Benetiz impresses at national meet

Jorge Benetiz won his first consolation bracket match on Saturday before bowing out in the following round at the Senior Nationals Wrestling Championship in Virginia Beach, Va.
 
Benetiz, a senior at Kofa High, defeated Kasey Young from North Carolina 6-4, then lost to Kevin Steinhaus of Minnesota, 9-2.
 
"It was an eye-opener," Kofa wrestling coach Marty Dillon said of his two-time state champion. "He found out he wasn't challenged a whole lot this year. You get back here where the states are so densely populated and wrestling is huge, and you can see the talent is mind-boggling."
 
Dillon said Benetiz' 3-2 overall record at the meet likely places him among the top half of the 70-plus wrestlers competing in his 160-pound class. The two will attend a two-hour recruiting fair tomorrow to further speak with some of the college coaches in attendance.