A 200-pounder with a familiar name led all other eighth-graders competing Saturday, April 4, at the second Weekend Wars.
Favian Chagolla, the oldest grandson of Camp Verde High School assistant wrestling coach Mario Chagolla Sr., defeated two other wrestlers to take his first weight class win in four years from the Sterrett Wrestling Complex.
“I have to live on the Chagolla last name,” he said. “It’s a big honor. If I were to lose, that’s just another thing I think I’d catch it on.”
Chagolla, a self-described “math boy,” is motivated to go to tournaments as a CVHS freshman in the fall by a loss in the consolation bracket quarterfinals of the Middle School State Wrestling Championship in Tucson. There, he pinned two opponents but succumbed to being out of position and “some stupid headlocks” in two losses against wrestlers 45 pounds heavier.
“I wanted to place, but I didn’t get where I wanted to go,” he said. “I did make a lot of screw-ups at State — little mistakes I should have fixed, should have known.
“I have baseball season right now; right after that, I’m going to start coming in every weekend.”
Mario Chagolla, who is also the director of Camp Verde’s wrestling club New Breed, believes his grandson could be a potential two-time state champion — and would’ve possibly won the title four times had he not left the program between fourth and seventh grades at Camp Verde Elementary School.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, April 15, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
