Wrestling is more than a family thing for Trina Bentley’s husband, Rich.
“It’s a tradition in our family to wrestle at home and beat each other up,” Rich Bentley said with a twinkle in his eye Friday, Aug. 28, before four of his nephews arrived at the Sterrett Wrestling Complex. “It’s natural. You know how boys are.”
Not only is he a former high school wrestler, his father, brother, nephew and uncle also all are former wrestlers at Mingus Union High School.
“My dad, Richard, was actually the first national kickboxing champion out of the Verde Valley,” Bentley said. “We had three kids that went to Mingus and one to Sunnyslope.
“Now I get to show my nephews. They’ve been out at the ranch, learning muay thai.”
It was no traveling show, though, that came to the Sterrett Wrestling Complex in Camp Verde in the form of four of Bentley’s nephews Aug. 22. At the end of their first day of Weekend Wars, three of them had finished runners-up in their weight classes for New Breed Wrestling.
The favorite part of wrestling for all four Bentleys is taking down their opponents, something they were doing plenty of.
“It’s amazing,” Trina Bentley said. “For Tylor, it has completely brought him out of his shell and [given] a confidence I don’t think I’ve ever seen in him.”
For the full story and Weekend Wars results, please see the Wednesday, Sept. 2, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
