Ernest Righetti High School may not have raised many eyebrows tying for 151st out of 276 teams competing at last season's California Interscholastic Federation Boys' Wrestling Championships.
The reason it was even represented, however, was plenty visible last weekend when the defending CIF-Southern Section heavyweight champ (and this winter's Warriors) entered Arizona for the 26th Sand Devil Classic.
Recently rated seventh in a CalGrappler.com Elite 15 poll of the state's 285-pounders, ERHS senior Antonio Ramirez hinted to all comers-including Bayfield junior Sam Westbrook-why his four "team points" in Bakersfield were so hard to earn by topping the podium in Page.
Second-ranked 3A Westbrook may have stood below and to Ramirez's right on the platform in third place (PHS' Dakota Richardson was at Ramirez's left in second) after the Friday-Saturday spectacle, but went 4-1 and left with the satisfaction of going the distance in a 6-5 loss-his first this year-to the Californian.
With four more Wolverines also placing, BHS ended up a respectable eighth out of 28 attending squads with 123.5 tourney points. One Wolveine wrestler solidifying his Colorado-wide status was junior Ryan Nava.
Billed above Erie's Tobias Campbell, Gilcrest Valley's Zach Damian and Sterling's Eric Krier atop OTM's 3A-145 rankings, Nava conquered his group at the Classic to capture Bayfield's only title.
Nava went 4-0 at the Sand Devil-pinning Keams Canyon Hopi's Macadio Navasie in the second period, then defeating St. George Snow Canyon's Weston Jeppson 8-5, St. George Desert Hills' Tanner Terry 4-3 and Kingman's Mason Wester 11-7.
The team did win for outstanding collective conduct and sportsmanship, as noted by the officials, bringing home the tournament's Class Act Award.
With four pins and one technical fall against just one loss, senior Cash Snooks was a most impressive third place at 170 pounds. Classmate Taylor Winch went 3-2 to take fifth at 138 and junior Macoy Michaeli was a sixth-place 3-3 at 160. 126-pounder Garrett Beebe and 132-pounder Jake Sandrey each went 3-2 but did not place, along with Colby Baker (1-2 at 106), Cody Speece (1-2 at 113) and Lane Grimwood (1-2 at 152).
Up next, BHS will wrestle duals in Ignacio tonight with the Bobcats' Butch Melton Memorial Invitational scheduled to begin bright and early tomorrow morning.
SAND DEVIL STANDINGS (all Arizona schools unless noted): 1.Santa Maria (CA) Ernest Righetti 215, 2.Winslow 169.5, 3.Cedar City (UT) Canyon View 167.5, 4.St. George (UT) Desert Hills 149, 5.St. George (UT) Snow Canyon 147.5, 6.Prescott 146.5, 7.Page 129.5, 8.BAYFIELD (CO) 123.5, 9.Camp Verde 114, 10.Bicknell (UT) Wayne 109, 11.Montezuma-Cortez (CO) 108.5, 12.Kingman 83.5, 13.Flagstaff 80, 14.Chinle 64.5.
15.Las Vegas (NV) Sierra Vista 57, 16.Dolores (CO) 56, 17.Kayenta Monument Valley 55, 18.Kingman Lee Williams 54, 19.Keams Canyon Hopi 53, 20.Ganado 52, 21.Kanab (UT) 45, 22.Window Rock 44, 23.Tuba City 37, 24.Tropic (UT) Bryce Valley 27, 25.Phoenix Northwest Christian 21, 26.Shonto Prep 13, 27.Monument Valley (UT) 11, 28.Chinle Rough Rock 0.
CHAMPIONS: 106-Kamron Whitewater (Page); 113-Brandon Ward (Dolores); 120-Kody Hafen (Snow Canyon); 126-Hayden Uhler (Camp Verde); 132-Matt Mejia (Camp Verde); 138-Dalton Davis (Flagstaff); 145-RYAN NAVA (BAYFIELD); 152-Liam Williams (Desert Hills); 160-Issaya Finley (Ernest Righetti); 170-Tyler Haley (Canyon View); 182-Jon Dwyer (Prescott); 195-Ahli Foster (Winslow); 220-Daniel Hernandez (Prescott); Hwt-Antonio Ramirez (Ernest Righetti).
