31 January 2012
Mark Heller
At least a couple Chandler High wrestlers took the “Prusuing Victory with Honor” mantra seriously.
The Wolves competed at the Brad Jones Wrestling Invitational last weekend at Peoria Centennial High School, a meet recently named after fallen Glendale Police Officer Brad Jones.
Jones, who’d been with the police department for four years, was dispatched to aid a probation officer dealing with a probationer.
At some point during the contact, a physical struggle ensued. Jones radioed for help and several officers responded to assist him, but the suspect drew a gun, fired at Jones and critically wounded him.
The suspect was eventually involved in a single-car accident while being chased by police, then tried to flee on foot, and drew his weapon again. He was shot by police.
Jones passed away from the wounds later that night. The former Centennial-graduate left behind his wife, and pre-school-aged son and daughter.
A ceremony was held at last weekend’s invitational to honor Jones and his family. His two children were on-hand to hand out medals to wrestlers who won their respective weight classes.
When the Wolves’ Tristan Moran won at 106 pounds, Jones’ son began to cry because he didn’t want to give up the medal, so Tristen gave the medal back to the officer’s son.
When Tristen’s brother, Dalton, went to the podium after winning at 138 pounds, a similar scenario unfolded with Jones’ daughter when she gave him the medal, so he also returned the medal to Jones’ daughter to keep.
Centennial principal Davita Solter e-mailed Chandler principal Terry Williams of these charitable acts.
That recognition part is obviously nice, but irrelevant here. The best gift being a couple more teenagers found giving is its own reward.
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