The Fountain Hills High School wrestling team is plowing through most of its competition. Last Tuesday, Dec. 7, the Falcons hosted a round robin tournament at home and won all five of their matches. The Falcons kept their pace and placed 10th out of 25 teams at the Titan Invitational at Arizona College Prep this past weekend.

The Falcons were missing five senior wrestlers due to the flu at the Titan Invitational. Thanks to the depth of the team, the Falcons were still able to compete well and had four wrestlers place individually. Sophomores Tyler Langer placed fifth in the 165 lbs. class, and Tyler Flynn took third place in the 132 lbs. class. Junior JP Cahill earned fifth place in the 126 lbs. class while dealing with a lingering injury, and fellow junior Gavin Furi took third place in the 138 lbs. class.

“It was a long two-day tournament, it takes a lot to keep fighting match after match,” Falcons head coach Luke Salzman said. “Everybody that competed improved their technique and toughness going into the January push. Having seniors out and still having two sophomores and two juniors place high is exciting for the future.”

For seniors like Hector Leon, having a large team is a dream come true. Leon has wrestled each year for Fountain Hills, and according to him, the team was less than 10 people his freshman year. He also said that they grew over the years simply by asking people to join and building of their success.

“The people that were here my freshman year, we all bought into it,” Leon said. “We build each other up, we don’t believe in bringing someone down. We try to bring everyone to a positive attitude, and it shows on the mat. Everyone has fun, everyone works hard and we give it our all.”

The Falcons feel like family to Leon, who said watching them compete is exciting. As the heavyweight wrestler, Leon is the last to go in any dual. He spends the time until his match cheering and mentally preparing himself.

“I’m personally happier when I watch a teammate get a pin, because I know they worked their butt off for that,” Leon said. “They give it everything they have, and I expect that from my team. I expect us to win. If we don’t, I’m not too bummed out about it. It’s just on to the next one.”

Leon recorded pins in at least his first two matches at the home round robin tournament. The Falcons recorded several pins on their way to a 5-0 record last Tuesday, but none were more impressive than a pin by Cahill late in the night.

Cahill was injured during the bout and had to receive a small amount of first aid before continuing. He managed to take his opponent down and spin him into a pinning position to win. As soon as it was over, Cahill limped over to the opposing coach to shake his hand, and then Cahill limped over to his teammates who were jumping up and down in excitement.

“JP is a fighter,” Salzman said. “The kid never quits and goes 100% all the time. It’s great having the other younger kids see his fight and what it takes to pull out a win.”

The wrestlers have all of winter break to rest, recover and prepare for the second half of the season. Their next event will be the Coolidge Lion’s Club Wrestling Invitational hosted by Coolidge High School on Friday, Jan. 7, and Saturday, Jan. 8. Following that, the Falcons will have their second and last home meet of the season on Monday, Jan. 10, at 4 p.m.