The Sierra Nevada Classic is a wrestling tournament that features 88 teams from throughout the western United States. Battle Mountain High School was among the teams that met in Reno last week to battle on the mats.
“This was the second major tournament that we wrestled in over a 10-day span,” said BMHS coach Mitch Domagala. “The kids worked hard throughout their Christmas break to prepare for it and they wrestled real well.”
Andrew Cox led the way for the Longhorns with a fifth- place finish in a loaded 132-pound weight class. Cox started the tournament with wins by fall over opponents from Napa, Calif., and Lowry High School.
He followed those up wins with a major-decision victory over his opponent from Tempe, Ariz. In the quarterfinals, Cox defeated defending Nevada Division -IA state champion Anthony Chavez of Spring Creek by a score of 6-4.
In the semifinals Cox lost by decision to the eventual tournament champion from Folsom, Calif. He then dropped a decision to his opponent from Oregon before claiming fifth place by a medical forfeit over his Washington opponent.
Also going deep into the tournament, was Cameron Thompson and Cooper Burkhart. Both wrestlers came within one match of placing in the top eight of the respective weight classes.
“To go this deep in a tournament of this caliber is quite an accomplishment, but these two did this in both of the major tournaments over the break,” Domagala said.
Matt Rochester had a good tournament as he posted a 3-2 record, Jake Legarza, DeAndre Powell and Bobby Kester were 2-2. Mason Chopp and Zach Heese each added a victory for the Longhorns. Fernando Carrillo also wrested in the tournament.
“These big tournaments are fun for the kids, but they also let them see where they stack up against some of the best competition in the region,” added the coach. “We are starting to get our technique where it needs to be heading into January. We have a couple weeks to fine tune everything before we gear up for the end of the season run.”
The Longhorns travel to Idaho this weekend for a pair of tournaments in Twin Falls and Buhl.
