ROUNDUP: Wildcats lead Southern Nevada teams with second place at Las Vegas Holiday Classic
Las Vegas High finished in second place at the Las Vegas Holiday Classic, ending the two-day tournament 58.5 points behind winner Brawley (Calif.).
Alex Aniciete (130 pounds) and Trey McElhaney (215) took home the gold in their individual weight classes for Las Vegas, which finished with 213.5 points.
The Wildcats also finished with a silver medalist (Johnathon Hales; 189), two bronze medalists (Napoleon Aniciete at 140 and David Preito 215), and a fourth-place finish (De’Armon Hall; 112).
Shadow Ridge finished tied for sixth with 157.5 points, and Bonanza (147) placed tenth.
Alex Aniciete defeated Palo Verde’s Rob Buckhannon by major decision, 10-2, in the Wildcats’ first championship win. McElhaney downed Valley’s Oscar Flores, 3-1 for the 215-pound title.
Sierra Vista’s Andrew Ramos was the area’s other champion, defeatig Eldorado’s Mike Williams 6-0 in the 285-pound title bout.
Shadow Ridge had a strong showing with four wrestlers taking top-four finishes. Nick McDearmon was second at 145, and Jordan Kurth was third at 189. Sylvae Washington (152) and Michael Tootle (171) each placed fourth for the Mustangs.
Bonanza’s Mike Zellner was second at 112, and teammate Billy Wosik placed third at 119.
Valley’s Roland Hodge also advanced to a championship match, placing second at 171.
Liberty’s Nolan Vicuna (145) and Rudy Reveles (160) each placed third.
And Foothill’s Sean Mayes (103), Palo Verde’s Paul Educate (135), Spring Valley’s Ray Waters (145) and Silverado’s Nick Hubert (215) each placed fourth.
Waters’ five pins in 10 minutes, 4 seconds was the second-fastest total pin time at the tournament. Miller of Foothill also had five pins in 11:59, and Cheyenne’s Shane Mulvey picked up five pins in 12:31.
Hernandez, Field win titles in Reno
At Reno, Bishop Gorman’s Steven Hernandez (152) and Johnny Field (171) each won a flight title at the Tournament of Champions meet.
Hernandez went 6-0, including a 9-7 overtime decision in the final. It’s the second straight year he’s won at the tournament.
Field was also 6-0, taking a 6-4 decision in the final.
Green Valley’s Daniel Allen placed eighth at 152 pounds, the top placer for the Gators in the 90-team tournament.