Arizona Division IV state wrestling

Posted by Quentin Jodie | Feb 18, 2016 | Wrestling |

Winslow’s depth powers Bulldogs to second place finish

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz.

The Winslow Bulldogs qualified 12 wrestlers for state and eight of them made the podium on Saturday night.

The Bulldogs finished with a team score of 146 points and placed second at the Arizona Division IV state wrestling meet at the Prescott Events Center in Prescott Valley, Ariz. Morenci won state title with 208.5 points while St. Johns came in third with 134.5 points.

Winslow advanced two wrestlers in the finals with sophomore Ahli Foster winning the 195-pound weight class with an emphatic pin in the second period over top seed Bradley Maxwell of Benson High School.

“He got me on my back in the first period but I got out of that one,” said Foster, who finished the season at 43-6. “In the second period I was at the bottom and I ended up rolling on top of him.”

Before pinning Maxwell the score was tied at 2-2 and after Foster earned two points for a reversal he managed to hold down the Benson senior for the win.

“When it happened I got real emotional,” Foster said. “A lot of credit goes to the coaches. They pushed me hard and teammates did, too.”

Winslow coach Scott Larsen said Foster is one of Winslow’s hardest workers and he deserved to be a state champion.

“It’s an exclamation point to the good season he had,” Larsen said. “He definitely put a lot of time and effort to get himself better to earn that.”

The Bulldogs also got Quincy Foster, no relation, into the finals of the 126-pound weight class as the junior finished second to Camp Verde junior Hayden Uhler, who finished the year at 34-0.

“In the end it was a tough draw for Quincy but if you are going to lose the state championship it might as well be to the best guy in the state,” Larsen said. “That may come off wrong but I thought he did real good throughout the tournament. He wrestled some tough kids and he was able to beat them.”