The Fountain Hills High School varsity wrestling season starts this weekend. Head coach Luke Salzman likes to prepare his wrestlers for the season by taking them to watch an ASU match, and this year, …
You must be a member to read this story.
Join our family of readers for as little as $5 per month and support local, unbiased journalism.
Current print subscribers can create a free account by clicking here
Otherwise, follow the link below to join.
To Our Valued Readers –
Visitors to our website will be limited to five stories per month unless they opt to subscribe. The five stories do not include our exclusive content written by our journalists.
For $6.99, less than 20 cents a day, digital subscribers will receive unlimited access to YourValley.net, including exclusive content from our newsroom and access to our Daily Independent e-edition.
Our commitment to balanced, fair reporting and local coverage provides insight and perspective not found anywhere else.
Your financial commitment will help to preserve the kind of honest journalism produced by our reporters and editors. We trust you agree that independent journalism is an essential component of our democracy. Please click here to subscribe.
The Fountain Hills High School varsity wrestling season starts this weekend. Head coach Luke Salzman likes to prepare his wrestlers for the season by taking them to watch an ASU match, and this year, he took them to watch then No. 5 ASU beat then No. 3 Missouri on Thursday, Nov. 16.
ASU won their home opener 19-17, and it came down to the last heavyweight match for the Sun Devils to win. Salzman said the exposure to high level wrestling gets his team hyped for the season.
“It is one of my favorite days because you can see some of them get into and find a love for the sport,” Salzman said.
Salzman has taken his team to watch ASU for the past five or six years. Salzman also took his team to the Fountain Hills Veterans Day Memorial Ceremony this year, a tradition he’s continued for the past 15 years.
“I think it is really important for them to see what Veterans Day means to others and take pride in their country and the people that have served our country,” Salzman said. “We also do a tough workout in the grass followed by a fun game of ultimate frisbee.”
Veterans Day means a lot to the new assistant coach, Daniel Butler. After Butler graduated from Fountain Hills High School in 2016, he served in the Navy, and Salzman said that Butler is great at motivating the boys.
The preseason activities bring the wrestlers closer together before some of them start competing among themselves to start in a certain weight class. The Falcons have 19 wrestlers this year, and they are well rounded. They have at least one wrestler in 13 of the 14 weight classes.
“Standouts will be senior JP Cahill at 120-126, who put in a lot of work in the offseason” Salzman said. “Also, junior Tyler Flynn is currently ranked No. 1 in Division 4 at 132.”
There are eight seniors leading the way this season, and five new freshmen. Salzman took the freshmen to a JV tournament up in Payson this past Saturday, Nov. 26, and freshman Tyler Trapani impressed with a 4-0 start.
The Falcons sent nine wrestlers to the state tournament last year, and Tyler Flynn took fourth place. The Falcons hope to improve this year, and Salzman is once again joined by assistants Jim Tait and Rob Trulson this year.
The Falcons start the varsity season this Friday, Dec. 2, at the Wickenburg Invitational. It will be a two-day tournament extending into Saturday, and then the Falcons will prepare for a multi-dual next Wednesday, Dec. 7. The Falcons will travel over three hours to Round Valley High School to face Round Valley, Alchesay, Blue Ridge and Mogollon, starting at 3 p.m.
