Page senior adds name to ‘Hall of Champions’

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Hunter Richardson’s top goal was to get his name on the Sand Devils’ wall of wrestling champions.

Last year, Richardson, 18, accomplished that goal when he placed fifth at the state wrestling championship. His name was placed alongside his brothers, Cheyenne and Dakota Richardson, who are state champions in the heavyweight division.

“It’s a pretty cool wall to have your name on for the younger generation to look at,” Richardson said. “Definitely, because (the former Page High wrestlers) are who I look up to. My brothers’ names are on that wall.

“That was my biggest goal: to get my name up there,” he said of the wall inside the wrestling room at Page High.

Hunter Richardson said the wall comprises names of state placers – like Zachary Ruiz and Kimball Begay – throughout Sand Devils history.

“I got my name on that wall,” Richardson said. “Hopefully, I’m going to put my name on that wall this year.”

Richardson is Naałání and born for Kinyaa’áanii. His maternal grandfather is Naałání, and his paternal grandfather is Tł’ízíłání.

Sand Devil Classic

Richardson, over the weekend, placed fifth in the 165-pound weight class at the Sand Devil Wrestling Classic, one of his last tournaments as an outgoing senior.

“It was a very good match,” he said of his final match against American Leadership Academy’s Cody Long. “I executed it pretty well.”

Richardson wrestled Long in an earlier round and won by an 11-8 decision. In the rematch, he pinned his opponent in the second period.

“I knew I was going to meet back up with him,” Richardson said. “I already knew what the game plan was: to attack him and go in for a takedown.

“It was very exciting the first period and the second period,” he explained. “I started on top and was able to work with him down and (pinned him) within the last seconds of the second period. It was a good win.”

Richardson said while he was looking for a duck-under, he knew Long was going for a head tie.

“I could tell he (Long) was reaching very high,” he said. “He really liked to tie up, and I didn’t want to be in a tie-up with him because he looked like the stronger opponent.”

Richardson looked back on his wrestling career as the tournament ended on Saturday evening, highlighting last year because Dakota coached him.

Long four years

The Sand Devils wrestling season is ending, and his high school wrestling career was a long, difficult one because of COVID-related restrictions and protocols.

“Last year was different,” Richardson said. “It was difficult because we (Sand Devil wrestlers) were limited to four matches before state.”

Wrestlers usually have around 50 matches before state, but the Arizona Interscholastic Association limited wrestlers to only four matches because of the coronavirus, said Richardson.

“It’s pretty difficult wrestling with a mask and having to keep it on to cover your mouth and nose,” he said. “Wrestling’s a big part of conditioning, so that was very difficult based on COVID and the limited matches.”

Richardson fractured his collarbone to make matters worse, but he still managed to make it to the state wrestling semifinals last year.

“I wrestled my semis, and the next day, I had a broken collarbone, and that’s when I realized I can’t wrestle that match,” he explained. “I lost that match, and I just medical forfeited and ended up being in sixth place.”

Richardson said his first two years of wrestling weren’t his most significant years, but he used that time to learn and grow from the upper-level students like Kaleb June and Ruiz.

“I learned a lot from them,” he said. “They’re my mentors. During my freshman and sophomore years, they shaped me into a better wrestler. It was good having them there.”

Future in wrestling

Richardson is set to graduate in May, and he’s looking at a few colleges – such as Southeastern Oklahoma State University in Durant, Oklahoma – where he can continue his wrestling journey.

“If I do plan to wrestle, though, I think I’m looking for a degree in business and finance,” Richardson said. “That’s what I’m really looking forward to, and if I can wrestle or play football, I’d love to do that.”

In the meantime, graduation is starting to get nerve-racking, said Richardson.

“It’s adulthood after this,” he said. “I gotta go to college. I’m gonna miss high school. COVID really (spoiled) things, and last year we didn’t get a whole season. We missed out on football last year, and that was devastating. And wrestling too.

“I feel like I really missed a lot of my high school experiences,” he added.

COVID losses

Richardson said living through the coronavirus outbreak, coming-of-age moments such as prom and homecoming look and feel vastly different. And while he and his friends are trying to celebrate milestones, the truth is they’ll never regain those moments.

“And a bunch of sports,” he said. “And even when sports were back, we had to wear a mask. Stands were limited to people. It was kind of depressing in a way, and it was very dull.

“It’s kind of like you’re on a daily routine thing: you wake up, and you’re on a laptop for eight hours a day. Then we (went) to practice for two to three weeks without a tournament until we finally (had) a match. That was kind of how it was.”

But he had friends and family and a strong support system that kept him motivated to keep going and staying active.

“I’d just like to give all the glory to God and thank him for the opportunity and everything I was able to accomplish and going to accomplish,” Richardson added, “and for the rest of the year, and furthermore.”

Richardson also plays football and baseball. He didn’t play baseball last year because of his collarbone injury.

He’s also taken on numerous leadership roles for his teams, which can be a lot of pressure.

“There’s a lot of people looking up to you, especially a young class, and you’ve got to lead them in the best way possible and keep them motivated and hungry,” he added. “That’s how I really looked at leading.”

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