The girls are back in town.
Amanda Ruiz won her first three Weekend Wars as a wrestler as part of three first places from the girls of the New Breed Wrestling Club.
“She was paired against someone of equal height, weight and knowledge,” said Mario Chagolla Sr., New Breed director and Camp Verde High School assistant wrestling coach, who named Ruiz the most improved wrestler of Weekend Wars on May 14. “There was no rhyme or reason to any of their moves — just two kids going at it.
“The score was going back and forth … It looked like an old western brawl with both wrestlers, at the end, lying on the mat exhausted.”
Ultimately, Ruiz and fellow Camp Verde Elementary School fifth-grader Rowen Wolfe would join third-graders Cynthia Henson and Sandra Smith as first-place wrestlers in the girls division, joining 128-pound incoming senior Hayden Uhler among the undefeated.
Uhler’s quest to be Camp Verde’s second four-time state champion in three years held strong through the first three bi-monthly wrestling tournaments of the summer at the Sterrett Wrestling Complex despite at least 10 challenges each tournament from other undefeated wrestlers from Arizona and Nevada.
“Hayden was at his wrestling best, ending the unbeaten streak of his out-of-state foe, who entered the match as an overwhelming favorite,” Chagolla said. “The entire place erupted…Fans, friends and relatives went crazy.”
Uhler’s brother, Korben, an incoming freshman at Camp Verde High School, also went undefeated through the first month of Weekend Wars at 133 pounds.
“The boys do it once again,” Chagolla said of Uhler and 140-pound incoming seventh-grader Conrad Noone, who also went undefeated through May 14. “There’s no doubt they have been blessed with some gifts.
“They possess a highly extraordinary natural ability … coupled with a unique combination of fundamental soundness, grace, speed, power and an unquenchable competitive desire. These boys will be top contenders at state and future college prospects.”
Younger brothers Racer and Rhett Uhler also went undefeated May 14, along with Wolfe and 85-pound second-grader Gavin Athey.
Another incoming CVHS senior, Ezekiel Casillas, looks to join Uhler in the winner’s circle for the first time since his freshman year.
“Casillas is one of Camp Verde’s most athletically gifted wrestler[s],” Chagolla said. “Possessing impressive speed and power, Ezekiel nearly always finds himself coming out of each match with the victory. I was elated by his superb display of wrestling [May 14]. Such athleticism and sportsmanship is rare in our competitive world.”
In the second Weekend War of the New Breed season, seventh-grader Brody Townsend and senior heavyweight Jesus Curiel joined Henson, the Uhlers, the 140-pound Noone and his brother, 2015 CVHS graduate Alex Noone, in the ranks of the undefeated.
Two-time state champion Matt Mejia, at 145 pounds, also had one more undefeated Weekend War before his departure to wrestle in college.
In the rookie division, Jacob Oothoudt and Casey Corder were Chagolla’s most improved wrestlers after their debut.
Alex Noone, a 2015 graduate of CVHS, picked up two Open Division wins at Weekend Wars and, along with third-graders Henson and Smith and fifth-graders Ruiz and Wolfe, joined 20 other first-place finishes from New Breed Wrestling in the first month.
CVHS junior Oscar Berrelez also took first at 170 pounds.
