The secret is out on Hayden Uhler.
After his third state title and first-team all-state honors at 126 pounds, the Camp Verde High School junior finished just short of All-American status at the National High School Coaches Association’s National Wrestling Tournament in Virginia Beach, Va., Sunday, April 3.
“I mean, I still have a lot to work on, but you can’t win them all, you know?” Uhler said. “I did some damage [and] wrestled well with the top kids in the nation.”
Uhler finished ninth in a field of 128 junior wrestlers, going 4-2 against 120-pound competitors from Kentucky, New Jersey, North Carolina, Utah and other states.
CVHS assistant coach Mario Chagolla Sr. said Uhler wrestled “some of his most spectacular matches ever” at the tournament.
With just two losses in 125 high school matches, Uhler is aiming to repeat Ryan Allred’s 2014 accomplishment of winning four state championships in four years.
“The energy he portrays is contagious and highly inspiring to his peers,” Chagolla said. “If Hayden continues to excel through the remainder of the off-season, he will become the second four-time state champion to come out of our Camp Verde thoroughbred stalls.”
Next up for Uhler is the week-long Western Kids and Cadet Regional Championships in Pocatello, Idaho, beginning Sunday, June 19.
He will also be looking for another Freak Show tournament wrestling title at Halloween in Las Vegas.
“But I feel I could’ve done better at this tourney, given the fact I did really well,” Uhler said. “There is always room for improvement and it leaves me even more hungry for that title next year.”
