The boys wrestling team finished 7th and the girls team finished 5th at this year’s Sand Devil Classic on Jan. 19-20. The Sand Devil Classic, held annually at Page High School, is one of the largest, most prestigious wrestling tournaments of the year. This year, 28 boys and girls teams from Arizona, Utah, New Mexico and Colorado participated in the two-day event. This year was the 32nd year of the event. 

Hosting the Sand Devil Classic is a monumental undertaking, requiring months of planning and coordination, and thousands of man hours to be a success. 

“All the mechanics required to make it happen is a bit mind-blowing,” said Kyran Keisling, Page High School’s head wrestling coach. “The amount of work and commitment I get from people behind the scenes always humbles me. Everyone has ownership and takes pride in the job they do and the part of this thing they’re in charge of.”

Big competitive tournaments play a big role for coaches, helping them see areas where their team and individuals are doing well, and where they need improvement.

“We got a lot of work to do,” said Keisling. “To be honest, we didn’t have a great tournament. I think a lot of it had to do with nerves. A lot of it is learning to deal with the bright lights and the pressure.”

Keisling took note of the areas his wrestlers can improve, and moving forward will attempt to improve on them.

“I saw some things that we didn’t do well, but we now still have time to work on them,” he said. “The effort was there. Our intensity level was there. I’m always happy when I see that part. If they have the intensity, we can work out the rest of it.”

The Sand Devils had several wrestlers who qualified for the finals:

Hayden Hunter (120) placed 6th.

Connor Peterson (126) placed 3rd.

Mannie Green (138) placed 5th.

Landon Mansker (165) placed 4th.

Ian Yellowhair (190) placed 2nd.

Warren Wall (215) placed 3rd.

Tairick Tadytin (285) placed 4th.

The She Devils also had several wrestlers qualify for the finals: 

Trina Bennet (120) placed 5th.

Mya Tsinnajinnie (138) placed 3rd.

Ilina Robbins (152) placed 3rd.

Hannah Begay (152) placed 5th.

Logan Rivers (165) placed 2nd.

Kiiyana Huskie (235) placed 6th.

Boys Team Results

1st – Canyon View High School, 280.5 points

2nd – Casteel High School, 278.5 points

3rd – Desert Vista High School, 235 points

4th – San Juan High School, 172 points

5th – Monument Valley High School, 158.5 points

6th – Higley High School, 158.0 points

7th – Page High School, 152 points

Girls Team Results

1st – Casteel High School, 157 points

2nd – Canyon View High School, 154 points

3rd – Enterprise High School, 113 points

4th – Desert View High School, 109 points

5th – Page High School, 99 points

6th – Barry Goldwater High School, 98 points