Yuma Summer League returns, reviving wrestling tradition after six-year hiatus

Matador Wrestling brings back Yuma Summer League to sharpen wrestlers skills

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - After a six-year hiatus, the Yuma Summer League is back.

The long-running offseason wrestling tradition, which ended during the COVID-19 pandemic, has returned thanks to Matador Wrestling Club. The free sessions are open to wrestlers of all ages and experience levels, giving athletes across the region a chance to sharpen their skills while helping restore a program many credit for Yuma's wrestling success.

"Anybody can come down here, get better. At least 1% better," Brandon Benavides said. "Anyone can come and find a good scrap."

The league was once a staple of Yuma wrestling, rotating between local high schools each week and bringing together athletes from across the county to train as one group.

"If anyone has ever wondered the secrets of what makes Yuma County tough in the sport of wrestling, it's this right here," organizer Abel Villamoreno said. "We used to do this every Thursday. We'd alternate high schools, show technique from each school, and everybody in the entire county was invited. Everybody became one team — the city of Yuma. We all trained together, and this is the formula that made our county good in wrestling."

The revived summer league maintains that same philosophy, welcoming anyone interested in improving on the mat.

"It's amazing because not only do you get to wrestle with your local community, but everyone comes together as one," Julio Gonzalez said. "You get to learn from one another, and everyone's just having a good time."

The first session drew wrestlers from across the Desert Southwest, including competitors from Imperial County. Villamoreno said previous editions of the league regularly attracted some of the state's top talent.

"The last time we did this, we had big schools like Sunnyside come in and bring their national-level kids," Villamoreno said. "So not only were we wrestling the best in the city, but the best in the state and the best in the country."

For Villamoreno, bringing back the Yuma Summer League is about more than developing better wrestlers. It's about recreating the environment that helped establish Yuma as one of Arizona's premier wrestling communities.

"Some of my favorite memories were the in-town rivalries," Villamoreno said. "Knowing your rival was going to be here every Thursday shaped you. Instead of only seeing each other during the season, you'd drill together, work together and even show each other moves. We sharpened each other."

Organizers hope a new generation of wrestlers can experience that same culture and continue the tradition for years to come.

Matador Wrestling Club plans to continue hosting the Yuma Summer League throughout the summer, with future session dates announced on the club's Instagram page.