Sending seven wrestlers to the state tournament, the Falcons managed to place three grapplers on the final podium of the season, including a second place performance by senior Josh Vaught.

Over the weekend, the Falcons traveled to Tim’s Toyota Center in Prescott Valley to take part in the final wrestling tournament of the year.

Representing Fountain Hills at state were Chris Hernandez, Robbie Hugo, Wesley Smout, Tony Boulanger, Max Jordan, Parker Kauffman and Josh Vaught.

According to head coach Luke Salzman, state turned out to be a huge success for the local squad.

“Our guys had a great tournament in Prescott, placing ninth overall as a team out of 42 schools in Division IV,” he said.

“We had three wrestlers make the podium, placing in state.”

First up for the Falcons’ top finishers was sophomore Parker Kauffman, who took fifth place in a tough heavyweight bracket going 4-2 with four big pins.

“Parker has gained a lot of confidence this year and is starting to dominate in his weight class,” Salzman added.

“He finished his sophomore season at 37-11 with 26 pins, the most wins and pins on our team.”

Next up for the Falcon placers was junior Tony Boulanger, taking fourth place in the 106-pound division.

Boulanger pulled off an upset against the number two seed in the second round, 10-4, to continue on, eventually earning his spot as one of the year’s top finishers.

“Tony really turned it up in this tournament and had some impressive wins,” Salzman said.

“He finished the season at 35-15 and will be a team leader going into his senior season next year.”

Finally, the highest flying Falcon at the event was senior Josh Vaught, who managed to take second place overall in his division.

Salzman said Vaught dominated through his bracket, pinning two of his opponents and beating the third by a score of 13-0 to make it into the championship bout.

“Josh ended up losing to Ryan Allred, a four-time state champion from Camp Verde, in the final match, but deserved every bit of the runner-up status,” Salzman added.

“He finished his senior year with a 30-6 record and 18 pins. He also ends his impressive career with a third place and second place state finish.”

With such a strong showing, Salzman said it was a good weekend to be a Falcon at the state tournament.

“As a coach, I couldn’t be happier with how the team finished,” he added.

“The boys worked really hard to get where they did. Each qualifier won at least one match at state and having [three] on the podium at the end is great.”