Santa Cruz Valley High School in Eloy, AZ and Coach Denton go hand in hand. Anyone who has lived in Eloy from 1969-2005 knows of his coaching accomplishments. Jay grew up in Wyoming and graduated from Eastern Montana College. He started the wrestling program at Santa Cruz High School in 1969 and finished his coaching career at Santa Cruz in 2005. He took a ten year hiatus (1978-1988) from teaching and coaching to work in the business sector. In Jay's 24 years at Eloy he coached 3 State Championship Wrestling teams, 2 State Runners-Up, 9 Regional Championships, 45 individual state champions, 95 state placers, and had a dual career record of 312-89 for a 78% winning percentage. Coach Denton also coached football at Santa Cruz winning 2 State Championships, 1 State Runner-Up, and 5 Regional Championships. Coach has been the Arizona State Coach of the Year in both Wrestling and Football. Denton was an All-Star coach in both wrestling and football, as well. Coach Denton finished his coaching career in Yuma at Gila Ridgle in 2013. Coach Jay Denton has been inducted into the Arizona High School Athletic Coaches Hall of Fame and the National Wrestling Coaches Hall of Fame. Coach Denton passed away on June 5, 2022.