Hawks host send-off for state wrestling

Friends and family gathered outside of Gila Ridge to wish wrestlers good luck before state

YUMA, Ariz. (KYMA) - State wrestling takes center stage this weekend, and Yuma County’s top program is heading to Phoenix with high hopes.

Gila Ridge High School sent its wrestling team off Thursday as fans gathered to cheer while the Hawks boarded a bus for the state championships.

Gila Ridge will be represented by 14 wrestlers at the tournament, including 11 boys and three girls. The Hawks will look to make a strong showing on the mat as they compete for a state title.

"We're all ready, we all trained hard," said sophomore wrestler Diesel Labady. " Now it's just to see how we do against the best of the best."

It helps when you are wrestling every day to get better, but part of that comes with building close connections.

"We're all really close. We spend every day together," Labady said. "We fight together, then we go out and compete together."

Competition began Thursday and runs through Saturday in Phoenix.