With every returning state champion team from Arizona and others from New Mexico, there’s no doubt the 2008 Flowing Wells Invitational was loaded with elite wrestling talent.

“It was the toughest tournament we’ve been at in the last five or six years,” Safford head coach Herman Andrews said.

The Bulldogs (146.5 points) took third place behind runner-up Mingus (162) and champion Sunnyside (267.5). Safford represented itself well with several standout performances.

Safford sophomore Ryak Finch pins an opponent to the ground at a home meet Jan. 3. The 103-pounder was one of two individual winners for the Bulldogs at the Flowing Wells Invitational in Tucson on Saturday. Junior Nathaniel Abril was also a champion at 140 lbs. Safford finished third among a field of numerous state championship teams. “He’s an animal �” he lives, breathes and sleeps wrestling,” Safford head coach Herman Andrews said of Finch. Photo by Brian Wright

Sophomore Ryak Finch (103 lbs.) didn’t even need a healthy wrist to leave his competition in the dust.

Finch, who broke his wrist a few days before the Peoria Invitational on Jan. 11-12, decimated his four opponents to win his weight class. He pinned Islas of Pueblo to take the title.

“Ryak dominated all the way through,” Andrews said. “He was a man amongst boys.”

Finch (33-0) wasn’t going to let anything stop him after missing the Peoria tournament. Andrews said Finch was “sick” that he couldn’t compete the previous weekend.

Jon Casas finished in third place at 130 lbs. and has been getting better with each passing week. Casas left some former state champs in his wake and improved his season record to 41-2.

Nathaniel Abril (140) was a first-place winner with a 13-11 decision over Lymangrover of Mingus. The Safford junior upped his record this year to 41-2 with the win.

Senior Tyrell Andrews (160) took second place and suffered his first defeat of the year.

Tyrell (42-1) was locked in a tight battle with Maynes of Silver City in the final, but he was pinned with about 15 seconds to go in the third period.

Philip Ornelas, a key contributor for Safford at 119 lbs., injured his shoulder in his first match of the tournament and didn’t continue.

Andrews said he didn’t want to risk hurting Ornelas any further and wants him to be healthy and ready for regionals and state.

Safford could have easily grabbed a second-place team finish with a healthy Ornelas.

The Bulldogs had five wrestlers that didn’t even score a point, so they basically won third place with eight wrestlers.

Battling and succeeding against the best of the best drives Safford.

“That’s why we go up there — to wrestle the (great) competition,” Andrews said.

When facing the best, a team will undoubtedly have to deal with defeat, which isn’t a bad thing.

“It gives you a little piece of that humble pie,” Andrews said.

Safford’s coach was “very proud” of the way his kids wrestled and said that many of his wrestlers that lost went out fighting.

Andrews hopes the experience at Flowing Wells pays dividends for the underclassmen on the team who haven’t yet wrestled under the spotlight.

Although he tasted defeat for the first time this year, Tyrell received the David Nelson and Dan Penrod Inspiration Award. The honor is bestowed upon a senior wrestler that brings inspiration to the sport.

The Bulldogs head to Empire (Tucson) for a region meet today before hosting the regional championship Feb. 3.