Another crazy thing — or two — happened during the latest Leap Week in February.
On Feb. 20 and 27, they happened to Cottonwood Elementary School fourth-grader Nathan Dixon, who followed up his second state wrestling championship at the AZUSA championships in Casa Grande with a gold medal in jiujitsu at the North American Grappling Association championship in Phoenix.
“I’m fast on my feet,” he said. “I think my takedowns are good. I need to improve on stick[ing to] one move, not to switch moves.”
The only other local competitor in both events was 7-year-old Stone Durkalec, who finished sixth in his weight class after also taking gold for jiujitsu instructor Ted Osburn.
Dixon, son of Nate Dixon, one of three assistant coaches for his local club wrestling team, the Mingus Mountain Muckers, was also one of three state champions for head coach Klint McKean at the AZUSA folkstyle meet.
While 118-pound Peter Groseta won virtually by default since he is “kind of a big kid for his age group,” McKean said, Elijah Miller “beat the kid who beat him earlier” at 77 pounds in a “good revenge match.”
Eleven other medalists joined non-placers William Sanderson, Arlando Felix, Keira Rader, Andre Joy, Angelia Durden, Jacob McKean, Aiden Esquer, Dakota Jeffords, Conor Steidl, Ailani Felix, Camron Contreras, Anthony Joy and Bransen Phillips on the largest Muckers team in its “best state tournament to date,” Klint McKean said.
Mingus Mountain finished fourth out of 52 teams — its highest finish ever.
As for Osburn, in all, nine of his students, including son Elijah, took gold medals home Feb. 27 from Phoenix College, with another two attaining silver. Other gold medalists included Brasen and Carol Durkalec, Jennifer Maynard, and Jaden and Shayla Mock.
“We have also had losses,” Osburn said. “I’ve seen students lose every match in a tournament and come back and do it again and again, building toward the inevitable success that comes from never giving up.
“This to me is the greatest attribute, and that is what it takes to earn a black belt, coming back from losses, getting up again and again after you feel you have failed.”
But it was Dixon, one of three state champions for head coach Klint McKean’s Mingus Mountain Muckers club wrestling team, who pulled off the twin titles, pinning both of his opponents in 77 seconds combined.
“Last year, I didn’t do so well — I got fourth,” Dixon said. “My second year, I took second, and in first grade, I beat four other wrestlers at 38 pounds. This feels better.”
In capturing his second state title in four years, Dixon’s only loss his entire season came to a bigger wrestler, McKean added.
“Other than that, he looked a lot better than he did last year,” he said. “He’s really improved technically as a wrestler [and] his top game has gotten better.
“He dominated and pinned everybody. His leg attacks were really strong — they usually are — [and] he’s good at finishing shots. It just capped off a great season for him.”
Osburn will see his 53-pound pupil move up not only in weight class, to 63 pounds, but also from white to yellow belt with his fifth stripe. Dixon anticipates earning the new belt in practice for Osburn by the end of the month.
Dixon’s athletic talent is not limited to two sports, as he is also plays spring baseball for a local traveling club team, Combat, until the jiujitsu state championships Saturday, April 30.
For all of the medalists for the Mingus Mountain Wrestling Club, please see the Wednesday, March 16, issues of the Camp Verde Journal and Cottonwood Journal Extra.
