The Battle Mountain High School wrestling team was on the road again as it competed in the 23-team Lovelock Invitational last Saturday.
Teams representing all classifications from 4A thru 2A were in the gym battling to be crowned champion.
After the final whistle had sounded, the Longhorns found themselves in second place.
“We wrestled well today,” said BMHS coach Mitch Domagala. “I thought our younger kids really made a step up towards the next level. Our older kids are wrestling solid. We still have a lot to work on, but we are headed in the right direction.”
The Longhorns pushed four wrestlers into the championship finals where Jose Guizar recorded a win by fall over his opponent from Reed High School to win the gold medal.
Jordan Gonzalez dropped a decision in an exciting match against one of his top rivals from Lowry High School.
Declan McClary fell behind early but was launching a furious rally before time ran out just a few seconds too early.
Kasen Taylor came up just short in a back and forth match against his opponent from North Valley High School.
“These guys continue to set the pace for the team. They were entertaining to watch,” Domagala said.
The consolation finals saw a lot of success for the Longhorns as Stone Whitlock (152 pounds) and Thomas Amezcua (195) claimed third place. They were joined in the placing matches by Dalton Shake (170) who captured fourth place.
“This is an impressive group,” added the coach. “These guys all had to come back from an early loss to get into the medal rounds, that’s a hard thing to do.”
Also scoring points for the Longhorns were Sean Scherer (106), Julio Torres (126), Asher Bundrock (152), Alex Jones (152), Scott Wall (152), Tyler Rochester (220) and Lyle Whitten (285).
“I really liked the way these guys wrestled today,” Domagala said. “All of our kids battle in every match, every time out. They are starting to get comfortable wrestling a faster pace and that will pay off before year’s end.”
The Longhorns make their second trip north of the border this weekend as they head to Twin Falls for the Wiley Dobbs Invitational.
