Yuma High wins state wrestling title; YUHSD schools thrive at state championships
Yuma Union High School District wrestling programs put together an impressive stretch of wins at the Arizona Interscholastic Association state championships from Feb. 13-15, 2020, including Yuma High School claiming its second state title in three years, and multiple male and female athletes claiming individual victories.
Yuma High, which took the Division III championship in 2018, tallied 111 team points, besting second place Sahuarita by 19.5 to earn its second Division III title under head coach Jeff Welsing. It was the third state title for Yuma High wrestling in program history. Their first victory at state came in 1963.
Jayden Dobson took home the 220-pound individual title, his second in as many years, while five wresters place in the top six.
“We were in second place and down by 5 points to heavily favored Canyon Del Oro [High School] after day one,” Welsing said. “We had 3 in the semifinals and 4 in the consolation round heading into day two. Two of our three semifinalists advanced to the finals (Dobson and Mario Bugarin), and we just kept winning and advancing in the consolation rounds and headed into the final round with a 10.5-point lead on the field. We needed two of our five medalists to win in the final round to seal the state championship and after Mario lost in the finals, 126-pound Jacob Navarro did just that and pinned the No. 1 seed and defending state champion in his fifth place match to seal the state title.”
The previous night, Cibola High School earned a second place finish overall in the Division I state tournament, with three wrestlers winning individual crowns. Juan Sierra (126 pounds), Zeke Guerrero (145 pounds), and Liam Hoffmeyer (195 pounds) won their respective weight classes.
Carolina Moreno from Kofa High School, who became the first female state champion in YUHSD history last year, capped off her undefeated season with a rousing victory in the 125-pound title match. She accumulated a 27-0 record on the season and won three of her four matches in the state tournament by pin.
Moreno’s feats were not the only historic results for YUHSD girls wrestling.
San Luis High School’s Jenny Peralta, who wrestled in the 130-pound weight class, earned a sixth place finish, becoming the first-ever female wrestler from San Luis High to place at the state level.
Here is a complete list of all individual medalists for YUHSD schools:
BOYS
DIVISION I
Cibola:
Juan Sierra, 126, First Place
Zeke Guerrero, 145, First Place
Liam Hoffmeyer, 195, First Place
Sebastian Valencia, 160, Second Place
Ben Torres, 140, Fourth Place,
Jordan Mellor, 152, Fourth Place
Marcos Meza, 285, Fifth Place
Demarko Gomez, 113, Sixth Place
Kofa:
Anthony Morales, 145, Second Place
Damian Moreno, 106, Fourth Place
Raul Aispuro, 126, Fifth Place
Nicolas Moreno, 285, Sixth Place
DIVISION III
Yuma:
Jayden Dobson, 220, First Place
Mario Bugarin, 113, Second Place
Servando Campos, 170, Third Place
Justin Perez, 285, Fourth Place
Jacob Navarro, 126, Fifth Place
Gila Ridge:
Clemente Delgado, 106, Third Place
Ty Moreno, 132, Fifth Place
GIRLS
Kofa:
Carolina Moreno, 125, First Place
San Luis:
Jenny Peralta, 130, Sixth Place
Gila Ridge:
Madison Bocanegra, 225, Sixth Place