There were more than basketball’s hitting the floor this weekend, as mats got rolled out for the first time since February 2020 at the NIAA State Championships in Mesquite.
After a long layoff, the Lowry High School wrestling team was back in action this past Saturday at the Earl Wilkins tournament in Fallon.
The Buckaroos went 5-0 in their dual matches to be perfect on the day. Lowry took a total of 24 wrestlers to Fallon, as teams from all over the area were on hand to get the first action of season under way,
“We all agreed that it was great to be wrestling again,” said LHS coach John Brooks. “Wrestlers were very rusty, but we now have a place to start and build from. There were a lot of pins. We got a lot but also gave a lot.”
Lowry beat Yerington 72-12, Fernley 60-24, Tonopah 84-0, Wells 60-24 and Carson 46-36.
Against Yerington, Jhett Harber (182 pounds), David Walker (220), Marcus Ricci (113), Christopher Gildone (138) and Damon Fetty (160) won by forfeit.
Every match was decided by a pin or forfeit, as Hunter Smith gave the Buckaroos a 12-6 lead with a pin over Aiden Nelson at 195 pounds in 26 seconds.
Boni Jacinto (285) and Coda Nichols (106) won by pin in 22 second and 1:45, respectively, to push the advantage to 30-6.
Logan Ricci (120), Angel Huerta (126) and Wade Mori (132) followed with pins in the first period to make the score 54-6.
Jesse Hawkins at 145 pounds picked up the other win for the Buckaroos, pinning Mason Alarcon in the second period.
Yerington won their matches at 152 and 170 pounds.
Against Fernley, Smith pinned Nicholas Glass in the second period in the opening match but Fernley won the next two by pint to lead 12-6.
Nichols came back to pin Cameron McMackin in the first period to tie the dual at 12. Marcus and Logan Ricci followed with wins by forfeit and Huerta, Mori, Gildone and Hawkins added wins by pin to push the lead to 48-12.
Emilio Magana at 160 pounds and Harber at 182 also won by pin for the Buckaroos.
In the win 84-0 over Tonopah, Walker, Jacinto, Marcus Ricci, Huerta, Gildone, Magana, Harber and Smith won by pin in the dual.
Lowry jumped out to a 6-0 lead against Wells after a pin in 52 seconds by Jacinto against Norman Kingston. Nichols, Marcus Ricci and Logan Ricci won by forfeit to push the advantage to 24-0.
The Leopards stopped the run at 126 pounds but the Buckaroos bounced back with wins by Mori, Gildone and Hawkins to make the score 42-6.
Magana earned a win by pin at 160 pounds and Harber and Walker won by forfeit to give the Buckaroos the win. Carson won the first two matches of the dual by pin to go up 12-0 when Lowry cut the deficit in half after a forfeit win by Mori at 132 pounds. In one of the few matches that went the distance, Gildone beat Toby Krehbiel 10-2 to cut the Senators lead to 12-10.
The Buckaroos took a 16-12 lead after Hawkins won at 145 pounds, but Carson went back in front in the next match. A forfeit win by Magana gave the Buckaroos a 22-18 lead, when Carson won the next two matches by pin to go up 30-22.
That was the last lead for the Senators as Smith and Walker won by forfeit to give Lowry the advantage at 34-30. The Buckaroos clinched the dual as Jacinto and Nichols won by pin in the final two matches.
Lowry will be home this weekend for the Cody Louk Invitational at the Winnemucca Event Center. If you are interested in working at a table you can contact Brooks at the junior high school. In addition, the Buckaroo Wrestling Club will be there for those interested in joining the club this season.
