BATTLE MOUNTAIN - The Battle Mountain High School wrestling team was busy last week, competing in eight matches in a five-day span.
The Longhorns defended their home mat against the Indians of Elko High School on Dec. 6, defeating the visitors in a thrilling 33-32 match that was decided by a fall in the final 10 seconds of the last match.
Elko was leading the dual 32-27 going into the final match after overcoming a 27-11 deficit.
The night started off with JV action. Battle Mountain wrestled tough in these matches and picked up wins from Stephen Williams, Dillon Thompson and Oscar Chavira.
"These kids are continuing to improve each time out, and will definitely be a force to be reckoned with as this season progresses," said BMHS head coach Mitch Domagala.
The varsity action saw an exciting dual that went back and forth all night long. Christian Perez and Erick Haney racked up six-point victories for the Longhorns with pins. Chris Johnson won by a technical fall for five points, Tyler Sparks added a major decision for four team points and Alex Gonzalez, Jacob Rochester, George Mayberry and Devin Barton each recorded wins by regular decision.
On Friday and Saturday the Longhorns battled through a very busy weekend by traveling to Boise, Idaho, for the Bucks Bags Duals at Capital High School.
This tournament featured the top schools from throughout the state of Idaho, as well as some Washington schools. The Longhorns posted a 3-4 record over the two-day event, winning against Melba, Garden Valley and Bishop Kelly High Schools, while dropping matches to Wood River, Caldwell, Skyview and Meridian high schools.
"We wrestled good this weekend, it was a great tournament for us as we were able to see exactly what we are good at, and what we need to fix," Domagala said. "We learned a lot and will use this as a great tool to prepare for the rest of the season."
Battle Mountain had some of its younger wrestlers travel to Carlin on Saturday to compete in a tournament. Mike Williams, Joey Cross and Michael Marshall led the way for the Longhorns with a trio of third-place finishes. Matt Gerard and Oscar Chavira finished in fourth place. Other wrestlers racking up wins were Jonas Norman, Stephen Williams and Tyler Long.
"This was a great chance to send our JV wrestlers into a tournament against most of the AA league varsity teams," added the coach. "This kind of exposure is what develops the knowledge needed to prepare to win."
For the weekend, Thompson and Johnson led the way with six wins. Perez and Sparks recorded five victories, while Gonzalez and Tyler Dunlap racked up four wins for the green team.
"We started the week with a big win against Elko and then went into the weekend looking for more," Domagala said. "Injuries continue to hamper us right now, but it's great to see how different kids are stepping up when we need them to. The kids worked hard this week and I liked their attitudes and their effort."
The Longhorns make the short trip to Winnemucca this weekend for the Cody Louk Invitational on Friday and Saturday at the Winnemucca Event Center.
"As a whole, I thought we did a lot of things well," Domagala said. "We need to continue to polish parts of our technique and keep improving on our weaknesses."[[In-content Ad]]
