Broncos' record season ends on slightly sour note

The Broncos had a program-record 10 wrestlers make it to the biggest stage last week at the Arizona Veteran’s Memorial Coliseum after claiming the program’s first ever Division III, Section II title.

Of those 10, however, only two made it through to a medal round as Brendon Berny and Shevy Landis-Ku both placed fifth in their respective weight classes.

“It was not our most successful weekend at the state tournament,” Poston Butte coach Traston Yates said. “We underperformed a little bit as a team. We did have a lot of kids that this was their first year qualifying and I think maybe that played a little bit of a part. When you qualify 10 boys you hope to medal more than two. We could have done better.”

Yates added that he thought his team expended a lot of energy at sectionals the prior weekend.

“I almost wonder if maybe that kind of put out a hangover that carried into this,” he said. “I mean we’ve been talking about it for years, trying to win the sectional tournament. We had some rough draws and ran into some very, very quality kids in this tournament. We had some really, really great efforts and losses, and that’s what we’re looking for. I guess our mission is to come back next year and take more than 10 and have some better individual performances.”

Berny, at 113 pounds, worked his way through the consolation bracket after dropping his second match to American Leadership Academy-Gilbert’s Jake Wood.

Following a forfeit victory and two major decision wins, the senior dropped a close match, 5-3, to Payson’s Gage Palace which led the the fifth place matchup against Chandler Arizona College Prep’s Gabe Huffman.

Berny managed to hold on long enough for the slim 5-4 decision, to cap off his final season on the podium. With the win Berny also avenged two losses to Huffman and American Leadership Academy-Queen Creek’s Joseph Comaduran from earlier in the season.

“Brendan was a multiple state qualifier and it was really nice to see him, as a senior, punch through and get on the podium,” Yates said. “It was good to see a senior kind of avenge some losses that’ve been haunting him this year.”

In the 126-pound weight class, Landis-Ku was one win away from reaching the semifinals but lost by decision, 5-1, to Racer Uhler of Cottonwood Mingus Union.

On the other side of the bracket, the junior appeared to be caught completely off guard by ALA-Gilbert North’s Bergen Doolen, who pinned him in 14 seconds.

Landis-Ku managed to bounce back in his final match as he defeated Tucson Mica Mountain’s Joseph Chamberlain in a 4-2 decision.

“Bulla, is a two-time state qualifier for us,” Yates said. “He was sixth last year, fifth this year. He lost a tough match in the semifinals and so that’s the goal for him next year, to be in the finals. If we can get him a medal next year then he’ll be the first three-time state placer in school history.”

In his seventh season as the head coach, Yates hopes the program can continue moving forward as the Broncos put a big emphasis on developing their athletes in the offseason. Of the 10 qualifiers, four are sophomores and two are juniors.

He added that there were also a handful of wrestlers that came up a match short of qualifying at sectionals.

“Now we can show the kids where the bar is,” he said. “We can point to individual athletes, we can point to a really successful team. … That’s the bar we’ve got to meet it and then we’ve got to push through that state barrier. That’s kind of the last big hurdle for us. Can we be in that top three at the state tournament? Can we be in the conversation as state champions? That’s the goal, that’s always been a goal for us. But we’re realistic and we take it one step at a time.”