Division I-A teams collide in league duals

Everyone still gets to wrestle in next week’s regional tournament no matter what happens in Spring Creek this weekend.

Each team in the Northern Division I-A will dual against each other once this weekend as seeding will be determined for the two-day regional tournament in Fallon Feb. 12-13. No one will be eliminated after this weekend, but the league will be clearer when the teams collide in the Lahontan Valley with a state trip on the line.

“This will be the first head-to-head duals we get to see from all the teams,” first-year Fallon coach Trevor de Braga said. “We’ve wrestled a few of the teams’ kids at tournaments but tournaments and duals are a lot different.”

For the Greenwave, it couldn’t be going any better, especially in the last month with a core of middle-weight wrestlers that haven’t lost a single match since the calendar rolled over to 2016. But not having a full team (Fallon forfeited four weight classes in last weekend’s Placer Duals), could hurt Fallon in the postseason. Spring Creek, Lowry, Elko and Fernley showed depth but in most tournaments, though, Fallon has been able to come out as the top Division I-A team.

“I feel we have grown close with our smaller team and everyone is like a brother to each other but unfortunately, in these tough duals, smaller lineups hurt us,” de Braga said. “Having those extra kids means more points.”

A Fallon trio will be tough to beat after they have tasted defeat since December.

Sean McCormick (132), Trae Workman (145) and Sam Goings (170) have each been unstoppable in the weekly tournaments after battling through the tough Reno Tournament of Champions and Sierra Nevada Classic to close out December.

“We need big wins these next three weeks and have to beat the tough kids that are in all of our brackets,” de Braga said.

Terry White (113), Mason Smith (120), Dylan McAfee (126), Jack Swisher (145), Matt Goings (160), Bryson Abe (182) and Kobe Abe (285) have been wrestling well this season.

Fallon’s goal this weekend is to get the best seed for next weekend’s regional and position itself to take as many to the state tournament.

“It won’t be easy, but nothing about wrestling is easy,” de Braga said. “I hope all my kids win all of their matches this weekend to get in the top seeds, which of course, being the top seed helps tremendously going into regionals. The kids have put in the time and have all the tools to be champs. They just have to believe in themselves and get it done.”