STATE ROUNDUP: Billingsleys lift Lowry to fifth straight crown

RENO — Michael Billingsley won his fourth individual state title, and his brother Beau won his second Saturday to lead Lowry to the Division I-A state wrestling championship, the school’s fifth consecutive state title.

The Buckaroos had nine wrestlers reach the finals and five take first place, finishing with 221 points and running away with the title at the Reno Livestock Events Center.

Spring Creek was second with 113 points, Virgin Valley (92) was third, Churchill County (90) finished fourth, and Fernley (65½) was fifth.

Michael Billingsley became the second wrestler in his school’s history, joining his cousin Jace Billingsley, to win four individual state titles. He pinned Dakota Schelling of Churchill County in 3:06 in the 170-pound title match.

“It’s something I’ve wanted to do since I was 5 years old,” Michael Billingsley said. “I came down here to do what I expect to do.”

Southern champions were Cash Crandall of Virgin Valley at 106 pounds, Jamal Hooker of Western at 152 and Brandon Foster of Boulder City at 195.

In Division III/IV, Battle Mountain dominated the second day of the tournament, ending Yerington’s two-year state-title reign. The Longhorns finished with 185 points, Yerington was second with 150½, White Pine (143) was third, Pershing County (120) finished fourth, and Laughlin (101) came in fifth.

The Longhorns never looked back after starting the semifinals with three consecutive wins, including a 5-4 victory by freshman Andrew Cox over defending state champion Daniel Olson of Lincoln County.

“That just snowballed,” Battle Mountain coach Mitch Domagala said. “The coaches got emotional, the kids were wired, and there were a lot of parents here.”

Laughlin’s JuQuan Lakes won the state title at 285.