by 
Rocky Andrade
Copper Area News
Four local wrestlers won state championships in their respective weight classes at the AzUSA Wrestling Folksytle State Championships, which took place last weekend in Casa Grande, Arizona. Four additional wrestlers placed at the event.
Young wrestlers from Mammoth, Oracle, Hayden, and San Manuel community schools competed at the state championships, which included over 500 wrestlers and 63 clubs. San Manuel, with five top finishers, finished sixth as a team out of the 63 clubs that competed.
Individual results are as follows:
Rocky Andrade – State Champion; Gilbert Rodriguez – State Champion; Samico Salazar – State Champion; Blake Vargas – State Champion; Victor Fitts – 5th place; Anthony Saiz – 5th place; Darren Smith – 5th place; Sean McDermott – 6th place.
Congratulations to all the wrestlers for your efforts and accomplishments.
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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