Battle Mountain's Liam Bundrock won the 126-pound 2A state championship this past Friday in Bullhead City, Ariz. It was his third state championship overall.
Miles away from home and in a different state all together, the Battle Mountain High School wrestling team came back home with two individual state champions in Liam Bundrock and Wyatt Madlena at the NIAA State Wrestling Championships in Bullhead City, Ariz., on Friday.
Bundrock put himself is rare territory, as this was his third state championship.
Battle Mountain saw its run of three straight team titles come to an end, as Lake Mead Christian Academy won the state championship with 173 points. Battle Mountain tied for second with White Pine with 114 points apiece. Lincoln County (105), Yerington (100) and Pershing County (80) rounded out the top six finishers.
Battle Mountain's Wyatt Madalena won the 150-pound 2A state championship this past Friday in Bullhead City, Ariz.
Bundrock was on the mat for less than a minute to start the day with a 57-second pin of White Pine’s Matthew Ellis. Bundrock dominated in the semifinals as well at 126 pounds, pinning Lincoln County’s Jackson Free in the second period.
Bundrock won his third state title with a pin of Lake Mead’s Joseph Calvano.
At 150 pounds, Madlena handled Lake Mead’s Logan Martell in a 38-second pin in the quarterfinals.
Madalena reached the final with a pin over Lincoln County’s Carter Hales and then had to work hard for his title against White Pine’s Tucker Maestes. Madalena held a 5-2 lead in the first period when Maestes notched a takedown with three seconds to go. Madalena picked up the first points of the second period and led 8-6. A reversal and takedown in the third period sealed the victory. Madlena had a runner-up finish at state in 2023.
Cruz Jimenez at 120 pounds and Ben George (285) earned runner-up finishes for the Longhorns.
Jimenez opened the championships with pins over West Wendover’s Ethan Hammer and Lincoln County’s Cyler Leeds. Jimenez took on Yerington’s Eric Pineda in the final. The two grapplers were no strangers to each other.
Jimenez, who beat Pineda in the regional championship led 3-2 after the first two minutes of action.
Pineda took a 4-3 advantage in the second period when Jimenez came back with a reversal and reversal and 3-point near fall, when Pineda got a reverse and the pin.
A year ago, Ben George in his first year with the program finished third at 285 pounds. He reached the championship final in 2024 after pins over Pahranagat Valley’s James Thirioy and Lauglin’s Juan Gavan.
In the championship, he lost to Lake Mead’s Vance Maheu. Geroge led the match 5-4 going into the third period.
Leo Mathias at 215 pounds placed third and Logan Brizzee (165) finished fourth. Mathias had to earn third the hard way after losing his first match 9-8 to Tonopah’s Samuel Nichols. Mathias came back through the consolation bracket with a pair of pins and then avenged his earlier loss to Nichols with a second-period pin of his Tonopah opponent.
Brizzee dropped his quarterfinal match as well and made his way through the consolation bracket with pins over Eureka’s Liam Sullivan and Pahranagat Valley’s Brock Lasike. Brizzee lost the third-place bout to Lincoln County’s Aiden McRory.
Aden Jenkins (132) and Anthony Lopez-Hernandez (138) each picked up one win for Battle Mountain. Joe Scherer (144) and Andy Wall (157) also wrestled for the Longhorns.