Five wrestlers from Yuma Union High School District schools earned individual state titles at the three-day Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) wrestling championships in Phoenix.
Cannon Farrar from Gila Ridge High School was the 120-pound boys champion in Division I, while Kofa High School’s David Elias took home the Division I title at 132 pounds.
“I couldn’t be prouder,” GRHS boys wrestling coach Abel Villamoreno said. “Finishing sixth as a team in the toughest division and putting three wrestlers in the top three says a lot about their hard work and the direction of our program. The best part is every wrestler who finished on the state podium, including our two-time state champion (Farrar), is coming back next year, along with six returning state qualifiers who are determined to get on that podium.”
Somerton High School produced three state champions. Jayden Preston at 113 pounds and Kenneth Garcia at 120 pounds were Division IV boys title winners, while Annette Preston won the 185-pound title in girls Division II.
“The direction for the program can only get better from here on out, the sky’s the limit,” SHS girls wrestling coach Christopher Polanco said. “We managed to place, not only without any seniors, but missing five weight classes. The addition of the incoming freshman from middle school and a little bit of on-campus recruitment will help us build. A second-place finish helps makes it a whole lot easier to convince some ladies to come out and contribute to our program.”
Overall, nearly half of the district-record 49 wrestlers who qualified for state placed in the top six. Meanwhile, four programs also finished in the top 10 of team points, including Somerton girls placing second in Division II, Gila Ridge and Kofa boys finishing sixth and 10th, respectively, in Division I, and Somerton boys finishing sixth in Division IV.
Here are all YUHSD wrestlers who placed at the state finals:
BOYS
Gila Ridge High School, Division I
- Cannon Farrar, 120, first
- Ayden Sevilla, 106, second
- Raidyn Tanaka, 150, third
- Diesel Labady, 132, sixth
Kofa High School, Division I
- David Elias, 132, first
- Logan Whitacre, 215, third
- Roman Jaimes, 126, fifth
Somerton High School, Division IV
- Jayden Preston, 113, first
- Kenneth Garcia, 120, first
- Aztlan Raya, 106, fifth
- Diego Felix, 126, fifth
- Jose Perez, 138, sixth
- Peter Rivas, 285, sixth
Yuma High School, Division III
- Jayden Espinoza, 126, second
GIRLS
Gila Ridge High School, Division I
- Georgia Barron, 120, sixth
Somerton High School, Division II
- Annette Preston, 185, first
- Jordyn Isla, 114, third
- Breilla Reynoso, 120, third
- Gianna Anaya, 235, third
- Ariana Villafana, 107, fifth
This article was provided as a press release from the Yuma Union High School District.
