestling Coach of the Year.

For team points, Parker was first with 196.5 points. Estrella Foothills had 168.5. Wickenburg and River Valley finished in almost a dead heat for third place, with Wickenburg placing ahead by one point, 83 to 82. Chino Valley had 75 points, and Santan Foothills had 36.

Daly said Santan Foothills is actually in the 3A South. However, there were too many teams in the South and not enough in the West. So, for the purposes of regional tournaments, Santan Foothills was moved to the West.

Daly said the Broncs' goal at state is to be one of the top five teams in the state, and to have each wrestler in the top five of his weight class. The state 3A wrestling tournament will be held on Feb. 13 and 14 at the Toyota Center in Prescott Valley.

 

Bronc wrestlers headed for regionals

By John Gutekunst
Wednesday, February 4, 2009 11:26 AM MST

The Parker Broncs' wrestling team is heading into the 3A West regionals on Feb. 7 in Wickenburg. Coach Dave Daly said they have two goals: to have 14 wrestlers qualify for the state meet and to win their third straight regional championship.

Competing for the Broncs in the 140-pound class is the state's career leader for pins: Jerod Flores. Earlier this year, Flores broke the record of 147 held by Jarrod Tavasci. As of press time, Flores had 152 pins.

Flores is a three-time runner-up at the state meet.

Other strong contenders for the Broncs include Matt Cruz at 160 pounds and James Gilchrist at 285 pounds.

The regional meet is based on individual performances. As a team, they have a record of 36-10. Against 3A opponents, they are 19-2.

Last week, on Jan. 28, the Broncs competed in their last meet of the regular season, the Santa Cruz Multiple Meet in Eloy, Ariz. This was a meet where team points counted. Parker went 3-0. They defeated Blue Ridge, 44-30; Santa Cruz, 63-10; and Wickenburg, 69-12. Daly remarked that Santa Cruz was the first school from the 3A South they've faced this season.

The 3A West regionals will begin with weigh-ins at 11 a.m. The matches themselves will begin at 12 noon at Wickenburg High School.

Broncs face tough competition at Mohave Tournament

By John Gutekunst
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 2:33 PM MST

The Parker Broncs wrestling team grappled their way to a fifth-place at the Mohave Invitational Tournament on Jan. 23 and 24 in Bullhead City. Coach Dave Daly noted the Broncs faced some tough teams from Nevada, and they were the only Arizona team to place in the top five. They were also the only Arizona school to have any wrestlers in the finals for their individual weight classes.

A total of 16 schools had teams at the tournament.

The tournament was one where individual performances and team scores were both counted. Parker's Jerod Flores won the 140-pound weight class, and was named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler in the middleweight classes. Matt Cruz placed second in the 160-pound class, and James Gilchrist placed second in the 285-pound class.

Other Parker wrestlers who placed included Billy Escoto (third, 103-pounds), Phillip Fernandez (third, 119-pounds), David Shatto (fourth, 152-pounds) and John Russell (fifth, 171-pounds).

In team competition, the Broncs went 5-2. They defeated Agua Fria, 50-30; Spring Valley, 48-25; Shadow Ridge, 54-29; River Valley, 72-12; and Foothills, 36-30. They lost to Pahrump, 40-29; and San Pasquel, 39-30.

Daly said he was pleased with how the Broncs performed. He said they endured, overcame adversity, and wrestled well.

This week, the Broncs have one more meet for their regular season. On Wednesday, Jan. 28, they'll go on the road for the Santa Cruz Multiple Meet. Following that meet, Daly said the team will be getting ready for the 3A West Regionals, which will be held on Feb. 7 in Wickenburg.

 

Broncs top region opponents at meet

By John Gutekunst
Thursday, January 22, 2009 10:44 AM MST

The Parker Broncs wrestling team faced two tough "dual" meets this past week where team points were all that mattered. They went 3-1 against opponents from the 3A East on Jan. 14, and then faced their conference rivals in the 3A West at the Regional Dual meet on Jan. 17 in Parker. At the latter meet, the Broncs went 4-0 and will represent the West at the 3A Dual Championship on Feb. 21 at Payson.

This meet was not to be confused with the regional championship meet, where team points and individual performances are both counted.

In the 3A West Dual, the Broncs first defeated River Valley, 56-15. They then defeated Wickenburg, 61-18. They followed this by defeating Chino Valley, 51-27, to advance to the championship. The Broncs then defeated Estrella Foothills, 42-32, to take the title.

