Four Bronco athletes travel to compete in Liberty Tournament

 

Last updated 12/15/2016 at Noon



Four members of the Lind-Ritzville/Sprague mat squad traveled to Spangle to begin their season by participating in the Liberty Tournament on Saturday, Dec. 10.

Head Coach Jason Hilzer took heavy weight wrestlers Samuele Bortolato, Aarron Phelps, Michael Phelps and Tucker Guiles to the tournament to observe what technical improvements are needed for the athletes to be successful in the upcoming league matches.

Hilzer said Bortolato displayed an immense amount of determination and confidence despite this being the first wrestling tournament he has participated in.

As a new wrestler, Hilzer said this tournament proved to be a learning experience for Bortolato and he expects him to continuously improve throughout the season.

Wrestling at 170 pounds, Bortolato faced an athlete from Riverside for his first match of the tournament. Hilzer said Bortolato held his own on the mat and seemed evenly matched with his opponent. After a close match, Hilzer said he lost by pin.

Bortolato then faced a wrestler from Northwest Christian. His first match mentally and physically exhausted the athlete and he lost by pin in the first period, said Hilzer.

Aarron Phelps wrestled next at 195 pounds against an athlete from Republic-Curlew. As another new wrestler, Phelps impressed Hilzer by pinning his opponent in the first period.

During his second match against Riverside, Hilzer noticed Aarron lacked quickness and lost by pin in the first period. Already exhausted, Aarron competed in a third match against an athlete from Clarkston.

Hilzer said the tournament showed him the team needs work on their endurance as Aarron quickly lost his third match by pin.

Heavy weight wrestler Michael Phelps wrestled at 285 in the tournament. Hilzer said Michael started out strong during his first match against Clarkston. With 30 seconds remaining in the third period, Hilzer said the two athletes were closely matched with Clarkston ahead at a score of 7-6.

Michael seemed to have exerted all his strength throughout the match and lost by pin with 10 seconds left in the third quarter, Hilzer explained.

By his second match against Springdale, Hilzer said the exertion from the first match had caught up to Michael. His opponent used Michael’s exhaustion to his advantage and quickly pinned him, Hilzer stated.

As Guiles prepared for his first match against Republic-Curlew, Hilzer said he expected the experienced athlete to showcase advanced skill and strong technique.

Guiles did not disappoint his coach and pinned his opponent in the first period.

His win against Republic-Curlew allowed Guiles to advance to the final round of the tournament where he faced an athlete from Clarkston.

Hilzer said Guiles displayed strength and determination on the mat, which allowed him to have an advantage over his opponent. Guiles claimed first place in the tournament by pinning the Clarkston athlete in the first period of the match.

Hilzer said he remains impressed with the advanced level of skill Guiles possesses and he looks forward to the progress he makes throughout the season.

Hilzer said this first tournament allowed him to observe what areas the team is in need of improvement and what strengths each athlete contains.

Overall, Hilzer stated he is proud of how the athletes perform and he is looking forward to progressing the team’s skills and confidence on the mat.

The Broncos mat squad is gearing up for their first league match in Reardan on Thursday, Dec. 15, at 6 p.m.

In preparation for the match, Hilzer said the team would be focused on working off the bottom position and remaining quick on their feet.

 

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