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Home: sports: sports Share December 12, 2012 
Chris Goetz stepped down as Westview's wrestling coach following last season after 14 years at the helm, but the Knights have not skipped a beat under his successor, Terry Woods. The Knights won four of their first five dual matches and captured the championship of the Jerry Benson Invitational Dec. 7-8 in Buckeye. Westview scored 215 points to edge runner-up Tempe McClintock, which had 205.5. Apache Junction was third with 155 points. "We were behind McClintock by eight points going in [to the championship round] and ended up winning," Woods said. Estrella Foothills placed ninth at 99.5 points and Buckeye was 13tth (41) in the 17-team field. "I thought we were good," Woods said. "We won it last year but didn't have any champions. This year we had four champions." Winning titles for Westview were Eddie Martinez, 113 pounds; Richie Miranda, 152; Kordell Provchy, 160; and Kevin Smith, 195.Provchy was selected the tournament's top all-around wrestler. He pinned three of his four opponents, including Jake Taylor of Buckeye at 5 minutes, 10 seconds of the championship match. His fourth victory came via major decision. Miranda, who won two matches by pin fall, was named the best wrestler in the middle weight classes. “Both of them are undefeated right now," Woods said. "I think both of them have a chance to place at state."
The four champions were twice as many as any other school - McClintock and Surprise Willow Canyon both had two. Martinez had to overcome a broken nose to win his title. “Eddie Martinez, at 113, broke his nose in the third period," Woods said. "He put a nose plug in and went out and pinned his guy [Marcos Lopez of Apache Junction.]"The performance of Kevin Smith was a pleasant surprise for Woods.
"I was most surprised by Kevin Smith," Woods said. "He lost his first two matches of the season, and then has won nine in a row. I think he needed a little confidence boost. "Six other placers In addition to the four champions, the Knights had four fourth-place and two fifth-place finishers. Finishing fourth were: Antonio Carbajal, 106; Cory Lopez, 120; Max Vasquez, 138; and David Dodd, 285. Vasquez posted a 4-2 record in the tourney. Lopez and Dodd were both 3-2 and Carbajal was 2-2. Placing fifth were: Gabriel Barrera, 126; and Albert Trevizo, 220. Trevizo won four of six matches and Barrera was 3-2. The team's performance has pleased Woods, he said. “The kids have been great," Woods said. "They have great attitudes. They are tough; well-mannered. "We have seven seniors but it seems like our younger guys are where the talent is."Support of the school administration has been a contributing factor in the team's success, Woods said. In an effort to further grow Westview's wrestling program, Woods intends to start a USA Wrestling program once the high school season concludes to groom future Westview wrestlers. “We don't have wrestling in the middle schools, so this will be helpful in preparing kids," Woods said.
The Knights will wrestle at Mountain Pointe on Dec. 20 and then be idle until Jan. 9 when they will travel to Phoenix Maryvale.
Mike Russo can be reached by email at mrusso@westvalleyview.com.

Home: sports: sports Share March 03, 2013 

2/8/2013
12 Div. 1 wrestlers qualify for state

Mike Russo
Sports editor
A dozen wrestlers from local schools qualified for the Division I state wrestling tournament by placing in the top four during the Feb. 2 Section I meet at Tolleson.The state meet will be contested today and Saturday at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley. Westview led the way with five qualifiers, including a pair of section champions. Richie Miranda (25-0) was seeded first at 152 pounds and demonstrated that the seeding was deserved by winning the championship. Miranda had an opening-round bye. He pinned Jonathan Arviso of Yuma Cibola to advance to the semifinals, where he scored a majority decision over Jesus Cortes of San Luis, 15-5. He won the title with a technical fall victory, 20-3, against Kiefer Sites of Surprise Valley Vista. Miranda had suffered an injury at the Centennial tournament two weeks earlier and sat out the final two dual meets of the year. "We didn't want to risk further injury," coach Terry Woods said.Kordell Provchy won the 160-pound championship to raise his record to 34-0 and in the process earned the No. 2 seed at state.Provchy (34-0) opened the section meet by pinning Josh McDonald of Yuma Kofa in 57 seconds. In the second round, he pinned Austin Lein of Millennium in 1:28 and won the championship with a 6-4 decision against top-seeded Pierre Gaud of Cibola, the defending state champion. “He dropped a 45-pound weight on his hand two weeks before the section meet, causing a hairline fracture of the middle finger and had to get nine stitches," Woods said. "He had to take a medical timeout in the third period of the championship match. We were worried that the finger had split open again. He was able to continue and won. For him to win it and have his hand hurt really shows the resolve of these kids. “He hasn't had a close match all season except for Peoria, where he won 9-4. Everyone always doubts Miranda and Provchy but they are both still undefeated. “Kevin Smith (29-5) earned the silver medal at 195, losing to Cisco Reyes of Cibola, 6-2, in the title match. “Kevin wrestled great," Woods said. "He pinned the [Surprise] Valley Vista kid [Shawn Bonetti] in under a minute. “He goes out there and gets it down on the mat. I'm pretty sure he can finish in the top six at state. “Eddie Martinez (29-6) was third at 113."Eddie is a tough wrestler," Woods said. "When he broke his nose at Buckeye, a lot of kids would have quit but he went back on the mat and won. “Gabriel Barrera (20-15) was fourth at 126, losing the third-place match to Millennium's Isaac Lopez, 8-0."He and Eddie are workout partners and they are both very dedicated," Woods said.
One of Woods' regrets during the section meet was a decision he made in the heavyweight bout, pitting Westview's Christian Juarez against Xavier Hernandez of Millennium in the consolation quarterfinals."[Christian] was leading going into the second period of the match," Woods said. "I made one of the worst decisions I have ever made - I put a heavyweight down. It was our decision and rather than have Kevin in the up position or neutral, I told him to choose down, and he got pinned." Another disappointment for Woods was freshman Antonio Carbajal (106) just missing qualifying for state. “He was one match away," Woods said. "Antonio is a first-year wrestler. He was in a tough weight class, dominated by seniors. That's one of the kids I was really rooting for because he helped us win a team match a couple of weeks earlier. He has earned the respect of all the wrestlers. “Overall, Woods was pleased with his team's performance. “I couldn't be prouder of these guys, but I would have liked to see three or four more kids go to state," Woods said. "We will build on this success and next year, I won't accept anything less than a section championship."
Mike Russo can be reached by email at mrusso@westvalleyview.com.