The second annual Sun Devil Wrestle-Offs ended with a 23-20 Gold victory over the Maroon team in front of a packed house at the Riches Wrestling Complex on Friday night.
The intra-squad event featured two former ASU All-Americans serving as honorary coaches for each team. Glenn McMinn Sr. led the Gold team while Billy Rosado was in charge of the Maroon team at the meet that determined the starting wrestlers at each weight class.
“I love the energy that the crowd brought,” ASU coach Shawn Charles said. “That’s what it’s all about. These guys wrestled extremely hard, and I think a lot of that had to do with the crowd and what they brought to the table.”
Former ASU All-American and current UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez was in attendance to fire up the crowd before the first match.
“I love coming back and seeing friends and family,” Velasquez said. “Any time I have free time, I’m definitely coming back.”
Velasquez wasn’t the only reason for the crowd of about 200 to get amped up. The night saw several competitive bouts, beginning with Levi Cooper’s 1-0 victory in the heavyweight class for the Gold team.
“We got a lot of guys who want to compete and just hate to lose, whether it’s P.E. volleyball or it’s the national championship in wrestling,” redshirt senior Bubba Jenkins, who won his match at the 157 pound weight class by way of a technical fall, said. “For most of the guys, it brings us closer.”
Redshirt freshman Luke Macchiaroli (197 pounds), junior Jake Meredith (184), junior Eric Starks (174), junior Te Edwards (165), junior Luke Ashmore (149), redshirt freshman Kalin Goodsite (141), redshirt junior David Prado (133) and redshirt senior Anthony Robles (125) were also winners on Friday night.
The Gold and Maroon teams ended up splitting the meet’s victories, but Prado’s decisive first-period pin proved to be the edge. It gave the Gold team the lead heading into the last match of the night, where Robles, although he came away with a dramatic 2-0 win, wasn’t able to get the pin for the Maroon team.
“Even though we’re out here beating each other up, when the lights go off and everyone goes home, we still hang out together regardless,” Prado said.
The event, which was the Sun Devils' first real performance in front of a crowd this season, did more than simply decide the starters, Prado explained.
“It’s huge to build our confidence, to build our fan base [and] it’s just huge for energy,” Prado said.
Jenkins, who is in his first year at ASU after transferring from Penn State, also believes that an event like this, where the Sun Devils must compete against one another, has brought the team closer together.
“I think our team camaraderie is better than I’ve ever seen,” Jenkins said. “I’ve been on a million teams, and I feel like this team is a lot closer than any other team I’ve ever been on.”
While Friday’s meet was a good way to kick off the season, Charles hopes the event will continue to gain momentum in coming years.
“My dream is to one day have [the Sun Devil Wrestle-Offs] so big that we have to hold it in Wells Fargo Arena,” Charles said.
ASU’s first real competitions are on Saturday, Nov. 13, with a pair of duals in Arizona. The Sun Devils will compete in a 1 p.m. dual against Grand Canyon in Phoenix before traveling to Prescott to take on Embry-Riddle at 7 p.m.
Reach the reporter at kyle.j.newman@asu.edu
