The Mile High Challenge for Mingus Union High School’s wrestlers may simply be to come out of the Prescott Valley Events Center healthy.
“Mile High’s probably the toughest tournament in the state,” said Tim McKeever, Marauders head wrestling coach. “There’s tons of state champion teams and individual state champs there.”
After the Marauders were no match for Chino Valley High School in a dual road loss Dec. 17, 63-12, only the seven MUHS seniors and junior Ethan Kim will be wrestling varsity Friday and Saturday, Jan. 2 and 3.
Another 15 Marauders will wrestle junior varsity because “they’re just not ready,” McKeever said. “Most kids, if you’re inexperienced, if you go against a state placer or champ, you get intimidated, you know?”
Already having to forfeit most of their 106- and 113-pound matches this season due to a lack of qualified wrestlers, the Marauders were also minus the services of senior Javin Helsel, junior Jordan Upham and sophomores Drake Bentley-Brown and Cody Outland against the Cougars.
“That’s the biggest thing that we’re lacking is that we don’t have other guys in the same weights pushing our guys,” Tim McKeever said. “That’s why we beat the bad teams and don’t beat the good teams. There are not three 120-pound guys trying to win a varsity spot.”
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, Dec. 31, issue of the Cottonwood Journal Extra.
