Bloodline of champions: Pueblo's state title-winning siblings add to family legacy

One of the greatest family dynasties in Tucson sports could add two more state championships to its legacy this month. 

Pueblo High School standout wrestlers — and siblings — Jozeph Valenzuela Smith and Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith, who are both state champions, could double down on state titles at Veterans Memorial Coliseum next week in Phoenix.

If both win state titles, it'll be the eighth individual state championships for a family that has produced multiple generations of state title-winning wrestlers. 

The Smith family is wrestling royalty in the state of Arizona. They're the only family in the state to have three generations win state championships in the same sport at the same school. 

Their grandfather, Orlando Smith, won wrestling state championships at Pueblo in 1974 and ’75, while their father and head coach, Josiah Smith, won a state championship for the Warriors in 1998. Josiah Smith's oldest son, Mozes, placed at the Arizona state wrestling tournament.

"When (my kids) came through the program, we realized we could be the first grandparent, father and grandchildren to win state for the same school," Josiah Smith said. "With the same school, it's harder to do."

The Smith family represents Pueblo in a community that is a hotbed of wrestling talent. Sunnyside, Sahuarita, Mica Mountain and Cholla, among other schools, have won state championships since 2000. 

"The wrestling culture in Tucson is strong," Smith said. "If you look at kids that are top performers in the state, most of them are out of the Tucson area." 

Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith is the first female wrestler to win a state championship for Pueblo — and the Tucson Unified School District. She won state championships as a freshman and sophomore and will go for a three-peat on Feb. 20. Jozeph Valenzuela Smith, who wrestles in the 165-pound class, won his first state championship last season, which the older Smith said "was pretty neat."  

"It's been a real thrill, because my dad has been coaching me whole life," Joziah Valenzuela Smith said. "The fact that he was in my corner when I won it, it didn't feel real that it was happening. We gave each other a big hug after I won, because we knew the job was complete." 

However, there was a point in time when winning a state championship wasn't conceivable for the brother-and-sister tandem.

For the love of wrestling

Growing up in a wrestling family, it was easy to be drawn into the family business. 

Orlando Smith was "actively against me wrestling, because he knew what the sport demands," Josiah Smith said.

"He remembers the sacrifice," Smith said. "He wanted me to play soccer or golf."

Smith joined a club program associated with Salpointe Catholic as a middle schooler and snuck to three practices before telling his father. Smith went to Salpointe Catholic as a freshman, but transferred to Pueblo. Instead of transferring to Sunnyside High School, a wrestling program that has produced 38 team state championships, he went to Pueblo to add to the family legacy. 

Additionally, "it was just our neighborhood. We're about an eight-minute drive to the school. It's familiar. The families just stayed in the same community," Smith said. 

Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith's first memory of watching her oldest brother train with Josiah Smith was when she was 6 years old. 

Out of boredom, "I would try to do what they were doing," she said.

"I kept doing it, so my dad was like, 'OK, we'll buy you some shoes and get you a singlet and you'll start wrestling,'" Valenzuela Smith added.

What was once an interest evolved into a forced obsession. Several years later, when they were in middle school, Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith and Joziah Valenzuela Smith reached their breaking point. 

"They actually wanted to quit wrestling," Josiah Smith said. "I was a new coach and a dad, so I did all of the wrong things and said all the wrong things and made it about all the wrong things. It was practice every day, five days a week. It just became too much and they still have to be kids. As a coach, I could see the writing on the wall. They both said, 'I don' t want to wrestle anymore.'"

Jozeph Valenzuela Smith, who has a 198-108 record, said he "didn't like wrestling at first."

"I was more of a baseball and soccer kid," he said. "After doing a few tournaments and winning a few matches, that's what I wanted to do and stick to for the rest of my life."  

When Valenzuela Smith took a brief leave of absence to explore other sports, he played youth football for the Tucson Redskins. Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith was a water girl and equipment manager for the Tucson Redskins.

"When they both came back to wrestling, they realized, 'OK, we're doing this,'" Josiah Smith said. 

However, Josiah Smith ensured his kids and wrestlers wouldn't burn out. 

"It changed it, because for a while, they avoided me in the house," said the Pueblo coach. "We have a rule: no talking wrestling in the house, unless they ask me. Once we leave practice, we're not talking wrestling. We come home and it's just different. Those early years, all we did was train and wrestle, train and wrestle. There was no balance." 

The Smith family focuses on other things at home, like "talking about sports, NASCAR or golf or movies coming out. Sometimes we watch (1980s) movies."

Popular movie choices in the Smith household: "Army Darkness," "Top Gun," "Vision Quest," "Big Trouble in Little China," "Dune" and "Prince of Darkness."

