Yuma Catholic wrestling duo bows out as champions

Yuma Catholic's Khel Lipumano and Hunter Hancock cap off high school careers with state championships.

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA, KECY) - Yuma Catholic's Khel Lipumano and Hunter Hancock have had dominant high school wrestling careers out on the mats. The pair has been to a combined seven state finals and won five state championships, but they could not be more different.

"Two polar opposites," Yuma Catholic head coach Jeff Welsing said. "Khel is really quiet and kind of keeps himself, just handles his business. Hunter is 'Big Game Hunter' because he's one of those guys. He's not really gonna wow you in the practice room, but when the lights come he's one of those guys that shows up in prime time."

Lipumano won the Arizona Division 4 state championship at 120 pounds, his second straight and 3rd overall. The senior recently gained All-American status after showing out at a national tournament in Fargo, North Dakota.

"It's really hard to believe and because I never really saw myself as getting better as wrestling as I grew up, but as I got to high school I won to say my freshman year," he said. "I really saw it as a possibility of trying to become one of the best in Yuma to ever do it."

Hancock won the championship in the 157 pound class, his second state title. Hancock also finishes his time at YC with 154 pins, the second most in Arizona history.

"I'd say I have like a different wrestling style," Hancock said. "It's pretty hard to like know what I'm gonna do because I do different stuff every time. They say it like a funky wrestler."

"I believe it's just his athletic ability," Welsing said about Hancock. "The kid can do backflips, back tucks. I mean, he can do full splits. He's just very athletic."

Both shamrocks were fueled by lessons learned in defeat. Lipumano lost in the state final as a sophomore and Hancock lost in last year's final.

"I got a little too lazy my sophomore year," Lipumano said. "That's why I lost and so the next year I was hungry for that state title again."

"After losing my last one last year, I just came back and I worked my butt off all season to come back and be another state champ," Hancock said.

Hancock celebrated his championship victory in iconic fashion with a back flip into a pose.

"Everyone does a backflip like and I wanted to be a little bit different so I did that," he said.

Both wrestlers are now chasing titles at national events and are looking to continue their wrestling careers in college.