Broncos wrestling team gears up for District Tournament

The Broncos wrestling team is gearing up for the South League District Tournament after competing in a Mix and Match Tournament in Ritzville and a League Match in Pomeroy last week.

The team had their first and only home tournament on Tuesday, Jan. 24, in the Gilson Gym. Competing in the tournament were wrestlers Tristan Regan, Dylan Lane, Alex Whitman, Garrett Correll, Tucker Guiles, Maisa Ferderer and Chelsie Watterson.

Regan wrestled first against Connick West from Warden at 106 pounds.

Head Coach Jason Hilzer said Regan remained ahead of his opponent in points by looking for opportunities for takedowns and being quick on his feet. By the end of the third round, he claimed the 8-0 win over West.

He then wrestled varsity athlete Tony Martinez from Warden. Martinez proved to be quicker than West and challenged Regan more physically and mentally, forcing Regan to lose by pin in the second round, said Hilzer.

For his final match, Regan wrestled Kody Higgs of Almira-Coulee/Hartline (ACH). Despite already having wrestled two matches, Regan fought hard through all three rounds without allowing his opponent to gain the advantage on him. Regan claimed an 11-9 win.

Hilzer said Regan continues to impress him with his ability to quickly take down his opponents and remain quick on his feet.

Due to the fact he has wrestled Higgs in a previous match, Hilzer said he expected Regan to win by pin, but he emphasized the difficulty of beating the same athlete twice.

Lane wrestled next against a Warden athlete, Mikey Madrigales, at 138. With Madrigales being more experienced than Lane, he quickly lost by pin in the first round.

He proved to have the same issue during his second match against Ivan Dominquez from Warden, which he lost by pin in the first round.

Hilzer said despite the losses, he is pleased with how Lane wrestled as he showcased motivation and improvement during both of his matches. With additional mat time, he believes Lane could better compete with the elite athletes.

Whitman wrestled Sam Griffey from Medical Lake at 145 for his first match of the night. After struggling to break free from Griffey’s holds, Whitman lost the match, 15-0.

Next he wrestled Jed Sconce, an athlete from ACH. Sconce proved to have weight and experience advantages over him as he pinned Whitman in the first round.

With his two opponents’ skill levels being more advanced than his, Hilzer said Whitman fought hard but would need to improve the strength of his technique if he wants to beat the elite athletes.

Garrett Correll wrestled next against Martin Dominguez from ACH at 220. Dominguez had a weight advantage over him and Correll lost by pin in the first round. Due to most of the athletes in his division being heavier, Hilzer said Correll sometimes has issues taking down his opponents.

Correll then wrestled Guiles for his second match in the 285 division. He claimed the win over Guiles by pinning him in the second round.

Guiles then wrestled Martin Dominguez from Warden for his second match at 285. Having a size advantage over Dominguez, Guiles won by pin in the first period.

As the season comes to an end, Hilzer said Guiles’ skills continue to progress and he looks forward to seeing how much his skills have advanced in the post season.

Ferderer wrestled next against Ruth Bresee from ACH at 130. By catching her opponent out of position, she took the opportunity to take down Bresee and won by pin in the second period.

She then wrestled Watterson for her second match. Hilzer said Watterson proved to be more aggressive than Ferderer and won by pin in the second round. Despite the loss, Hilzer said Ferderer showcased strong wrestling and overall improvement during the match.

The match against Ferderer was the only match Watterson competed in during the tournament.

The team then traveled to Pomeroy to compete in league matches on Saturday, Jan. 28. Regan, Lane, Whitman and Guiles were the athletes who competed in the matches.

Regan wrestled his first match against Nolan Burrill from Colfax at 106. Burrill had a slight weight advantage over him and claimed the win by pin in the first round.

He then wrestled Josh Haas from Liberty. Hilzer said Regan could not break free from under Haas and lost by pin in the second round.

Despite his losses, Regan has claimed the No. 3 seed for the District Tournament and will advance to Regionals, said Hilzer.

Lane wrestled next against Nate Barney from Colfax at 138. He lost by pin in the end of the second round.

Lane is currently the No. 5 seed for the District Tournament. Hilzer said Lane will have to win some tough matches in order to advance to the Regional Tournament.

Whitman then wrestled Liberty’s Garrett Baump at 145. Baump quickly gained positioning on Whitman and pinned him in the first round.

He then wrestled Conner Houlihan from Reardan. Down 7-8 in the third round, Whitman could not break free from the bottom position and lost by pin.

Ranked the No. 3 seed in his division for the District Tournament, Hilzer said Whitman will have to compete against multiple athletes he lost to in previous matches in order to advance.

Guiles wrestled his first match against Tyler Houffman from Waitsburg at 285 and won by pin in the second round. He then wrestled John Nelson from Colfax for his second match. Guiles quickly took down his opponent and won by pin in the first round.

For his final match of the tournament, Guiles wrestled Hunter Dawley, from Reardan. The two wrestlers were tied 4-4 before Dawley caught Guiles out of position and pinned him in the second round.

Hilzer said Guiles’ strength on the mat continues to impress him as they approach the post season and stated the loss to Dawley proved to be unfortunate due to the similar skill levels of the two athletes. The outcome of the matches ranked Guiles as the No. 2 seed in the district.

As the team prepares for the Regional Tournament, Hilzer said they will continue to do situational wrestling in practice in order to strengthen their experience on the mat.

The team will travel to Colfax on Saturday, Feb. 4, for the South League District Tournament and will compete against elite athletes in hopes to advance to the Regional Tournament on Feb. 11.