Fallon sophomore Tommie Fitzer pins Centennial’s Mya Bardoni with 14 seconds left in Friday’s quarterfinal match, becoming the first girl in school history to win at state.
Photo by Thomas Ranson.
Even though they slept in their own beds the night before wrestling for a state championship, Lonnie Adams and Carson Melendy were nervous on Saturday.
“It definitely helped a bit, but I was still so nervous last night sleeping,” Adams said. “I kept waking up thinking I was going to miss the alarm, so I kind of kept waking up, but it was good.”
On Saturday after half of the mats were rolled up for the medal round, Adams and Melendy finished the job, each winning a 3A state title to give the Greenwave multiple winners for the first time in six years when Fallon crowned a trio of future Division I football players in Winnemucca.
As a team, Fallon finished sixth with 56 points as Moapa Valley ended Elko’s three-year title streak with 143.5 points. Lowry finished second at 87, followed by Elko, 86.5; Fernley, 78; and Spring Creek, 60.5.
“This was a great state tournament. It was packed, loud and everything you would want at a state tournament,” Fallon coach Trevor deBraga said. “The city of Fallon and the county really made it a special weekend.”
Adams fell short last year in the championship in Bullhead City Arizona, and sickness last week affected his performance as he finished third in the regional tournament in Reno.
Adams said the difference this year was the extra work and trips to Reno.
“Well, I just have been putting God first in my life and then I've been putting in a lot of extra work going to Reno on the weekends and on the weekdays and going to Nevada Elite,” said Adams, who hopes to wrestle in college. “All my coaches have been helping me and that's how I came up on top.”
Adams, who defeated Spring Creek’s Jaxon Taylor in last week’s third-place match at regionals, was in control from the first whistle. Adams turned Taylor onto his back in front of his coaches. With deBraga and assistant Dan Shaw motioning the fall count behind him, the final whistle blew as Adams secured the win by fall 32 seconds into the final period.
“Lonnie finally became state champion,” said deBraga, who added that Adams has grown from not knowing the sport as a freshman and then overcoming challenges each year. “Lonnie wrestled all spring and summer, putting in countless days of mat time and training to be crowned as he did this weekend. His success was absolutely earned and it's humbling to see him holding up his gold medal.”
Adams kicked off Friday’s quarterfinal with a 10-4 decision over Moapa Valley’s Caleb Anderson, the No. 2 seed from the south. In Friday night’s semifinal, Adams pinned Lowry’s Odyn Santos with a minute left in the opening period.
A couple weight classes up, Melendy, a 150-pound junior, dominated all season, winning his third regional title last weekend, and was going for his third state title as well. He recorded a technical fall, 18-0, over Spring Creek’s Colton Cunningham after defeating him, 9-4, for the regional title. He pinned Clark’s Vicente Garcia in 12 seconds to open the bracket before an 18-2 technical fall over Elko’s Hagen Robinson in the semifinals.
“I was super nervous but I was confident too before the match,” Melendy said. “It was super nice (having the tournament in Fallon). It was probably the best state we've ever had, I've ever had.”
DeBraga was pleased to see Melendy win his third with the elusive fourth championship now in sight for next season.
“He wrestled phenomenally in all three matches and earned the title of three-time Nevada state champion,” deBraga said. “Only three guys have done that for the Fallon Greenwave and he has a chance to make it four. I'm proud of him and he's made this program proud.”
Junior Andre Green stood on the podium after finishing fourth in the 132-pound weight class.
“It feels good to make it to state this year, let alone place,” Green said. “I’ve got to set a new goal to get first next year. That was a fun experience.”
Green opened with a 12-7 quarterfinal win over Pahrump Valley’s Bishop Carter before coming up two points short (6-4) to Boulder City’s Logan Goode in the semifinal. After a 12-5 decision over Clark’s Jonathan Castillo to advance to the medal round, Green came up short in a 13-8 loss to Truckee’s Jack Ridgel.
Although she didn’t place, sophomore Tommie Fitzer became the school’s first girl to win a state tournament match.
Fitzer pinned Centennial’s Mya Bardoni with 14 seconds left in Friday’s quarterfinal match before falling to Chaparral’s Isabella Casprowitz in the first period of the semifinals. Fitzer, who’s been battling sickness, ended her season with a first-period fall to Chaparral’s Kimberly Holguin in Saturday’s consolation semifinal.
“She still went out and gave it her all. It's not the result we expected but it sure showed how tough she is battling this weekend,” deBraga said. “She is young, and she wants to be No. 1. I know that's what's in store for Tommie and I'm excited to watch her grow.”
Others who didn’t make it to the podium were Evan Mackuliak (120), who was the North’s top seed, Wyatt Lambert (157) and Colton Blankenship (190), a senior wrestling in his final high school tournament. Both Lambert and Blankenship went 0-2 on Friday.
Mackuliak won his first bout, a fall over The Meadows’ Grayson Kim with 10 seconds left in the first period. He lost a 10-6 decision to Virgin Valley’s Micah Woods in the semifinals before another tough loss (11-9) to Truckee’s Keb Schnurrenberger in the consolation semifinal.
“Wrestling is a very mental sport and if you get to overthinking, you will emotionally wear out,” deBraga said. “I think this got the best of Evan this weekend and it affected his performance. The good thing is that he will be back next year and I hope he is on a mission to win it all.”
Lambert wrestled in his first state tournament, which has deBraga excited about his future. Blankenship, despite an 0-2 performance, avenged last year’s exit in the regional tournament to make it to state.
“Now that he has a taste of what it's like, I know he will be ready next year to get on the podium,” deBraga said of Lambert. “It just wasn't his weekend and unfortunately, it was his senior year. That's the nature of the sport. I have no doubt he had what it takes to place but that's how it goes. I'm going to miss him.”