The Winnemucca Junior High School eighth-grade wrestling team claimed the top spot in the Tah-Neva Championships on Saturday, March 18.
The Warrior eighth-graders claimed the team title with 184 points, while Fernley was second at 158. Battle Mountain (115) was third and Carson (101) and Yerington (69) was fourth and fifth, respectively.
The Winnemucca squad had eight wrestlers in the finals and had five champions. Kris Logue at 85 pounds, Isaac Mori (95), Julian Esquivel (105), Caden Ricci (110) and Anthony Peterson (160) won individual titles.
Logue defeated Pershing County’s Devin Moura in the semifinals by a 6-2 decision and knocked off Zach Remer of Eagle Valley by a score of 8-6 for the championship.
Mori received a bye in round one and pinned Pershing County’s Zeke Jackson in the semifinals. He cruised to the title with a 9-0 win over Douglas’ Dominic Jackson.
Esquivel also had a bye in round one and needed just 48 seconds to pin Fallon’s Case Cornmesser in the semifinal. Esquivel cruised tot he championship with an 11-1 victory over Carson’s Luis Mayora.
Ricci needed three victories to win his title, starting with a pin of Ayden Luther of Alder Creek. Ricci pulled out a 5-1 decision over Wyatt Hatch in the semifinals and needed overtime to beat Yerington’s Thorne Milligan for the championship.
Peterson picked up a bye in round one and needed just 39 seconds to pin Fernley’s Eric Juliot in the semifinals. Peterson had little trouble in the final, pinning Carson’s Jeremy Heaton in 1:42.
Jaden Fetty (90), Colton VonAspern (115) and Adam Dossey (135) finished second.
Fetty knocked off Carson’s Danny McKee by a 6-3 decision in the semifinals, but lost to Battle Mountain’s Declan McClary in the final.
VonAspern defeated Douglas’ Max Smith by pin in 80 seconds in round one and knocked off teammate Lance Dove in the semifinals. He was defeated by Fernley’s Kyle Jones in the final.
Dossey cruised in his quarterfinal match, beating Churchill County’s Cameron Colburn 8-0. Dossey needed overtime to beat Carson’s Izayah Pando 12-11 to reach the final. Dossey lost the title match to Fernley’s Jackson Chapin.
Hunter Mullins (100), Alberto Medina (140) and Dominic Hill (heavyweight) finished third. Dove (115) and Anthony Gildone (120) each finished fourth.
The Winnemucca seventh graders finished third as a team with 113 points. Fernley was first with 140 points and Battle Mountain was second at 122.
Coda Nichols (70), Chris Gildone (75), Brayden Casalez (80), Angel Huerta (105) and Jesse Hawkins (110) won individual titles.
Nichols had to go the distance in all his matches, starting with a 4-0 win over Yerington’s Omar Guerrero in the quarterfinals. Nichols knocked off Excels Christian’s Jesse Fehr 3-0 in the semifinals and beat Battle Mountain’s Sean Scherer 7-3 for the title.
Gildone had to do the same, earning an 8-6 victory over Douglas’ Riley Duran in the quarterfinals. Gildone knocked off Battle Mountain’s Jagger Whitlock 9-1 in the semifinals and South Tahoe’s Aiden Breen 10-4 in the championship.
Casalez had a bye in round one and pinned teammate Kalub Prather in the semifinals. Casalez needed overtime to beat Excel Christian’s Andrew Jones 5-3.
Huerta made quick work of his day. After a first-round bye, he pinned Pershing County’s Joe Millican in 58 seconds in the semifinals. He also pinned teammate Logan Garrison to with the title in the weight class.
Hawkins knocked off Carson’s Gabe Allen by pin in the quarterfinals, and edged out a 4-3 victory over Fernley’s Nate Glass in the semifinals. It was a much easier road in the championship match, as he beat Churchill County’s Bailey Thompson 10-3.
Wade Mori (85) and Garrison (105) placed second and Kaiden Boyles (80) finished third. Prather (80) and David Hunter (95) finished fourth.
