Arizona state wrestling championships preview

The Arizona state wrestling tournament will have some star power once again this year.

A year after inspiring the athletes by having Olympic gold medalist Henry Cejudo hand out the championship medals, former Arizona State national champion and current inspirational speaker Anthony Robles will handle those duties. The two former Arizona state champions are an indication of what is possible and how far the Grand Canyon State's wrestling scene has come.

It begs the question: Who is the next?

Perhaps there will be someone out of the 896 individuals who qualified for the three-day event to come close to matching the career path of two of Arizona's all-time best. Competition begins Thursday with Division I and Division II action,  .

There might be a candidate or two but for the most part – with few scholarship opportunities available – this is will be the apex of their careers, meaning the next four championship round matches can define their careers.

The action begins with the two big divisions as Division I tries to match last year's intense team race that Chandler ended up winning while the next four teams were separated by just nine points.

"We were (nine) points out of first with eight (qualifiers) last year," Sunnyside (Tucson) coach Anthony Leon said. "We have 11 this time and we have been getting better each week. It should be a great couple of days."

The Blue Devils appear to be gearing up for another state title run after having their 14-year streak as a champion end. Sunnyside has won all of the big in-state tournaments and has several individual champion candidates.

Top challengers will be Mountain View (Mesa,), which has 13 state qualifiers, Cibola (Yuma) with 11 qualifiers, Corona del Sol (Tempe) with 10)and Chandler with nine.

Individually, the spotlight will be on Chandler's Dalton Brady, who is on his way to becoming the state's 28th four-time champion. The Utah Valley recruit bumped up a weight class in order to help the team's attempt to defend its title.

In Division II, Ironwood Ridge (Tucson) is the favorite to win its third-straight team title with Tate Sandifer (138), Troy Taylor (145), Matt Filbert (152), Tristan Mordecai (170), Cameron Nelson (182), Scott Simmons (195) as sectional champions.

Divisions III and IV get started on Friday with the finals on Saturday.

Thunderbird (Phoenix), which has won four state titles since 2006, looks to be the favorite in D-III with seven sectional champions, while in D-IV Camp Verde, behind undefeated Ryan Allred (132), should be in line to win another title (four since 2004).

State wrestling tournament schedule

When: Thursday through Saturday
Where: Tim's Toyota Center, Prescott Valley
Tickets: $15 Adult All Day Pass
$13 Senior/Military All Day Pass
$10 Student All Day Pass
Children 5 and under admitted free

Session breakdown:
Division I
Session I: Thursday, 10 a.m.
Session II: Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
Session III: Friday, 9:30 a.m.
Medal Rounds: Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Division II
Session I: Thursday, 10 a.m.
Session II: Thursday, 4:30 p.m.
Session III: Friday, 9:30 a.m.
Medal Rounds: Friday, 6:30 p.m.

Division III
Session I: Friday, 11 a.m.
Session II: Saturday, 10 a.m.
Medal Rounds: Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

Division IV
Session I: Friday, 11 a.m.
Session II: Saturday, 10 a.m.
Medal Rounds: Saturday, 4:30 p.m.

Jason P. Skoda, a former Arizona Republic and current Ahwatukee Foothills News staff writer, is a 18-year sports writing veteran. Contact him at jskoda1024@aol.com or 480-272-2449.