Coach Dave Daly said the match with Estrella Foothills was a close one.

"It was a really good, hard-fought match," he said.

Among the Broncs who won individual matches were Javier Gomez (135 pounds), David Shatto (152 pounds), John Russell (171 pounds), James Gilchrist (285 pounds), and Dennis Lucas (125 pounds). The Broncs also won several individual matches by forfeit because their opponents had no wrestlers in those weight classes.

At the Wickenburg Duals on Jan. 14, the Broncs were paired against teams from the 3A East. Daly said these included some of the best teams in 3A. The scores were Parker 45, Show Low 31; Payson 37, Parker 36; Parker 38, Blue Ridge 35; and Parker 37, Snowflake 36.

New state rankings released last week show three Parker wrestlers in the top five in the state in their classes. Jerod Flores at 140 pounds and Gilchrist at 285 pounds were both ranked second in their classes. Matt Cruz was ranked third at 160 pounds.

This weekend, on Jan. 23 and 24, the Broncs will be headed to Mohave High School for the Mohave Invitational.

 

Bronc grapplers start year with tough competition

By John Gutekunst
Wednesday, January 14, 2009 9:59 AM MST

The Parker Broncs' wrestling team began the year with the Dave Work Memorial Tournament on Jan. 2 and 3 in Mingus Mountain. As a team, the Broncs came away with a record of 3-3, and they had five wrestlers who placed in their weight classes.

Coach Dave Daly said this tournament is usually one of the toughest challenges the team faces during the season. There were 12 schools at the tournament, and most of them were either 4A or 5A.

The Broncs' Jerod Flores placed first in the 140-pound class, while Matt Cruz placed second in the 171-pound class. Other Broncs who placed included Billy Escoto (fourth, 103 pounds), Phillip Fernandez (fourth, 119 pounds) and James Gilchrist (fourth, 285 pounds).

As for team scores, it was Mingus 44, Parker 30; Payson 45, Parker 26; Parker 56, Cactus Shadow 23; Hamilton 47, Parker 30; Parker 48, North (Phoenix) 33; and Parker 48, Flowing Wells 36.

The Broncs followed this tournament with a meet in Chino Valley on Jan. 7. This was a meet where team scores were what counted. The Broncs faced three other schools and defeated all of them. The scores were Parker 48, Chino 24; Parker 45, Maricopa 27; and Parker 60, Wickenburg 16.

This week, on Jan. 17, the Broncs will head to Wickenburg for a meet which will have teams from the 3A West and 3A East facing each other. The meet gets underway at 12 noon at Wickenburg High School.

On Saturday, Jan. 20, the Broncs will host a meet for their 3A West rivals. Daly said this meet should not be confused with the regional championships. The participating schools will have some idea after this meet of what they'll be facing at the regional tournament, which will be in February.

This meet will also be Parents' Day. Daly said the team is planning to honor their parents and families for their support during the season.

Weigh-ins for the meet are at 11 a.m., and the matches start at 12 noon in the Parker High gym.

 

Broncs top wrestlers at Parker meet

By John Gutekunst
Tuesday, December 23, 2008 12:16 PM MST

The Parker Broncs wrestling team continued its winning ways on Dec. 19, as the Broncs became the top team at Parker Multiple Meet. The hometown crowd saw the Broncs defeat three other schools in total points. The scores were Parker 54, Yuma Catholic 21; Parker 63, Camp Verde 8; and Parker 35, San Pasqual 20.

Against Yuma Catholic, David Shatto (189 pounds), George Schiller (215 pounds), Casey Haaker (135 pounds) and Jerod Flores (140 pounds) all won their matches by pins in the first round.

In the 160-pound class, Parker's Matt Cruz faced Yuma Catholic's Alyosha Sandigo, the 2A runner-up at the 2008 state tournament. The match went into extra periods before Sandigo won on points, 7-5.

Parker Coach Dave Daly said this was a well-fought match, and may have the best match of the meet.

"You can expect to see both of these wrestlers at state," Daly said.

Against Camp Verde, the Broncs won several matches by forfeit, as Camp Verde did not have any wrestlers in those weight classes. Parker's James Gilchrist (285 pounds) won his match against Joe Leyva with a pin in the third round. Haaker won his match with Rich Hackett by points, 11-6.

