Three of the 107 wrestlers at last Wednesday’s Cougar Bash came from Pershing County High School. The team competed at Spanish Springs High School against opponents from all over northern Nevada.
Justin Carruth (132), Lucian Gonzalez (195) and Wyatt Hughes (152) gained valuable experience at one of the first tournaments of their high school wrestling years.
Carruth went up against wrestlers from Spanish Springs, Coral Academy and Damonte Ranch.
The 132-pound freshman had a half-season of wrestling under his belt when Covid hit a couple of years ago. He’s developing a reputation for battling hard.
Gonzalez (195), a sophomore, won his first match of the 2021-2022 season, celebrating with an ear-to-ear grin.
He won by decision over McQueen wrestler, Nathaniel Koval (Dec 7-6). Gonzalez placed fourth in the 195s.
Freshman Wyatt Hughes (152) finished third in his weight class. After receiving a bye in the first round, he won by fall (Fall 1:59) in the quarterfinal match against Byren Folden of Spanish Springs. He lost the semifinal match to Reed’s Jericho Salla (Fall 3:16).
In the fourth round, Hughes pinned another Reed wrestler in just under a minute at 55 seconds.
The win catapulted Hughes to the third-place match against Dillon Heard of McQueen. Hughes won the match by fall (Fall 0:44) and brought home the medal.
What’s next for
Pershing County’s wrestlers?
The team starts the new year in Sparks at the Railroader Invitational on Jan. 7-8. They’ll also have the opportunity to compete at the Carson Tournament on Jan. 8.
