Kofa's Benitez goes 48-1 to claim back-to-back state titles

Kofa wrestler Jorge Benitez set some lofty goals for his senior season and achieved nearly all of them.

The 160-pounder finished 48-1 to become only the fifth King to win back-to-back state titles in the school's 49-year history.

"Every time I think about it, I always see that match in my head and think about what I could have done differently," Benitez said. "The only thing I didn't do was go undefeated because of that one match. So, it kind of keeps on bothering me that I didn't go undefeated."

Despite not being perfect, Benitez was the overwhelming choice for The Sun/Yuma Rotary Club 2009 All-Region Wrestler of the Year.

The distinction was just one of many goals he set and attained over his four years at Kofa.

"This has been one of my goals since I was a freshman," said Benitez, who placed at state three straight years.

The lone blemish on an otherwise dominating season came in the 160-pound final of the 43rd annual Flowing Wells Invitational, the premiere tournament in the state. He dropped a 6-5 decision to Tempe-Corona del Sol junior Derek Felton, who finished the year a perfect 46-0 and was the 5A Division I state champion at the weight.

"After I lost the match, I told coach I was sorry," Benitez said. "I felt like I had let him down and let myself down. That (undefeated season) was a goal that we had set. But coach said it was OK."

The loss came in January about about a month before the state tournament - perfect timing as far as Kofa coach Marty Dillon was concerned.

"He's been rather haunted by that one loss all year but I started thinking about and it was better for that loss to come in the middle of January at Flowing Wells," Dillon said. "And to an obviously very well-deserving young man, than at the state tournament or in the state final. Much better to have lost early and won when it counted."

Benitez shook off the minor setback and dominated the field at the 5A-II state tournament, advancing to the final on the strength of three technical falls. He completed the run with a second-period pin of Tucson-Sunnyside freshman Cedric Gonzalez.

He missed being named Outstanding Wrestler of the 5A-II tournament by half a point to heavyweight Luis Madrigal of Phoenix-Central. Madrigal, who was not seeded in the top four, wrestled one more match than Benitez.

In addition to state, Benitez was the tournament champion at El Cajon, Holtville and Marana-Mountain View. He also finished the year with a school record 209 takedowns, nearly doubling the previous mark, and had 537 through his career. Overall he was 177-32 with 28 of those blemishes coming in his first two seasons.

He credits those in the weight room early on for setting the foundation for his success.

"I've been blessed with being on a great team since my freshman year," Benitez said. "My freshman year was really special too because I got to learn things from people (past Kofa state champions) that are up there on the wall. I was like 'wow these people are teaching me stuff.' I was just taking it all in."

Benitez is preparing to take part in the Arizona Senior All-Star meet Sunday afternoon at Grand Canyon University. Joining him from the area are Gabriel Miranda and Kelvin Gastelum both of Cibola and San Pasqual's Julio Saldana. Saldana and Gastelum won state titles at 112 and 171 in 1A/2A and 5A-II, respectively.

Afterward, the focus shifts to Senior Nationals next month in Virginia.

"Last year over 200 of the kids at that tournament signed their college letters of intent prior to leaving the tournament on Sunday afternoon," Dillon said.

If he can't raise the money to make the trip, Benitez is fielding scholarship offers that run the gamut from a brand new school in Utah, Utah Valley State, to a very good D-II school, Western State, in Gunnison, Colo., to Missouri, a Division I university in the top 10.

Having Benitez wrestle on scholarship in college would be a perfect ending to a nearly perfect season.

"That would be the culminating event," Dillon said. "To see him walk in to a good program where, number one, he is going to get a great education and secondly do what he loves doing at the same time."