The set against San Pasqual featured some close, hard-fought matches. Daly remarked that San Pasqual is considered one of the top schools in 2A. They placed fifth last year at state, and they're considered to be even better this year.

Winners for Parker included Gilchrist, Billy Escoto (103 pounds), Flores, Anthony Wixom (152 pounds), and Cruz.

"They gave us a good run," Daly said of San Pasqual.

Daly said Wixom, who scored a pin in the second round of his match with Manuel Serta, particularly impressed him. Daly said Wixom had just been promoted for junior varsity, and this was his first win of the season at the varsity level.

Daly said he wanted to thank all the Parker residents who showed up for the meet on Dec. 19. He said the support of the hometown fans is greatly appreciated.

The Broncs' wrestlers will be taking some time off from competition for the holiday break. Their next meet will be the Mingus Invitational Tournament on Jan. 2-3 in Cottonwood, Ariz. Daly said this annual tournament is usually one of the toughest challenges for the Broncs during their regular season.

Bronc wrestlers show their mettle at Buckeye tourney

By John Gutekunst
Wednesday, December 17, 2008 1:42 PM MST
Parker High Wrestling Coach Dave Daly said the Broncs can compete with the best in the state, and they certainly looked like they could at the Buckeye Invitational on Dec. 12 and 13 in Buckeye. Facing mostly 4A and 5A schools, the Broncs placed fourth in the tournament. Daly said they were just six points short of third place.

The Broncs had three wrestlers who won their classes: Jerod Flores (140 pounds), Matt Cruz (160 pounds) and James Gilchrist (285 pounds). Parker was the only school to have three class champions. In addition, Parker's Billy Escoto placed fifth at 103 pounds while John Russell placed fifth at 171 pounds.

Cruz was named the outstanding wrestler of the tournament, while Flores was named the most outstanding middleweight wrestler.

Daly said the team would've scored even more points, but they do not have any wrestlers in the 112 and 119-pound weight classes. Their wrestler in the 145-pound class, Braxton Booth, was wrestling well in the tournament before he was sidelined because of an injury.

"We looked really, really tough," Daly said of the Buckeye tournament. "We believe we can wrestle with the best in the state. This weekend, we started to prove it."

Earlier in the week, on Dec. 10, the Broncs competed in the Palo Verde Invitational in Blythe, Calif. Unlike Buckeye, team point scores were what mattered at this meet. Parker defeated River Valley, 48-25, and Laughlin, Nev., 54-23. They lost to Palo Verde of Blythe, 42-39.

On Dec. 20, the Broncs will host the Parker Multiple Meet at Parker High School. Weigh-ins are at 11 a.m., and the matches start at 12 noon. Daly said he hopes the team's fans will come out and support them.

Parker and Havasu wrestlers face each other at tourney

By David Bell
Friday, December 12, 2008 10:18 AM MST

The Lake Havasu Knights and the Parker Broncs were so even at the Campbell Redi-Mix Invitational at Lake Havasu High School, when they faced each other in a dual match, it was decided by a single point. And it even had to go to a tie-breaker to determine the meet's top wrestler.
Meanwhile Flores just as easily handled Rodolfo Luna from San Luis to take his tournament title. "I thought we really came out and wrestled well," said Broncs head coach David Daly. "We feel we can compete with anybody in the state."

Parker’s other tournament champion was Matt Cruz at 160-point, who pinned Jason Lane of Mesa Red Mountain in the final.
In other individual action, Parker's Billy Escoto finished third at 103-pounds, Lukas Wyckoff was seventh at 119-pounds, Dennis Lucas was sixth at 130-pounds, Manuel Diaz was third at 145-pounds, Nelson Wells was fifth at 152-pounds, John Russell was seventh at 171-pounds, Jerry Balvanz was eighth at 189-pounds, George Schiller was seventh at 215-pounds and James

Gilchrist was third at 285-pounds.

In the first dual meet of the day, Havasu and Parker went back and forth, trading pins. When the final match ended, Havasu took a 37-36 victory.

"We're a young team, but I think we1re right on the edge of breaking away to be one of the great teams in the state," Daly said. "Our kids wrestle hard."

In team scoring, it was Mesa Mountain View in first, followed by Goodyear Millennium, Red Mountain, San Luis, Havasu, Parker, Goodyear Estrella Foothills, Kingman, Avondale Agua Fria, Las Vegas Faith Lutheran and Copper Canyon.