Baylend Stephens went to a relative’s home with cable TV to watch the Super Bowl.

This year’s Super Bowl didn’t exactly turn into must-watch TV, but it did serve as a distraction for Stephens before locking arms in his final week of high school wrestling. The Super Bowl also kept the Mogollon’s senior’s mind occupied with something else besides the is-this-the-year question that’s dogged him for the past couple of years.  

Stephens wrestled in a state championship match in his first three seasons, with the oppositions’ arms raised in victory, however. Sympathy and wrestling don’t mix on a mat, especially when a wrestler is 54-0, Stephen’s record this season, heading into the Division IV 2015-16 wrestling state finals. 

But for Stephens’ fans in the stands at the Prescott Valley Events Center, the cheers of support will likely be louder than usual during the senior’s final quest to reach the top of the state championship podium. It begins Friday with the first session at 11:30 a.m. 

Despite the season ending championship setbacks, Stephens confronted defeat with grace in each of those three championship matches. And win or lose, don’t expect Stephens’ determination and maturity to dissipate after this week.

“It’s not something I want to give up on (winning a title),” Stephens said. “In the end I will definitely win one, in high school or in college. It’s a goal that I have set. Not to be able to do it so far is heartbreaking, but it’s pushing me to work harder.”

Being the youngest of seven siblings helps him stay grounded and hungry as well.

Stephens’ five brothers wrestled, including three-time state champ Banning. At home, where the living room became a classroom of sorts, the Stephens often rolled out a wrestling mat, where Stephens was on the receiving end of his firsts toughest wrestling lessons. 

No word on whether it’s true, but Bethanie, the only girl Stephens’ parents, Dane and Mandy, had, might have also pinned Stephens once or twice in the living room. But now nobody in his family, except for Dane and Mandy, will order the 6-feet-2, 265-pound Stephens around.

The 18-year-old learned other key lessons while fending for himself. A tactical error and stiff competition led to his three championship defeats.  

As a sophomore, when he moved up in weight, Stephens was 36-1 and a win away from completing his championship dream. But in a close match against Northwest Christian’s Esteban Flores, Stephens wrongly chose up instead of down during a reset. 

Flores escaped, allowing him to clinch a 5-3 decision.

“I was so upset,” Stephens said. “I had been working to stay humble, but that loss hurt. 

“It haunts me. I think about it, but I’ve let go of it. I can’t do anything now. If I can tell my sophomore self, I would tell him to always chose down.”

Working on being humble resulted from his overconfidence in his freshman season. Stephens didn’t lose a match in eighth grade and believed he was “hot stuff” when he enrolled at Mogollon. 

But a much taller and ripped opponent, Ben Miller of Wilcox, made Stephens look like a “little boy” when they stood next to each other before their state championship bout three seasons ago. But Stephens hung in there in a 6-2 defeat at 195.

“That (the championship loss as freshman) hurt my pride,” Stephens said. 

At the start of his junior season, another wrestler, heavyweight Santiago Robledo of Morenci, abruptly brought Stephens back to earth as well.

Stephens was on a high after helping Mogollon win a football state championship, flying all over the field and collecting 22 tackles, one sack and two force fumbles in the 14-8 win over Bagdad. But as soon as he traded in his helmet for a singlet, Santiago defeated Stephens twice in an early season tournament last year.

The duo was scheduled to square off again in another regular season tournament final, but Santiago showed up overweight, nixing the showdown. They had to wait until the D-IV heavyweight state final to meet again.

Stephens was leading 1-0 in that bout with about 30 seconds remaining in the third period when Santiago hooked an arm and rolled over Stephens in order to pin him.  

“It was probably one of the worst feelings in my entire life,” Stephens said. “I’ve lost a lot of matches, but I think I’ve been pinned only three times. I couldn’t take it.”

Despite another crushing defeat, the Mogollon standout didn’t throw his headgear or run off and pout.

After losing his third consecutive, closely contested state final, nobody would have blamed him for acting out.   

“Regardless of the three runner ups, I am still representing my high school and family,” Stephens said. “I always try to have a good attitude and not go off in a corner and pout. There’s always a tendency to take this as a learning experience. I think to me it says a lot about character. Rather than to blame anybody else, I messed up and should have worked harder. The losses have motivated me to be better.”

This season, Stephens continues to carry himself like a winner on and off the mat.

“As a coach, I appreciate Baylend’s work ethic and leadership,” Mogollon wrestling coach Reed Porter said. “He’s always on time to practice and sets the stage for the rest of our guys.”

For a big man, Baylend has a variety of moves, something not often seen in heavyweights.

Mix in his controlled aggression and speed, and you’ve got one of the state’s best heavyweights regardless of class. A big assist for his development goes to Stephens’ brothers.

As for how he conducts himself, Dane and Mandy deserve a lot of credit for that. About 10 years ago, Dane and Mandy decided to do something that’s unthinkable nowadays — disconnect the cable from their television.

“We interact more as a family,” Dane said. “Our home life has been exponentially better now that you don’t see some of that garbage you see on TV. We don’t let it run our lives.”

The Stephens do have a computer at their home, and it might come in handy this weekend for those family members who can’t make the drive to the Prescott Valley Events Center.

The state championships will be streamed live on azpreps365.com. One last time to see if Stephens, a Phoenix College commit, can bring a title home.

Another football heavyweight, Ben McGriff of Northwest Christian, who’s been ranked No. 2 most of the season by arizona-wrestling.com in D-IV, was expected to challenge Stephens. But McGriff is injured and won't be wrestling. 

“I don’t think I can live with just a football championship,” Stephens said. “I need one in wrestling. I’ve come so far. I have to finish it out.”