Sunnyside and Goodyear Canyon View, two of the top programs in the state this winter, were in the same venue at Reno, Nev., only a week ago competing in the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions.
Sunnyside finished third in the team competition and Canyon View 10th.
The Blue Devils overpowered Canyon View 63-5 in the dual meet Wednesday at Desert View (home site for Sunnyside this winter while its gym roof is getting renovated).
The 138-pound competition between Sunnyside’s Sergio Vega and Canyon View’s Giosue Hickman was the feature match on Wednesday.
In Reno, Vega topped Hickman with a 5-0 decision in the 138-pound championship.
The heralded junior defeated Hickman once again, this time by fall in 5:11, on Wednesday to improve his career record to 91-0. He flipped over Hickman, while locking Hickman’s right leg, immobilizing Hickman on the mat.
.@SSBDwrestling’s Sergio Vega wins by fall in 5:09 over Canyon View’s Giosue Hickman in a rematch of the 138-pound championship match of last week’s Reno Tournament of Champions. Vega, a junior, is now 91-0 in his career. Dominating. pic.twitter.com/PnTFm1MrxJ
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) December 21, 2023
“He’s a tough kid; I knew it was going to be a battle,” Vega said. “That’s my specialty move. Once I locked it up I knew it was over.”
Vega earned his third straight championship in the Reno Tournament of Champions.
He will go for a third consecutive state title in February with an opportunity to capture a state title in all four years of his eligibility.
Carlitos Stanton, Vega’s best friend since their grade-school days, is in the same position with four state championships a possibility.
Seven Blue Devils have achieved the feat of four state championships through their careers with their former teammate James Armstrong the most recent from 2020 to 2023.
.@SSBDwrestling’s Carlitos Stanton won by fall in 1:52 over Canyon View’s Charles Law-Abano in the 150-pound match. Closes out Sunnyside’s impressive 63-5 victory in a match between two of the top teams in the state. pic.twitter.com/b2QFCLOwF9
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) December 21, 2023
.@SSBDwrestling junior Carlitos Stanton, who recently committed to @CycloneWR, pinned Canyon View’s Charles Law-Abano in the 150-pound match in 1:52. Stanton and fellow Blue Devil standout Sergio Vega have wrestled together since grade school and now they’re All-Americans with… pic.twitter.com/Fbz815kF3d
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) December 21, 2023
Stanton moved up a weight class on Wednesday to wrestle at 150 pounds and he won by fall in 1:52 over Canyon View’s Charles Law-Abano.
It was a strong bounce-back victory after losing by fall in 3:37 in the 144-pound championship match of the Reno Tournament of Champions to Moses Mirabal of Gilroy (Calif.).
Stanton said he took from the experience at Reno “not to get too comfortable any more.”
“You have to stay alert at all times,” Stanton said.
Going against his buddy Vega daily in workouts, because they are close in weight, plays a significant part in both staying sharp during competition.
A couple of two-time state champions working on their craft against each other has to rank as the best practice competition in any sport in the state.
.@SSBDwrestling coach Anthony Leon has led the Blue Devils to six consecutive state titles. He is developing another highly successful group in Sunnyside’s quest to earn another state championship. Blue Devils have won an incredible 36 state championships. The dynasty is alive… pic.twitter.com/VQwN4Aj8CY
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) December 21, 2023
Vega called Stanton his “main scrapper” in practice.
“In the (workout) room, I try to grab the hardest guys, sometimes I get beat up, sometimes I don’t,” Vega said about staying focused through the 91-match win streak in high school. “If it happens, it happens. I’ve been lucky so far.
“(Stanton) is one of the hardest dudes to wrestle, he’s so good. He’s talented. It’s been so fun. He’s my best friend so it’s nice. … We have battles in the room. He gets me better. I love it.”
Anthony Leon has gained legendary status at Sunnyside with his seven state championships as head coach, including the last six seasons. He is one of four head coaches with at least five state titles at the school with Robert DeBerry (15 championships), Don Klostreich (nine) and Richard Sanchez (five) the others.
