Wrestlers finish second at Sparks Invitational

The Greenwave wrestling team finished second — 15 points behind cross-valley rival Fernley — in last week’s Sparks Invitational.

The Vaqueros won the two-day tournament with 235 points followed by Fallon with 220 as the two rivals were the only schools to finish with more than 200 team points. Fallon sent 12 wrestlers to the podium.

Carson Melendy (120 pounds) and Thayne Hatch (157) each won their weight class with Melendy also garnering honors for best lightweight wrestler as Fallon looks to carry momentum into this weekend’s Kiwanis Invitational at Spring Creek.

Melendy, a freshman, pinned his first two opponents in the first period before scoring a 4-1 win over cross-valley rival Nathan Pritchard (Fernley). Melendy scored a 16-1 tech fall over Sparks’ Kaiden Irwin before a 18-5 major-decision win over Eureka’s Orlando Casas for the title. In the previous week, Melendy finished 2-2 at the Sierra Nevada Classic in Reno.

Hatch, a senior in his first year of the high school program, won his opening match with a 7-4 win over Reno’s Graham Lemons before pinning his final four, including Pershing County’s Wyatt Hughes 37 seconds into the championship bout. Hatch had the team’s best showing at the Sierra Nevada Classic with a 3-2 record.

In addition to the pair of individual champions, Jaiden McFadden (126) finished second after pinning his first three opponents in the first period. Yerington’s Nathaniel Gutierrez, though, ended McFadden’s run by pinning the Greenwave grappler with 50 seconds left in the second period. McFadden won twice in the previous week’s Sierra Nevada Classic.

Jeramiah Prinz (138) and Caden McKnight (150) took third with both taking different paths to their medal victory.

Prinz, a senior, won his first two to set up a semifinal bout with Fernley’s Braeden Garrett where he was pinned in the first period. Prinz, though, returned the favor to his next two opponents, including a second-period fall against Eureka’s Quinn Filippini to take third. He won twice in the Sierra Nevada Classic.

McKnight fell in his first match but won five in a row to take home the medal. All wins came by fall except for one (forfeit) as he took down Spanish Springs’ John Brandt with 20 seconds left in the second period of the medal match.

Andre Green (113), Nathaniel Zackery (126) and Isaiah Diaz (144) each finished fourth.

Green fell into the consolation bracket during the quarterfinal round but he pinned his next three to advance to the third-place bout. Spanish Springs’ Gage White, though, pinned Green in the final period. Green also had a strong showing at the Sierra Nevada Classic, going 2-2.

Zackery came back from a disqualification in the quarterfinal to win his next three by fall and major decision, including a quick pin over North Valleys’ Nikolis Reyes to set up the third-place match. He lost by fall to Pershing County’s Xavier Weatherman in the second period.

Wrestling in his first tournament of the year, Diaz won his first two matches before falling in the semifinals. Diaz decisioned Dayton’s Jay Parsons, 10-7, but fell to North Valleys’ Andrew McClung in the final match.

Rounding out the medal winners were fifth-place finishers Quintin Hornbeak (150) and Colton Blankenship (175), and sixth-place finishers Manuel Barros (106) and Lonnie Adams (132).

Hornbeak fell in the semifinals before forfeiting to teammate McKnight but he decisioned Galena’s Shiloh Wilson, 7-4, to finish fifth. Blankenship lost his first match but pinned his next three opponents before falling to Fernley’s Brandon McCullar in the first period. Blankenship, though, pinned Douglas’ Travis Haliwell in the finale.

Barros pinned his first two opponents but forfeited the semifinal bout to fall into consolation where he lost to Spanish Springs’ Brady Porter by fall. Yerington’s Seth Otto pinned Barros, who nabbed a win in the opening round of the Sierra Nevada Classic, in the fifth-place match. Adams, who captured a win in the Sierra Nevada Classic, won four in a row in Sparks, including three by fall, after falling into consolation. Adams, though, was pinned to drop into the fifth-place bout where he lost, 6-0, to Douglas’ Victor Valdez.

Troy Shelton (157) finished 3-2, and Manuel Karaway (144), Joseph Romero (175) finished 2-2.

Evan Mackuliak (106), Maximillion Dahl (113) finished 1-2. Shelton finished 2-2 and Karaway was 1-2 at the Sierra Nevada Classic.

Chase Ackerman (120), Kolby McFadden (144), Kacin Rogne (165), Lucas Costagliola (165), Macray O’Neill (165), Kade Morales (175), Carlos Valenzuela (175), Tyson Wilson (190), Michele Grossi (215) and Sean Reeder (285) each finished 0-2. O’Neill won his opening match at the Sierra Nevada Classic.