WINSLOW - So much of wrestling is innate.

Using leverage, flawless technique, tireless work ethic, and superior mat awareness can all be learned over time – especially when you start wrestling at age 3 like Morenci’s Caden Woodall – but there’s something else when it comes to the elite wrestlers.

They just know body positioning, have good hips, use aggression pointedly, and come out on the better side of a decisive scrambles.

It can all end up being difference makers.

The distinction between winning the blood round of consolations or finishing at the top of the podium usually comes down to these attributes in big events like the 61st annual Doc Wright wrestling tournament.

It was all on display this weekend as the 14 boys champions have a lot of those intangibles especially Woodall and Desert Ridge’s 126-pounder Alexander Bermudez.

Woodall, a freshman, is the son the Morenci coach, Casey, and is nationally ranked. He rolled through the Doc Wright 157-pound class with four pins and two technical fall, to improve to 21-0 on the year with 18 pins and three technical falls.

Although he did give up his first takedown of the season in the semifinals.

Back to the drawing board??

“I wasn’t happy about that, but you just have to keep wrestling,” he said of the takedown by Corona del Sol senior Caden Gorishek. “I kept wrestling and keep on being me. It’s all you can do.”

Woodall was joined at the top of the podium by Marana’s Leland Frost (106), Safford’s Tate Bodine (113), Safford’s Alex Chacon (120),  Round Valley’s Mason Orona (132), Payson’s Gage Palace (138), Marana’s Owen Prosper (144), Show Low’s Dallan Rawlings (150), Horizon’s Ethen De Lacey (165), Corona del Sol’s Caden Morris (175), St. Johns’ Trace Nielsen (190), St. Johns Carson Thomas (215) and Sandra Day O’Connor’s Lincoln Smith (Hvy).

Morenci won the 39-team team championship with 253.5 points followed by Corona del Sol with 192.5, Marana at 182, Payson with 176 and Show Low at 161 to fill out the top five.

Prosper was named the ‘Coach D’ Intensity Award, named after and given out by Mesa coach David DiDomenico, after defeating St. Johns junior Reese Crosby in the finals in a matchup of previously unbeaten wrestlers.

The Outstanding Wrestlers were Woodall and Nielsen.

Neither of them, however, beat two state champions on the way to the Doc Wright title.

Bermudez was impressive with a last second win in the semifinals with a fireman’s carry takedown and back points to beat a New Mexico state champion in the semifinals. The junior followed it up with four periods of overtime to defeat Arizona state champ Gavin Palace.

He was able to corral Palace for 30 seconds of the fourth overtime period (one 1 minute periods, three 30 second periods) by throwing in the legs, and cranked a power half long enough to sustain control to preserve the 5-5 time and secure the win.

The two combatants have some history as Palace defeated Bermudez in the finals of the junior high state championships three years ago.

“I know it was going to be a tough match,” said Bermudez, who is driven by missing out of the state championships as a freshman because of growth spurt made it difficult to maintain his mandated weight. “We’ve wrestled before. I wanted this one.”

He had zero history with and didn’t know the resume of Miyamura’s Austin Lopez before wrestling and he added to his own Saturday with the Doc Wright championship.

 “I didn’t know about him other than he won this tournament before,” said Bermudez, who finished fifth last season at the state tournament. “It felt good. I could tell he was a good wrestler, and those are the kind matches I want to get ready for state.”

That’s the thing with wrestling. Rankings are subjective. Until two opponents step on the mat, compete and battle for six minutes no one really knows.

That’s why Woodall doesn’t think too much national rankings.

“I have my own expectations and try to have fun,” he said. “It started when I was young. My dad put it in my head every day. I believed him, worked hard and try to be my best.”

 Woodall, who won the middle school nationals in March, knows the other side of things as well. He lost in the blood round of freestyle in Fargo, N.D., at nationals over summer. He was down 9-0 early, battled back and lost 9-7.