That’s a total of 36 state championships (see all the dynasty data below gathered by AllSportsTucson.com). Sunnyside is working toward state championship No. 37 in February with its balance of talented wrestlers.
Sunnyside gave a preview of how it stacks up against some of the best talent in the state by going 12-2 in the matches with Canyon View, winning five by fall.
Leon’s team has also competed in the Battle of the Best event in Arvada (Colo.) earlier this month and placed second behind host Pomona High School.
“We’ve been tested and we’ve seen a high level of competition,” Leon said. “We’ve risen our level each week. I think that’s all we’re really looking for is improvement every day in the wrestling room and I think we’re heading in the right direction.”
.@SSBDwrestling standout junior Sergio Vega improved to 91-0 in his career with his win by fall over Canyon View’s Giosue Hickman in 5:11 in a 138-pound match. He earned his third straight Reno Tournament of Championship title last week with a 5-0 decision over Hickman. Vega… pic.twitter.com/DQRmr6ej8G
— Javier Morales (@JavierJMorales) December 21, 2023
Here are the results of Wednesday’s match with Canyon View:
106 – Julian Cañez (Sunnyside) won by 7-3 decision over Daniel Martinez (Canyon View)
113 – Diego Lopez (Sunnyside) won by 12-6 decision over Kolton Frye (Canyon View)
120 – Gabriel Ramirez (Canyon View) won by 9-5 decision over Christopher Lopez (Sunnyside)
126 – Sean Archuleta (Sunnyside) won by injury default
132 – Carmine Cruz (Sunnyside) won by fall in 2:51 over Paul Almanza (Canyon View)
138 – Sergio Vega (Sunnyside) won by fall in 5:09 over Giosue Hickman (Canyon View)
144 – Adyn Bostic (Sunnyside) won by fall in 1:01 over Daniel Preciado (Canyon View)
150 – Carlos Stanton (Sunnyside) won by fall in 1:52 over Charles Law-Abano (Canyon View)
157 – Victor Gonzalez (Sunnyside) won by fall in 3:15 over Frank Villanueva (Canyon View)
165 – Nicholas Piña (Sunnyside) won by 8-3 decision over Tavier Garcia (Canyon View)
175 – Yassael Gonzalez (Sunnyside) won by forfeit
190 – Lucas Mata (Sunnyside) won by 9-1 decision over Asher Villalpando (Canyon View)
215 – Sir Friday (Canyon View) won by 11-7 decision over Rene Bostick (Sunnyside)
285 – Zayne Candelaria (Sunnyside) won by forfeit
SUNNYSIDE DYNASTY DATA
Sunnyside team state championships
State titles by coach:
Robert DeBerry: 15
Don Klostreich: 9
Anthony Leon: 7
Richard Sanchez: 5
Team titles by year:
1979 Sunnyside (Don Klostreich)
1981 Sunnyside (Don Klostreich)
1982 Sunnyside (Don Klostreich)
1983 Sunnyside (Don Klostreich)
1984 Sunnyside (Don Klostreich)
1985 Sunnyside (Don Klostreich)
1986 Sunnyside (Don Klostreich)
1987 Sunnyside (Don Klostreich)
1988 Sunnyside (Don Klostreich)
1990 Sunnyside (Richard Sanchez)
1991 Sunnyside (Richard Sanchez)
1992 Sunnyside (Richard Sanchez)
1993 Sunnyside (Richard Sanchez)
1994 Sunnyside (Richard Sanchez)
1996 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
1998 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
