By james art 
The Phoenix is always a little easier for the state title title contenders to remain motivated and maintain high intensity when at least one teammate of close weight is in the same place.
This was the case of a couple of Ironwood and a pair of Kelis fighters last weekend, with all four winning individual Division II titles on February 22.
Ironwood University Anthony Lopez left veterans Colosseum with his first state title, ending an unbeaten season, exceeding a freshman of Canyon View in the final of the 138-kilogram, 12-7.
Lopez’s teammate, Julian Machias, also Jr., repeated himself as a state champion, dominated by class D-II with 144-pound. He finished his unbeaten junior season 24-0 with three pins and a major solution in the state.
Kelis received state titles from Rilan Taylor with £ 175 and Tristan Bacon at 215. They both dominated their classes.
Lopez said the 19 points, scored in his final against Canyon View, meant the match was going according to plan.
“I wanted to keep the stream of the match,” Lopez said.
The eagle was a disappointed runner -up of Canyon View Senior with 126 pounds a year ago after ranked third as a freshman as a freshman. He said last year the loss of the finals taught him how important the psychic aspect was for his game.
“This time, I really focused on the mental side and did not think negative thoughts,” Lopez said.
Machias won the 126 title as a freshman, but was wounded and did not compete in the state last year. But he had to see his brother Pablo, turning over to his third and last state title, which is motivated.
“I’m really looking at it,” Machias told his brother. “And it was great to win as a freshman, but to come back and Wi this time is also sweet.”
Lopez and Machias helped the Ironwood team put fourth place in D-II this year, just before Horizon and only 11 points removed from the claim of the runner’s banner.
Taylor and Bacon, on the other hand, were not part of the team that was in dispute as Kelis put the 11th place in D-II. But the elderly of Kugar wanted to show that there was a job.
Taylor did not have any of his matches to walk in the state, winning with a pin and three technical falls, including the dominance of 22-7 against the colleague senior Taylor Franke of Arizona College at the 175 final.
“I knew I had a goal on my back (from the victory of the same weight last year), but it doesn’t matter what people think of you, as long as your skills surpass it,” Taylor said. “So I knew that I had to work even more, to eat better, to go for this extra practice -even on days when I didn’t want to go.”
Taylor said he started thinking about ways to win his second title from the moment he captured his first.
“I work for it all year long,” Taylor said. “I knew what I really wanted. I kept my head down. I just stayed hungry, super defined, disciplined. ”
Bacon, who is committed to playing football in Arizona, said he feels great at last to win after he approached in 2024 and was nailed by Kayden Luca from Canyon del Oro at the 215 final.
This year, Bacon tried to eliminate any doubt, taking off his colleague Senior Daniel hit the Ironwood again and again to the final, which allowed him to escape points, but also built a huge lead.
“He is also a great fighter, so a props to him,” Bacon told the senior. “So, I used my athleticism to shoot, to repel, to give him a quick point and to do it over and over again. That’s what happened to me. ”
We invite our readers to send their civic comments on this topic. Send an email to azopinions@iniusa.org. Send an email to Jason W. Brooks to jbrooks@iniusa.org.