Print
Comment
Rate
No. 1 in Arizona, Mark Mabry state wrestling champion
 |
| Power move: Mark Mabry battles Willcox High School's Justin Rockhill Feb. 6 in the regional wrestling tournament in Benson. (Dave Brown/Photo.) |
Thelma Grimes/San Pedro Valley News-Sun
Going up against a familiar Willcox opponent in the State's Class 2A championship round Saturday night in Prescott, Benson High School senior Mark Mabry had everything in line to take the title in the 189-pound division.
Mabry, Benson High School's star quarterback and stud wrestler on the mats, was one match away from becoming a back-to-back state champion.
In the regular season, Mabry beat Willcox's Justin Rockhill three times before seeing him again in the championship round of the regional tournament. Mabry won the contest 11-1.
Benson Coach Casey Woodall said Mabry and Rockhill are the class of the 189-pound division, and expected the two to see each other again in the state finals.
At state, Mabry worked his way through the brackets, pinning San Manuel opponent CJ Curry, and then Anthony Duncan of Canyon State in the semifinals.
Rockhill, a junior, pinned his Phoenix Christian opponent and a Baboquivari opponent to earn a ticket to the championship round where he would have another shot at Mabry.
Going into the match, Mabry led the head-to-head battle 4-0.
"I had seen him four times this season, but the past record doesn't make any difference in the championship match," Mabry said. "This was my second year in that position and this season I've not only had more pressure to perform, but to perform dominantly. It did feel good to win it."
Mabry, the reigning 2009 sate champion, had no problem making it a 5-0 record, defeating the Willcox rival 10-5 for the top state finish.
Coach Woodall said while Mabry was injured earlier this season Rockhill won the Flowing Wells Tournament, and became an Internet favorite in the 189-pound division, something Mabry changed quickly.
During the championship match, Rockhill had five total points, but Woodall said four of those were controversial.
What Woodall called "controversial" made the match exciting, pulling Rockhill within a point of Mabry who still led 5-4 going into the third period.
"I started to get up and argue the call, but Mark just got up and looked at me like, 'it's okay. I got this,' so I sat back down," Woodall said.
Mabry then scored an escape, another takedown and nearfall before letting Rockhill up with seconds remaining to make the final score 10-5.
"Mark used a move that he hadn't worked since this summer to put Rockhill on his back," Woodall said. "That shows how technical he is. If the kid has seen a move once, he has it down, and he has the confidence to use it in the biggest match of his life. Very few kids will do that."
Mabry said winning the gold medal was a little bittersweet, however, because it was tough to see teammates he has grown up with fall short of their ultimate goals this season.
Finishing at the top to end his high school career wasn't that easy for Mabry. Besides the added pressure of teammates and coaches expecting a repeat, early in the season, Mabry suffered a rib injury that kept him out of competition for nearly a month.
When he came back in January, his first opponent was Rockhill in Willcox. Despite being a little out of shape, Mabry won with a pin.
The rest of the season leading up to Saturday's finals was smooth for the Benson senior, as he finished 28-1, and his junior year he was 53-3.
Throughout his career Mark has always been a kid I could count on," Woodall said. "The last two years I sent him wherever I thought he could get a tougher match. I would bump him up a weight class, ask for an exhibition if another team had a really tough kid below him, whatever I could do. When I asked Mark if he was up for it, there was never hesitation; he wanted to go after people.
Assistant Coach Fred Comaduran said "Mark has a way to just battle and win matches. If he wrestles somebody stronger, he outsmarts them, if he wrestles somebody with better technique, he out-hustles them. Of all the wrestlers I have coached, Mark is right up at the top of the list. I would have to think about it a little, but he is definitely in the top three."
Mabry has not only served his school well as an athlete, but has also scored well in academics. Mabry is a member of the Academic Decathlon team that recently qualified for state competition. The senior currently ranks fifth in his class of 75.
Principal Bryan Bullington said the only way to describe Mabry is to say he is "top notch".
"He is a great kid who works hard. He has worked for everything he has and his success is due to his work ethic," Bullington said.
Woodall said Mabry will definitely compete at the next level, noting that he has been offered scholarships by several colleges, including Division II powerhouse Adam's State, and by Arizona State University.
Mabry said he has made no decision on a college at this point, but is already looking forward to summer competition.