1999 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2000 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2001 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2002 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2003 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2004 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2005 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2006 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2007 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2008 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2009 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2010 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2011 Sunnyside (Bobby DeBerry)
2013 Sunnyside (Anthony Leon)
2018 Sunnyside (Anthony Leon)
2019 Sunnyside (Anthony Leon)
2020 Sunnyside (Anthony Leon)
2021 Sunnyside (Anthony Leon)
2022 Sunnyside (Anthony Leon)
Sunnyside’s four-time state champions
2002-05 Nick Gallick
2002-05 Matt Lopez
2007-07 Mike Moreno
2003-07 Kyle DeBerry
2008-11 Kory DeBerry
2015-18 Roman Bravo-Young
2020-23 James Armstrong
Sunnyside’s individual state champions
1969
Fred Gomez, 112 pounds
Roger Ball, 145 pounds
1970
Joe Gomez, 123 pounds
1973
George Larrinaga, 135 pounds
1974
Robert Parra, 105 pounds
Dan Palma, 112 pounds
Gilbert Duran, 126 pounds
1975
Raul Samorano, heavyweight
1976
Vince Guerra, 98 pounds
Joe Solorio, 119 pounds
1977
Vince Guerra, 105 pounds
1979
Lupe Peralta, 112 pounds
Fred Cota, 129 pounds
Eddie Urbano, 138 pounds
1980
Eddie Urbano, 138 pounds
1982
Mike Ortega, 158 pounds
1983
Fernando Cota, 108 pounds
Rene Nunez, 115 pounds
Fabian Cota, 129 pounds
John Bracy, heavyweight
1984
Mike Moreno, 101 pounds
George Soto, 115 pounds
Rene Nunez, 122 pounds
Tommy Ortiz, 129 pounds
Fabian Cota, 135 pounds
John Bracy, heavyweight
1985
Rudy Alameda, 101 pounds
Alfonso Cruz, 108 pounds
Fausto Cota, 115 pounds
George Soto, 129 pounds
Tommy Ortiz, 148 pounds
Manny Ruiz, heavyweight
1986
Alfonso Cruz, 108 pounds
Fausto Cota, 115 pounds
Danny Gee, 122 pounds
1987
Fausto Cota, 119 pounds
Raul Chavez, 132 pounds
Mike Cripe, 138 pounds
1988
Cesar Ruiz, 119 pounds
Mark Mejia, 132 pounds
Mike Cripe, 138 pounds
Sherman Moore, 167 pounds
1989
Chris Garcia, 112 pounds
Mark Mejia, 140 pounds
1990
Rene Sanchez, 119 pounds
Micah Fritzinger, 125 pounds
Jose Lopez, 152 pounds
1991
Eric Toraya, 103 pounds
Rene Sanchez, 125 pounds
Micah Fritzinger, 130 pounds
Pey Castillo, 140 pounds
1992
Danny Vega, 103 pounds
Eric Toraya, 112 pounds
Jesus Valdez, 189 pounds
1993
Marco Vasquez, 103 pounds
Danny Vega, 112 pounds
Sergio Lujan, 130 pounds
Joe Moore, 152 pounds
Dago Soto, 171 pounds
1994
Marco Vasquez, 103 pounds
Danny Vega, 112 pounds
Joe Moore, 160 pounds
1995
Marco Vasquez, 103 pounds
Brian Tellez, 112 pounds
1996
Evan Larkin, 103 pounds
Andy Huggins, heavyweight
1997
Eric Larkin, 125 pounds
Andy Huggins, 215 pounds
1998
Willie Bravo, 103 pounds
Ruben Coronado, 112 pounds
Evan Larkin, 119 pounds
Romego Young, 125 pounds
Eric Larkin, 140 pounds
1999
Willie Bravo, 112 pounds
Romego Young, 119 pounds
David Rivera, 125 pounds
Evan Larkin, 130 pounds