One win from placing nationally. On amateur youth wrestling’s biggest stage. It was a plane ride home filled with regret.

“It stuck in my head for a month or two, and I just kept on pushing hard toward my next match,” he said. “I never want to feel like that again.”

 

Marana's Owen Prosper (left) and Eastmark’s Brylee Colwell (right) received the Coach D Intensity Award, presented by Mesa coach and Arizona wrestling hall of famer David DiDomenico. (Jason P. Skoda/AZPreps365)

 

St. Johns’ Trace Nielsen (right) was named one of the Outstanding Wrestlers as he poses with tournament director Jeff Hartman. (Jason P. Skoda/AZPreps365)

 

Final results

106

1st Place Match

• Leland Frost (Marana High School) 47-0, So. over Skyler Bialecki (Yuma Catholic ) 31-3, So. (TF-1.5 5:02 (21-5))

3rd Place Match

• Jacoby Cardenas (Safford ) 31-6, Fr. over Rhyler Wyatt (Morenci ) 31-12, So. (MD 16-3)

5th Place Match

• Kaeden Adson-white (Tuba City ) 25-3, Jr. over DETMER PORTER (Mogollon) 42-9, Fr. (TF-1.5 3:21 (18-3))

 

113

1st Place Match

• Tate Bodine (Safford ) 12-1, So. over Xander Poulin (Marana High School) 39-7, Fr. (Dec 8-5)

3rd Place Match

• Parker Reidhead (Mogollon) 36-11, Sr. over Jonah Owens (Corona Del Sol ) 26-8, Sr. (Fall 2:28)

5th Place Match

• Skeeter Lee (Payson) 37-5, So. over Trey Kessinger (Campo Verde High School) 9-2, Sr. (M. For.)

120

1st Place Match

• Alex Chacon (Safford ) 34-2, Jr. over Erick Galindo (Blue Ridge) 34-3, Sr. (MD 13-4)

3rd Place Match

• Jeremiah Cano (Morenci ) 27-5, So. over Logan Hause (Horizon) 19-2, Sr. (Fall 1:40)

5th Place Match

• Anthony Pimentel (Mogollon) 45-9, Jr. over Gavin McCall (Round Valley) 39-9, Sr. (MD 9-1)

126

1st Place Match

• Alexander Bermudez (Desert Ridge High School) 24-0, So. over Gavin Palace (Payson) 36-1, So. (UTB 5-5)

3rd Place Match

• Kannon Smith (Snowflake) 29-3, Jr. over Curtis Wilhelm (Show Low) 31-11, Sr. (Dec 9-7)

5th Place Match

• Justin Hanchett (Safford ) 29-10, Jr. over Austin Lopez (Miyamura) 29-2, Sr. (M. For.)

 

132

1st Place Match

• Mason Orona (Round Valley) 44-3, Sr. over Teagan Lewis (Payson) 34-5, So. (Dec 8-6)

3rd Place Match

• Anthony Sanchez (Morenci ) 35-9, So. over Alexander King (Pinnacle) 23-6, Jr. (TF-1.5 2:16 (16-0))

5th Place Match

• Tytan Decker (Show Low) 31-14, Fr. over Dylan Martinez (Corona Del Sol ) 23-12, So. (MD 11-3)

 

138

1st Place Match

• Gage Palace (Payson) 43-0, Sr. over Merrik Williams (Morenci ) 36-5, Sr. (MD 11-3)

3rd Place Match

• Ben Freund (Show Low) 34-8, Jr. over Luyed Hurtado (Horizon) 23-4, Sr. (Fall 1:46)

5th Place Match

• Maximus Bode (Sandra Day OConner) 39-6, Jr. over Gage Sellers (Miyamura) 29-5, Sr. (Dec 7-5)

 

144

1st Place Match

• Owen Proper (Marana High School) 47-0, Sr. over Reese Crosby (St. Johns) 41-1, Jr. (MD 16-8)

3rd Place Match

• Kiano Torres (Morenci ) 25-9, Sr. over Mason Espinoza (Millennium) 13-2, Sr. (Dec 12-8)

5th Place Match

• Dylan Andrade (Yuma Catholic ) 30-15, Sr. over Jackson Roorda (Desert Ridge High School) 26-7, So. (For.)

