Unbeaten Boulder Creek wrestler Dax Monestime driven to get D-I football scholarship

It is getting late in the recruiting game for current seniors seeking a Division I college football offer with the traditional Signing Day falling on Feb. 7. Especially during the transfer portal age.

But as Anthem Boulder Creek senior heavyweight Dax Monestime dominates his wrestling matches, pinning 16 during his 30-0 season, including one in 14 seconds, he is driven to land a Division I football scholarship.

He said he's got a preferred walk-on opportunity at Northern Arizona, but the rest of his offers are coming from Division II and III and NAIA, which are great for a lot of high school seniors.

But Monestime, who is 6-foot-3, 270 pounds, knows he can play D-I football. It's something he's dreamed about since he was in the first grade and was already playing tackle football.

"I just got the NAU PWO, so I'm really thinking about that," Monestime said. "I would go D-II."

It's a difficult era to be a high school senior. Unless you're a five- or four-star recruit and locked in during the short-window December signing period, there are few opportunities left at the D-I level.

Peoria Liberty linebacker Keaton Stam and wide receiver Braylon Gardner both made The Arizona Republic's first-team All-Arizona but, with nothing at the D-I level coming their way, they both took a recruiting trip over the weekend to Black Hills State, a Division II school in South Dakota.

Monestime, who is keeping his weight at 270 pounds while wrestling, played at closer to 290 during the football season. As a nose tackle on the defensive line in a 3-4 and getting double teamed, he had 36 tackles, eight for losses during a 6-5 season in 6A.

He's always been the biggest kid on football teams growing up, since the first grade.

Wrestling didn't start up until the sixth grade when a friend of his older brother suggested he try the sport. That year, his first wrestling experience, Dax lost every match but the last one.

"I think winning that last one, I was like, 'Next year, do you want to do wrestling again?'" said his mother, Shelly. "He was like, 'Heck, yeah.' The last thing he remembered was a win."

It also helped his football tremendous just with his balance as a defensive tackle, flexibility and strength and durability.

He finished third at state last wrestling season in the heavyweight division.

His goal is to win the state championship in the highest conference this year. He realizes that it will be tough with Tucson Sunnyside's Zayne Candelaria a formidable opponent in the way of a title.

"There's one guy in my way but I'm feeling pretty confident," Monestime said.

Boulder Creek wrestling coach Porter Wilbanks said that Monestime was always one of the hardest workers, whether it was on the football field or in the wrestling room.

"He puts 100 percent into it," Wilbanks said. "He'll give it his all no matter what."

Monestime is the biggest guy in Boulder Creek's wrestling room. Wilbanks has had to bring back graduated Boulder Creek heavyweights to spar with Monestime to get ready for tough matches.

Wrestling, however, isn't something Monestime wants to do beyond Boulder Creek. He loves wrestling but his future he feels is on the football field.

"I love wrestling but that's so much work," he said. "Football is a lot of work, but wrestling is like .... One of my friends, who wrestles in college, he does like three practices a day."

Anthony Casarella, who retired from coaching after leading Boulder Creek to the 6A playoffs last season, said that Monestime has been a dominant force in football and wrestling since his freshman year.

"You can see how big and strong he is, but he is also very agile," Casarella said. "He moves very well for a big man. He has great footwork, balance and is very aggressive. He is constantly training in both football and wrestling year-round. ... Dax is extremely coachable. Our coaches love him because of his desire to learn and develop every day."

Monestime comes from a large family. He is the second-oldest among seven children. The grocery bills are outlandish to keep everybody fed.

"You can't even imagine," said Shelly, a former college basketball player at Colorado State, who is a school teacher. "It's like, 'Stop eating.'"

Shelly said the world her son is navigating in the recruiting landscape is completely different from when she was recruited in basketball out of high school.

"When I started helping Dax with this, I was like shocked, this is crazy," she said. "It's not easy but we keep grinding. I feel like he's a great player. I feel like he has a chance to go Division I. Cal Poly was talking to him. He was the No. 1 D-II on the board. But he's like, 'I don't have any D-I's graduating.' It's a big game."

Dax will keep working, making sure he doesn't take anything for granted as he perseveres in life.

"If I do the sport, I'll have a great future," he said. "I'd love to go to the NFL. But even if I don't, I'll have a great job in the future."

To suggest human-interest story ideas and other news, reach Obert atrichard.obert@arizonarepublic.com or 602-316-8827. Follow him on X, formerly Twitter:@azc_obert

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Unbeaten Boulder Creek wrestler driven to play D-I football