2000
Nate Gallick, 119 pounds
Christopher Bravo, 130 pounds
Seabrook Bizzle, 135 pounds
Mike Sallas, 140 pounds
Antonio Sepulveda, 145 pounds
David Coronado, 189 pounds
Matt Montoya, 215 pounds
2001
Eugene Garza, 119 pounds
Nate Gallick, 125 pounds
Toribio Lujan, 160 pounds
David Coronado, 189 pounds
Anthony Rodriguez, 215 pounds
2002
Nick Gallick, 103 pounds
Matt Lopez, 112 pounds
Ricardo Ramirez, 119 pounds
Hector Daza, 125 pounds
Eugene Garza, 130 pounds
Ramses Durazo, 152 pounds
2003
Nick Gallick, 103 pounds
Matt Lopez, 125 pounds
Jaime Martinez, 275 pounds
2004
Johnny Lopez, 103 pounds
Nick Gallick, 119 pounds
Kyle DeBerry, 130 pounds
Eddie Garza, 135 pounds
Matt Lopez, 140 pounds
Ruben “Huero” Quintana, 189 pounds
2005
Johnny Lopez, 103 pounds
Nick Gallick, 125 pounds
Rene Torres, 135 pounds
Kyle DeBerry, 140 pounds
Matt Lopez, 152 pounds
2006
Mike Moreno, 119 pounds
Rene Torres, 140 pounds
Kyle DeBerry, 152 poounds
2007
Paul Garza, 119 pounds
Steven Moreno, 125 pounds
Mike Moreno, 130 pounds
Nathan Vorel, 135 pounds
Raymond Pina, 152 pounds
Kyle DeBerry, 160 pounds
Jerry Ochoa, 171 pounds
2008
Lucio Murillo, 103 pounds
Paul Garza, 119 pounds
Mike Moreno, 125 pounds
Kory DeBerry, 135 pounds
Raymond Pina, 171 pounds
Anthony Pike, 285 pounds
2009
Lucio Murillo, 119 pounds
Kory DeBerry, 140 pounds
Anthony Pike, 189 pounds
2010
Raul Moraga, 127 pounds
Justin Steinebach, 142 pounds
Kory DeBerry, 147 pounds
Manny Aranda, 154 pounds
Diego Bravo, 217 pounds
William Espinoza, 287 pounds
2011
Kory DeBerry, 152 pounds
Cedric Gonzalez, 171 pounds
2013
Juaquin Olivas, 113 pounds
William Olivas, 126 pounds
Gabe Gonzales, 195 pounds
2014
Juaquin Olivas, 120 pounds
William Olivas, 126 pounds
Gabe Gonzales, 195 pounds
2015
Roman Bravo-Young, 106 pounds
Angel Laguna, 120 pounds
Juaquin Olivas, 132 pounds
2016
Roman Bravo-Young, 120 pounds
David Salazar III, 126 pounds
Marco Frias, 170 pounds
2017
Jesse Ybarra, 106 pounds
Manny Garcia, 113 pounds
Roman Bravo-Young, 132 pounds
David Salazar III, 145 pounds
2018
Jesse Ybarra, 113 pounds
Juan Manuel-Garcia, 120 pounds
Vincent Loaiza, 126 pounds
Roman Bravo-Young, 132 pounds
2019
James Brown, 113 pounds
Jaime Rivera, 120 pounds
Rico Robles, 138 pounds
Anthony Echemendia, 152 pounds
Elijah Wyatt, 182 pounds
2020
James Armstrong, 106 pounds
Job Lee, 113 pounds
Jesse Ybarra, 126 pounds
Jaime Rivera, 132 pounds
Sebastian Robles, 145 pounds
Fernando Villascusa, 160 pounds
2021
Audrey Jimenez, 113 pounds (girls wrestling champ)
James Armstrong, 113 pounds
Sebastian Robles, 160 pounds
Rene Fragoso, 182 pounds
2022
Audrey Jimenez, 106 pounds (girls wrestling champ)
Sergio Vega, 113 pounds
James Armstrong, 120 pounds
Carlos Stanton, 126 pounds
Cristian Rivera, 132 pounds
Jaime Rivera, 150 pounds
Job Lee, 157 pounds
Michael Avelar, 165 pounds
Rene Fragoso, 190 pounds
2023
James Armstrong, 120 pounds
Sergio Vega, 126 pounds
Carlos Stanton, 132 pounds
Cristian Rivera, 144 pounds
Job Lee, 157 pounds
Michael Avelar, 165 pounds
Nicholas Pina, 175 pounds
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