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Franky Renteria wins Sectional Championship.
Julian Rodriguez (4th) will compete at the state finals for the first time.
San Manuel junior Franky Renteria won the Division IV Section IV Wrestling Championship in the 160lb weight class at the sectional tournament, which took place over the weekend at Willcox High School.
Renteria, who will be the No. 2 seed at the state tournament, defeated Ryne Lewis of Pima 8 – 4 to claim the title.
Freshman Julian Rodriguez will be joining Renteria at this weekend’s state tournament after pulling an upset in the sectional quarterfinals, advancing to the semis, and finishing fourth in the 120lb weight class.
According to San Manuel head coach Daniel Najera, Rodriguez was the Miners’ third-string 120lb wrestler at the beginning of the season and is now only one of two freshmen to advance to the Division IV State Tournament in the 120lb division.
“Our section returned over 20 state placers from last year’s state championships,” Najera told the Miner. “The hard work and dedication this offseason was the main factor for Renteria and Rodriguez. To compete in our section, you have to do more and it showed today. Four Miners fell short of qualifying to state, but our staff is beyond proud of their effort and grit.”
The Division IV State Wrestling Tournament will take place Feb. 12-13 at the Prescott Valley Event Center, beginning at 11:30 a.m. on Friday.
Visit www.azpreps365.com for more information.
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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