Wrestling Season Preview

ACP Wrestling kicked off its fifth season last week. The ACP Wrestling team has grown tremendously over the past five years, from one wrestler at the beginning of the program to around 40 wrestlers this season. The ACP wrestlers had an impressive season last year that saw many wrestlers qualify for the state tournament. This group features seniors Davoren Bishop and Hadi Mazboudi, junior Joseph Maddox, and sophomore Jad Mazboudi. This group of talented wrestlers should battle to be state placewinners this season. Seniors Korosh Eshani and Yousuf Halik not only qualified for the State Tournament, they both finished in 5th place in their weight classes in last year’s AIA State Tournament. This season, both should contend for state championships. As a team, the ACP Wrestlers hope to improve on their 11th place finish at the AIA State Tournament last season.

Coach Paul Huffman said of his team’s hopes this season, “ACP Wrestling should have a strong season this year, with its strong veteran wrestlers. In addition, the future looks very bright with the infusion of talented, young wrestlers. I am excited to see what our veteran seniors can accomplish this season and how much our young wrestlers can grow and develop.”

Off to a Strong Start

ACP Wrestling is off to a strong start this season, dominating in their dual meets with two wins over Valley Christian and Northwest Christian. This performance was followed by a strong showing at the Jerry Benson Invitational at Buckeye High School. Overall, the wrestlers finished in 6th place as a team out of a field of 29 teams. This performance is even more impressive as it came against mainly Division I and II schools. Senior Yousuf Halik was especially impressive at this meet, as he was able to pin his opponents throughout the tournament. He was named Outstanding Wrestler of the tournament by the coaches and also received the Outstanding Overall Wrestler Award given by the referees. Senior Korosh Eshani finished the tournament in 3rd place, while junior Joseph Maddox and sophomore Jad Mazboudi each took home a 5th place medal.

Coach Huffman commented on his team’s performance, “The entire team wrestled well, getting a lot of valuable experience against very tough competition.”

Upcoming Schedule

Titan Invitational (Scottsdale, AZ) 12/8-9

Casteel Multi-Meet (Chandler, AZ) 12/13

Casteel Duals (Chandler, AZ) 12/16

Mile High Challenge (Prescott Valley, AZ) 12/29-30

3rd Annual Demon Classic (Dysart, AZ) 1/12-13

Chandler Prep Multi-Meet (Chandler, AZ) 1/18

Ironwood Invitational (Glendale, AZ) 1/20

Arizona College Prep Multi-Meet (Chandler, AZ) 1/24

Northwest Christian Multi-Meet (Chandler, AZ) 1/25