Going up against a familiar Willcox opponent in the State's Class 2A championship round Saturday night in Prescott, Benson High School senior Mark Mabry had everything in line to take the title in the 189-pound division.
Mabry, Benson High School's star quarterback and stud wrestler on the mats, was one match away from becoming a back-to-back state champion.
In the regular season, Mabry beat Willcox's Justin Rockhill three times before seeing him again in the championship round of the regional tournament. Mabry won the contest 11-1.
Benson Coach Casey Woodall said Mabry and Rockhill are the class of the 189-pound division, and expected the two to see each other again in the state finals.
At state, Mabry worked his way through the brackets, pinning San Manuel opponent CJ Curry, and then Anthony Duncan of Canyon State in the semifinals.
Rockhill, a junior, pinned his Phoenix Christian opponent and a Baboquivari opponent to earn a ticket to the championship round where he would have another shot at Mabry.
Going into the match, Mabry led the head-to-head battle 4-0.
"I had seen him four times this season, but the past record doesn't make any difference in the championship match," Mabry said. "This was my second year in that position and this season I've not only had more pressure to perform, but to perform dominantly. It did feel good to win it."
Mabry, the reigning 2009 sate champion, had no problem making it a 5-0 record, defeating the Willcox rival 10-5 for the top state finish.
Coach Woodall said while Mabry was injured earlier this season Rockhill won the Flowing Wells Tournament, and became an Internet favorite in the 189-pound division, something Mabry changed quickly.
During the championship match, Rockhill had five total points, but Woodall said four of those were controversial.
What Woodall called "controversial" made the match exciting, pulling Rockhill within a point of Mabry who still led 5-4 going into the third period.
"I started to get up and argue the call, but Mark just got up and looked at me like, 'it's okay. I got this,' so I sat back down," Woodall said.
Mabry then scored an escape, another takedown and nearfall before letting Rockhill up with seconds remaining to make the final score 10-5.
"Mark used a move that he hadn't worked since this summer to put Rockhill on his back," Woodall said. "That shows how technical he is. If the kid has seen a move once, he has it down, and he has the confidence to use it in the biggest match of his life. Very few kids will do that."
Mabry said winning the gold medal was a little bittersweet, however, because it was tough to see teammates he has grown up with fall short of their ultimate goals this season.
Finishing at the top to end his high school career wasn't that easy for Mabry. Besides the added pressure of teammates and coaches expecting a repeat, early in the season, Mabry suffered a rib injury that kept him out of competition for nearly a month.
When he came back in January, his first opponent was Rockhill in Willcox. Despite being a little out of shape, Mabry won with a pin.
The rest of the season leading up to Saturday's finals was smooth for the Benson senior, as he finished 28-1, and his junior year he was 53-3.
Throughout his career Mark has always been a kid I could count on," Woodall said. "The last two years I sent him wherever I thought he could get a tougher match. I would bump him up a weight class, ask for an exhibition if another team had a really tough kid below him, whatever I could do. When I asked Mark if he was up for it, there was never hesitation; he wanted to go after people.
Assistant Coach Fred Comaduran said "Mark has a way to just battle and win matches. If he wrestles somebody stronger, he outsmarts them, if he wrestles somebody with better technique, he out-hustles them. Of all the wrestlers I have coached, Mark is right up at the top of the list. I would have to think about it a little, but he is definitely in the top three."
Mabry has not only served his school well as an athlete, but has also scored well in academics. Mabry is a member of the Academic Decathlon team that recently qualified for state competition. The senior currently ranks fifth in his class of 75.
Principal Bryan Bullington said the only way to describe Mabry is to say he is "top notch".
"He is a great kid who works hard. He has worked for everything he has and his success is due to his work ethic," Bullington said.
Woodall said Mabry will definitely compete at the next level, noting that he has been offered scholarships by several colleges, including Division II powerhouse Adam's State, and by Arizona State University.
Mabry said he has made no decision on a college at this point, but is already looking forward to summer competition.
 |
 |
|
| Husband charged in wife's murder; | Affordable housing program's aim |
Article Rating
Reader Comments
The following are comments from the readers. In no way do they represent the view of bensonnews-sun.com.
Proud Bensonite wrote on Feb 20, 2010 8:01 PM: