Congrats in order for Yuma County teens

Athletes have outstanding weekend at state tournaments

What an amazing, historic weekend for Yuma County athletes!

On Saturday, Gila Ridge boys soccer won its first state title, beating Cortez 3-0 in the 4A championship match.

Yuma Catholic boys soccer won its fourth straight state title, with a 5-1 victory over Arizona College Prep in the 3A championship match.

And Yuma High won the Division III wrestling state championship, bringing home the school’s first state title in any sport since 1990. Yuma High’s victory was a dramatic one, when heavyweight Oscar Vega pinned his opponent in the championship match to bring in six points for the team, securing the team’s overall victory by a half-point.

Jonathan Ruiz (1st), Aidan Irwin (2nd), Mario Bugarin (3rd), Leo Velasquez (3rd), Jacob Sanchez (3rd), Jose Bugarin (4th) and Shane Garcia (6th) were all standout Criminals at the state wresting event.

In fact, the tournament was filled with Yuma County contenders.

San Pasqual’s Nicholas Steele brought home a first place victory, while Antelope’s Brandon Jaime nabbed second place, both in Division IV action.

Yuma Catholic’s Austin Blomquist, Richard Molina and Sam Cheung all finished third in their weight classes, also in Division IV.

Speaking of Yuma Catholic, the girls’ soccer team played a tight 3A championship game in Gilbert Saturday, falling 2-1 to Queen Creek-Casteel. And that’s just what happened on Saturday alone! Friday night, Tommy Mommer became Cibola’s first three-time wrestling state champion, pinning Desert Vista’s Brett Johnson at the AIA Division I State Wrestling Tournament.

The Raiders placed second in the tournament, with Aaron Gandara (1st), Anthony Phillips (2nd), Juan Sierra (3rd), Gabriel Castaneda (3rd), David Castaneda (3rd), Sebastian Torres (5th) and Mario Neblina (5th) leading the way.

Gila Ridge’s Koby Fike won the Division II heavyweight state title in a 7-3 decision, while Christian Gerber took third at 113 and Taylor Deibert took sixth place at 195.

And for Kofa, Isai Alonso (3rd), Aaron Valenzuela (4th), Carlos Urias (4th) and Anthony Morales (6th) all placed, too, in Division I.

That’s a tremendous show of awesomeness by our high school sports programs over two days. Our athletes and their coaches should be commended.

To each of our athletes, congratulations! You make Yuma County proud.

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