150

1st Place Match

• Dallan Rawlings (Show Low) 40-1, Sr. over Emerson Montes (Morenci ) 36-6, Jr. (SV-1 3-0)

3rd Place Match

• Andrew Montero (Mesa) 23-3, Sr. over Michael Dries (Coconino) 36-6, Sr. (Fall 2:20)

5th Place Match

• Gavin Papa (Snowflake) 32-4, Jr. over Carson Forrester (Higley ) 29-9, Jr. (Dec 4-1)

 

157

1st Place Match

Caden Woodall (Morenci ) 10-0, Fr. over KALEB PORTER (Mogollon) 47-5, Sr. (TF-1.5 3:20 (22-4))

3rd Place Match

Caden Gorishek (Corona Del Sol ) 31-4, Sr. over Jason Ferren (Hamilton High School) 18-3, Jr. (MD 17-4)

5th Place Match

Bryson Bowman (Eastmark) 11-3, Sr. over Tildyn Larson (Holbrook ) 30-6, Jr. (MD 15-5)

 

165

1st Place Match

• Ethen De Lacy (Horizon) 32-1, Sr. over Logan Zebrowski (Coconino) 34-5, Sr. (TF-1.5 4:22 (16-1))

3rd Place Match

• Silas Vickery (Red Mountain) 30-7, Sr. over Nathaniel Wine (Marana High School) 26-10, Sr. (Dec 15-14)

5th Place Match

• Seth McDowell (Show Low) 28-9, Sr. over Sebastian Martinez (Corona Del Sol ) 27-5, Sr. (For.)

 

175

1st Place Match

Caden Morris (Corona Del Sol ) 18-5, Sr. over Rocky Porter (Mogollon) 47-4, Sr. (MD 9-1)

3rd Place Match

Stryker Weitman (Eastmark) 14-2, Jr. over Lucas Lee (Payson) 35-8, Sr. (Fall 4:49)

5th Place Match

Jacob Spatola (Desert Ridge High School) 28-6, Sr. over Rustin Bingham (Campo Verde High School) 22-9, Jr. (Dec 10-3)

190

1st Place Match

• Trace Nielsen (St. Johns) 36-0, Sr. over Easton Filetti (Poston Butte ) 27-3, Sr. (Fall 1:14)

3rd Place Match

• Anthony Palermo (Pinnacle) 26-3, Sr. over Declan Yates (Sandra Day OConner) 34-10, Sr. (Fall 2:07)

5th Place Match

• Miles Brown (Corona Del Sol ) 19-11, Jr. over Landyn Vigil (Eastmark) 12-5, Sr. (Fall 0:48)

 

215

1st Place Match

• Carson Thomas (St. Johns) 32-3, Sr. over Talen Slone (Show Low) 31-6, Jr. (Dec 10-7)

3rd Place Match

• Ryan Wooten (Desert Ridge High School) 26-7, Jr. over Cole Burch (Marana High School) 39-11, Sr. (Fall 2:28)

5th Place Match

• Jameson Reed (Corona Del Sol ) 24-7, Sr. over James Davis (Morenci ) 36-16, So. (Fall 1:34)

HVY

1st Place Match

• Lincoln Smith (Sandra Day OConner) 18-0, Sr. over Dhacaurie Spencer (Millennium) 11-1, Sr. (Fall 2:33)

3rd Place Match

• Tyernen Terraza (Campo Verde High School) 20-3, Sr. over Caesar Fernandez (Yuma Catholic ) 34-9, Sr. (Fall 0:49)

5th Place Match

• Gabriel Alexander (Sandra Day OConner) 38-10, So. over Nicholas Webster (Boulder Creek) 23-2, So. (M. For.)