The Smiths are also avid bowlers. Jozeph Valenzuela Smith, who also draws and plays video games in his spare time, owns the title as the best bowler in the family; his best round was 190.

"It brought that balance back," Josiah Smith said. "When we come home, we just try to be regular and don't talk wrestling."  

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Learning from the best

Not only did Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith learn from the older men in her family, but she's also a longtime training partner with former Sunnyside star and four-time state champion Audrey Jimenez, who's wrestling collegiately at Lehigh.

Jimenez won three state titles in the girls division before making history by becoming the first girl to win a state title in the boys division.  

"She's definitely been someone to look up to," Valenzuela Smith said of Jimenez. "Ever since she started, it's been admirable to see her dedication to keep jumping levels. I don't see her as much as she was when she was at Sunnyside, but whenever she's in town, we definitely get a few workouts in. It's incredible to see her tear it up in college and in worlds." 

Valenzuela Smith is on a similar trajectory as Jimenez. Valenzuela Smith currently has a 164-18 record and is 42-3 in the 120-pound weight class. Valenzuela Smith, who is the first girl in the Smith family to wrestle, said, "Wrestling is definitely a demanding sport."

"It's one of the most complex high school sports and being relatively new for women, it's been an obstacle being a girl in wrestling," she said. "It makes the standard higher to gain the respect from my teammates and peers around me. At an early age, I built a mindset to prove to people that I belong here. That guided me from elementary school to today. Nobody believes in you until you do it. Being the best version of myself every day has driven me forward to winning state."

Her family always believed in her talents, including her sparring partner, Mozes Valenzuela Smith, who is over 100 pounds heavier than his youngest sister. The 23-year-old "fixes a lot of their technique and is able to be on the mat with them daily and it's really fortunate to have him," Josiah Smith said. 

Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith said her favorite wrestling memories, besides winning back-to-back state championships, are wrestling at the USA Wrestling Women's National Championships and World Team Trials in Spokane, Washington, an event that has roughly 1,200 wrestlers from around the U.S. Valenzuela Smith competed in the U17 and U20 divisions. 

"It's always fun to go up to world trials, because it makes me feel like a big shot," she said. 

The Smith siblings have aspirations to attend college after their careers are done at Pueblo. Jozeph Valenzuela Smith, who has a 3.4 GPA, plans to pursue a career in cybersecurity, while Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith, who has a 4.2 GPA, looks to become a physical therapist. 

Elizabeth Valenzuela Smith has "been talking to a few colleges, but I'm waiting for the season to end to go on a visit." Competing on the world stage and potentially the Olympics is "definitely what I want to do, but it's ways ahead." 

For now, the primary focus for the Smith siblings is winning another state title for the Warriors — and the family — over 50 years after their grandfather delivered the first wrestling state championship to the Smith family.  

"For me, it would be capping off my senior year right and showcasing the best of my abilities and what I've been grinding for my whole season," said Jozeph Valenzuela Smith.  

For Papa Smith, he's absorbing every moment he gets to spend with his kids on the wrestling mat. 

"It's awesome, because I get to coach my kids directly," Josiah Smith said. "The stress level is always higher when it's your own kids, especially big matches. It's awesome. I've been fortunate to coach all three of my kids.

"It's been my best coaching experience." 

Fast five with Elizabeth and Jozeph

What is your favorite pre- or post-match meal? 

E: "Pre-match, I always go for something like a turkey sandwich, something light. After my matches, we go for pizza at Peter Piper or Chick-Fil-A." 

J: "Right after weigh-ins, a Subway sandwich is really good with Pedialyte. After the whole day is done, Crumbl Cookie or Wingstop. I can't help myself." 

Who is a wrestler — dead or alive — you would enjoy sparring with or competing against?

E: "I think it would be awesome to wrestling John Smith in his prime. He was a monster. I try to emulate how he wrestles, but obviously I don't do it as well. But definitely John Smith." 

J: "For me, it would be Dave Schultz. I would watch his matches on the international level. I would lose, but I would learn so much from that one loss."

What is one song you listen to before an important match?  

E: "Metallica, either 'Through the Never' or 'Wherever I May Roam.'" 

J: "'Lovin on Me' by Jack Harlow."

What is your favorite wrestling brand?

E: "I really like Nike shoes, because they're the most comfortable for me. Other gear, shorts or singlets, I would say Rudis." 

J: "For singlets, I would go Asics. For headgear, Cliff Keen. For wrestling shoes, either Asics or Adidas." 

What is your favorite subject in school?

E: "History."

J: "Anatomy and physiology."