Ureste wins Rattler Invite title

Tucumcari's wrestling coach has touted Fernando Ureste all season as one of his best grapplers, and the sophomore proved it by winning the 133-pound title Saturday at the 12-team Tucumcari Rattler Invitational.

But it wasn't easy.

In the title match, Ureste fell behind 5-0 and nearly was pinned by Amarillo Tascosa's Izaiah Herrera in the first period.

"My shots weren't there in the beginning," Ureste said. "But I thought I would be able to pull through."

Ureste rallied to within 5-4 in the second period, then pinned his foe 5:02 into the final period.

"I saw an opportunity and took it, took control," Ureste said about his decisive third period.

"He's good; he's a little magician," THS coach Tim Clark said of Ureste's comeback win. "He can do great things. He has some skill."

Ureste won all three matches Saturday by pin and improved to 7-1.

In girls competition, THS junior MiKayla Klinger also won an individual title and her second straight at the annual tournament.

In a round-robin format in the 145-pound weight class, Klinger defeated two opponents by pin and won another by injury forfeit.

"If she can't beat them, she'll break them," Clark quipped.

"I knew what I needed to do ahead of time," Klinger said. "In the round robin, I was able to watch the two girls wrestle each other first. I already knew what their style and technique were. Knowing that really helped."

Klinger was Tucumcari's only entry in the seven-team girls tournament. Sarah Vallejo didn't compete because she was at her brother's wedding, and Sarah Sanchez wasn't present because of a death in the family.

The Rattlers also boasted a second-place finish by senior Isaiah Jimenez (9-2) at 121 pounds, third place by senior Antonio Gonzales (9-1) at 172 pounds and fourth place by junior Joshua Pacheco (12-3) at 152.

Jimenez lost by technical fall in the final to Los Lunas' Noah Gurule after winning by pin in the first two rounds.

"Isaiah is coming on as a senior," Clark said. "He's just gotta keep improving."

Gonzales lost by pin in the semifinal against Los Lunas' Jonathan Trujillo, but pinned Taos' Reggie Suazo in the consolation semifinal and won by a major decision over Donte Odufuwa of Boys Ranch, Texas, in the third-place match.

"Antonio would have done better, but he made a little mistake that cost him," Clark said of the semifinal. "But he came back in the third-place match."

Pacheco lost a 2-1 decision in the semifinal against West Las Vegas' Cruz Martinez, rallied in the consolation semifinal with a pin over Los Lunas' Robert Perea and lost a decision to Los Lunas' Aaron Pyle in the third-place match.

The Rattlers boys finished sixth in team points with 70 1/2. Los Lunas won the team crown with 225 1/2 points, with Amarillo Tascosa a distant second at 171 points. West Las Vegas was third with 118.

"It was a tough tournament," Clark said. "I've been telling the kids all week long that this was going to be no joke. There was going to be competition here, and you're going to have to step up and take care of business. Los Lunas and some of these Amarillo schools are tough."

The Lady Rattlers and Pecos finished in a tie for fifth in the team scores with nine points. Bushland, Texas, won the team title with 39 points, with Clovis runner-up with 30 points.

THS wrestling won't compete again against until Jan. 6 at a tournament at Albuquerque Academy.