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2-17-2026 5:30am
Alamogordo Boys Wrestling Team Places 10th at 2-5A Regionals, Sending Four to State Tournament
Chris Edwards
Editor
Alamogordo, NM – The Alamogordo High School boys wrestling team wrapped up a competitive showing at the 2-5A Regional Championships in Albuquerque on Saturday, finishing in 10th place overall. Despite the tough field, four Tiger wrestlers punched their tickets to next weekend’s 5A State Tournament, highlighting a day of grit, determination, and standout performances.
Leading the charge were junior Fynn Krafka at 113 pounds and sophomore AJ Benitez at 120 pounds, who earned special recognition for their impressive runs. Krafka claimed first place in his weight class, capping off a dramatic tournament with an overtime victory, while Benitez secured second place after a strong start that included a technical fall in the semifinals.
Krafka’s path to regional gold was a thriller from start to finish. In the quarterfinals, he pinned Hunter Berry of Roswell in just 1:28. He followed that with a hard-fought 10-8 decision over Paul Sanchez of Organ Mountain in the semis. The championship match went to sudden victory overtime, where Krafka edged out Max Romero of West Mesa 12-11 to claim the top spot.
Benitez, meanwhile, dominated early rounds with a quick 1:06 pin over Abdul Majid Amijad Nusayr of Centennial in the quarterfinals and a 15-0 technical fall against Ezekiel Garcia of Roswell in the semifinals (3:34). In the finals, he fell to Nava Gurule of Los Lunas via major decision (15-3), but his runner-up finish ensures his spot at state.
Joining them at the state level will be Terrence Armijo at 106 pounds, who battled through the consolation bracket to finish fifth. Armijo opened with a 15-0 technical fall over Adam Tarin of Roswell (3:26) in the quarterfinals but dropped his semifinal to Landon Ochoa of Clovis by pin (:26). After a consolation semifinal loss to Ryan Wedekind of Las Cruces (:23), he rebounded with a 1:20 pin over Tarin in the fifth-place match.
Cody Phillips rounded out the qualifiers at 126 pounds, placing seventh after navigating a challenging consolation path. Following an opening-round loss to Johnny Molina of Albuquerque by pin (4:26), Phillips rattled off wins including a 2:31 pin over Zair Cornejo of Carlsbad and a forfeit victory against Sebastian Duran of Centennial. He dropped a 10-4 decision to Kilian Rios of Las Cruces in the third consolation round but closed strong with a 19-11 major decision over Andrew Gerber of Gadsden in the seventh-place bout.
Other Tigers put up valiant efforts but fell short of qualifying. At 132 pounds, Damien Montoya earned a consolation win with a 2:12 pin over Julian Valenzuela of Gadsden but was eliminated after losses to Jimmy Lopez of Rio Grande (1:40 pin) and Daniel Armstrong of Albuquerque (4:23 pin).
Gaven Kizer at 190 pounds started in the consolation bracket with a 12-0 major decision over Armando Jaramillo of Rio Rancho but was pinned by Ewan Jaco of Hobbs (3:55) in the opener and John Royal of Clovis (:49) in the second consolation round.
Demetre Hinds (157 pounds) and Jahdarion Williams (165 pounds) also competed fiercely. Hinds dropped decisions to Atticus Morrow of Centennial (4:24 pin) and Thaniel Padilla of Los Lunas (2:50 pin). Williams fell to Erick Lujan of Clovis (4:41 pin) and Joseph Green of Hobbs (2:11 pin).
The Alamogordo community is rallying behind the Tigers as they prepare for the 5A State Tournament. Congratulations to all the wrestlers on a season of growth and achievement—go Tigers!
