By Greg Perkins Holbrook’s wrestling team won the Division III state championship over the weekend at the state tournament held in Prescott Valley. The Roadrunners, coached by John Bokker, outlasted 49 other division III teams to come home with their first state title since 1990. Holbrook was a dominant wrestling school in the late 1980s, winning 10 state titles, but none came in the past 24 years until this weekend. Despite having just one individual state winner, the Roadrunners compiled 195.5 team points, with eight of their 14 wrestlers placing in the top six of their respective weight classes. Amphitheater was runner-up with 173.5, followed by Tempe in third with 153, Payson in fourth with 144.5 and Thunderbird in fifth with 143.5. “Without sectionals this year it was a little different from the past. Every team got to bring every wrestler. In the past some teams may only get five out of 14 wrestlers in to state, so it was anybody’s to win,” said Coach John Bokker. “We knew from our finishes at other tournaments that we had a strong chance of winning it. Our seniors led the way by scoring major points in the upper weight classes. I knew when this class became seniors would be a special year. We won our first title in 24 years and the 11th in Holbrook history. All the hard work these guys put in over the years showed. I couldn’t be a more proud coach!” Shem Bowman was the lone individual state champion for the Roadrunners, capturing the state title in the 195-pound division with a 5-0 mark. “He absolutely dominated all his matches on his way to a state title,” said the coach. Kevin Self went 4-1 in the 170-pound competition, earning him second place. “He put on an amazing performance at state,” said Coach Bokker. At 182 pounds, Nikko Ferniza also went 4-1 to earn second. James Ramirez took third at 126 pounds with a 5-1. His only loss was to the eventual champion and he scored the second most points on the team along the way. At 120 pounds, Theron Johns went 5-2, good for fourth place. “He showed a lot of heart, winning some tough matches along the way,” noted the coach. Clayton Hunt placed fourth in the 160-pound division with a 5-2 record, with both losses to the No. 1 seeded wrestler. CJ Plumb posted a 4-2 record in the 220-pound division, good for fourth place. He lost to the eventual champion and a lost close one in the finals. At 138 pounds, Levi McClellan went 4-2, good for fifth place. At 106 pounds, Samuel Plumb went 1-2, and earned his team points by defeating a Page wrestler who bested him earlier in the season. Domonic Spencer went 0-2 in the 113-pound competition. He had a tough draw, losing to high level competition. Noah Barela, who went 3-2 at 132 pounds, “really stepped it up at state, winning us three matches and scoring valuable points,” said Coach Bokker. Shane McGraw, the only Holbrook freshman to make state, went 0-2 at 145 pounds, losing to seniors in a hard weight class. Jedde Bowman went 1-2 at 152 pounds, redeeming an early season loss and helping the team out. Angel Aguilera posted a 4-2 record in the heavyweight class, pinning four opponents to earn the team major points. “The seniors led the way and were helped out by tough underclassmen. This was a true team effort,” said Coach Bokker. “Words cannot express how proud I am of all our wrestlers! “Thank you for all the support we received from our community. Holbrook is a place I am proud to call home.”