Six wrestlers earn top seed for this week’s regional

The Greenwave wrestling team got a taste of the Division I-A competition on Saturday and now knows what needs to be done to win the regional tournament in front of the home crowd.

Fallon finished 5-2 in the Northern Division I-A Duals at Spring Creek, despite having to forfeit two weight classes in five matches and three classes in the remaining two.

Six Greenwave wrestlers finished undefeated and will be the No. 1 seeds going into this weekend’s regional tournament hosted by Fallon.

“All of our kids wrestled with great intensity and wrestled extremely well, just as I expected this late in the season,” first-year coach Trevor de Braga said. “The matches that some of our guys lost were very good matches and we were right there with them.”

Saturday’s two losses came against Spring Creek by nine points and Lowry by one, which could have been reversed had Fallon occupied the 120- and 132-pound weight classes.

Fallon had to forfeit the 126 class against Lowry because of Dylan McAfee’s injury, which he sustained against Elko.

“Going in, I knew Lowry and Spring Creek would be tough because they have the numbers,” de Braga said. “The forfeits hurt us against them.”

Nevertheless, Fallon’s riding on momentum after six wrestlers picked up the top seed.

Terry White (106), Sean McCormick (138), Jack Swisher (145), Trae Workman (152), Sam Goings (160) and Matt Goings (170) each went undefeated and will be on display this Friday when the regional tournament invades the Elmo Dericco Gymnasium for the two-day event.

The top four wrestlers qualify for next week’s state tournament in Primm.

“I’m very pleased with how we will be seeded going into this weekend’s regional tournament,” de Braga added.

In addition to the six, Fallon will have another set of six competing in the tournament.

Wrestlers were not eliminated from competing in the regional tournament as the league duals determined seeding for this weekend’s double-elimination tournament. Official seeding will not be determined until later in the week.

Mason Smith (113) finished 6-1 and should be the No. 2 seed, while McAfee was 4-2 and Kobe Abe (285) was 5-2. Bryson Abe (182) ended at 4-3, Juan Ledezma (195) was 3-4 and Mark Moyle (220) finished 1-6.

The regional tournament begins at 3 p.m. on Friday with four rounds and will resume on Saturday at 9 a.m. with the championship semifinals. De Braga expects a good crowd in the school’s first-ever time hosting the regional wrestling tournament.

“We will have a little home advantage and it’s been a while since we have gotten to perform at our best in our home town,” he said. “I hope we have a lot of fans supporting us and it will be a great weekend. I don’t expect less than 10 kids to be on the podium so I hope the boys are excited to be wrestling at home and wrestle up to their capabilities. We are peaking at the right time and I’m excited.”