If you look closely, the plaque on the wall states “To give anything less than your best is to sacrifice the gift.” Thank you Amphi High School Wrestling team for their prayer for the loss of a great man.

Life, however fleeting, is a gift. That life can be a gift to the recipient or more so can become a gift by the recipient to those who come into contact their life. Simply put some cherish the life they were given, and others take the life they were given and use it as a vessel to touch those around them.

When the gift of life is given names quite honestly are a bi-product of a message behind the life itself.

So no names will be spoken here. The name is significant to those closest to the man this message represents. But it is the message this man left behind that should not be limited by his name. Anyone who feels it should rejoice in his gift, not just his name.

That message is simple yet ever so intricate.

Love your family, love your craft, love your abilities, and give back wherever you possibly can in every facet. Not every man can exemplify this message, but every man should strive to aspire to it. If you are not chasing that dream, you are moving backwards. Write that down, read it over and over again, digest it, and make it your own.

When this man's accolades come to mind they represent greatness, they represent excellence; they represent the greatest achievements one man can achieve within the circles he walked.

In the end though they do not represent boundaries of how far this greatness can be taken more so than they are a blueprint for a stopping point along the way to the furthest any individual can possibly reach.

Then again they represent only a portion of a celebrated life which is represented in far more examples than any trophy can display. Yet the message behind his life would not hold the weight it does without mentioning how far he drove himself to exemplify his own quality.

While his quality reached far more than he could ever demonstrate on a mat or inside a gym, this man gained his reputation and his respect in one of the most difficult forums any man can ever hope to earn respect in; The realm of wrestling.

This tremendous competitor drove through all adversity to become a glowing example for many individuals to follow. As a young man he performed and represented those who led him. As a more seasoned man he became a leader himself and represented those who led him and more so those who eventually followed him.

Sunnyside High School is among Arizona wrestling circles a respected name that need no explanation as to what comes along with that Alma Mater. If you have either competed for or against this wrestling program over the years no explanation is necessary, the name speaks for itself.

If you have not, suffice to say it represents wrestling competition within a sport that respects and celebrates nothing less than that excellence.

Under this banner this man was a two time state champion. He was a Sunnyside High Cadet and Greco National Champion. He was a regional mutli style champion. And he placed 4^th in the Sunkist International Championships.

His ability in the forum he chose to excel in represented a dedication and ability that many aspire to yet few ever actually achieve. Surely his promise could have led him to whatever plateaus he may have aspired to yet something more important than his own glory became the gravity that defined him.

Where one man, a champion, may aspire to reach his greatest heights his focus can instantly transform to the legacy of his family.

If there is one thing I have learned about this man it is that his adoration of his daughter superseded everything. Nothing could distract him, not his own potential, not the expectations of others; nothing could distract him from his baby girl.

He focused his life on and around her. Just as he had on his wrestling career, he focused all the drive and heart into the one thing that could change his life and quite simply the one thing that could pull him away from where he was headed.

This angel, this baby girl, directed him down a new path.

So where the sky may have been the limit for a promising wrestler, now he could start anew and divide his love between that which he once drove for in wrestling excellence, and now being the best father he could possibly be.

His sacrifice may puzzle some, many of which have never gazed into the eyes of their children.

But he did not walk away. He used what he had created in one of wrestling's promising young prospects and became the next best thing. He became a coach.

As a coach this man influenced the lives of countless young children who desired that quality which he once represented as a competitor. He took his excellence and potential and channeled it in the only way he could and became a leader of tomorrow's potential great competitors.

His influence now became far more vast than it ever may have been as a competitor alone. His influence would touch the lives of many fortunate aspiring athletes who wanted nothing more than to gain the heights he had attained.

His influence would also remain close to home where he could touch the life of his baby girl.

It became a fine representation of all the right ingredients that formulated a career which effected more lives than even he may have known. Of course his daughter will always know his love and adoration for her and he can rest easy tonight in knowing that fact will always resonate within his own blood.

But the lives he touched may have never known the need to express their gratitude until sadly it was too late to do so. But that does not mean that gratitude is not felt whole heartedly and without waiver.

One young athlete reached out to us and told us “He was a very unique man with endless potential who gave up the pursuit of competitive wrestling for the love of his daughter. I had the extreme pleasure of meeting him in The Ultimate Fighter wrestling room. I was being coached by Mike Bravo who was his longtime coach. Bravo coached him through all of his victories from when he was young until his senior year at Sunnyside.”

He went on to say, “Through his actions he taught me that dreams are not to be taken lightly. If you have dreams, what are you waiting for? He coached me through several victories and helped to instill a manic work ethic in me. He threw me for five points countless times. He helped me sharpen my suplex too.”

In closing he told us, “He was an outstanding coach, friend and father. I love you and miss you. Your name will forever live on in my heart. I don't know if I would be here today without him and Bravo. They saved my life.”

The words of a student who felt his influence hit hard, and they hit heavy.

As for his peers, a highly respected coach he worked closely with told us “A good young man is gone. He was a great person to be around. He had a Great winning attitude with a positive smile. He is the one that got away. I mean that in all aspects. He got away from his family, friends, division 1 wrestling, international wrestling, MMA fighting, and coaching. Wrestling was his passion. He loved his daughter more than anything in the world. I wish I could have done more for him. I will miss him dearly.”

Another respected voice in the community gave us his impression of the man however brief it may have been. “This is a very sad day. I had the honor of meeting him at a wrestling clinic for kids. I could tell how much he loved to work with kids and show them the sport which he loved so much.”

Those who know need no further explanation. None can be offered here that is not already understood among his peers. In the end Hurtsbad MMA will simply say we wish we knew him better and anything we can do to show support to his family and that baby girl goes without saying.

We are sorry to hear of the passing of one of our community’s pillars. But somehow we are pleased to know that such an exceptional individual influenced so many of those who we call our friends.

R.I.P  to a great man. We should all aspire to leave a legacy half as great as this man left behind.