Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
A Tucumcari High School girls wrestler took home a title during the Academy Invitational tournament in Albuquerque.
Four THS boys wrestlers finished runner-up during the eight-team tournament Saturday.
Sarah Vallejo, a senior, rampaged through the 120-pound weight class with victories by pin, including Myra Ortega of Highland in the finals.
Vallejo’s teammate, junior MiKayla Klinger, finished second in the 152-pound class, losing only to Albuquerque’s Jazzlyn Atwood.
Sarah Sanchez and Jocelyn Lopez also competed for the Lady Rattlers.
The Tucumcari girls finished sixth in the team standings with 43 points. Highland won the meet with 125 1/2 points, with Moriarty a distant second with 87.
In boys wrestling, these THS wrestlers all finished second at the tournament:
— Isaiah Jimenez, a senior, at 121 pounds;
— Fernando Ureste, a sophomore, at 133 pounds;
— Joshua Pacheco, a junior, at 145 pounds;
— Antonio Gonzales, a senior, at 172 pounds.
Also for the Rattlers, Julian Brown, a freshman, finished third at 107 pounds. Freshman Justin Goen (160 pounds) and sophomore Isiah Uroste (215 pounds) each finished fourth.
Uroste lost his matches by injury default due to a tweaked knee, but THS coach Tim Clark was optimistic the injury is not serious.
Benny Garcia (189 pounds) also competed for the Rattlers.
Tucumcari finished fourth in the team standings with 93 1/2 points. Traditional power Las Lunas won the tournament with 147 1/2 points, with Highland the runner-up at 134. Moriarty was third with 111 1/2 points.
Clark said four of his wrestlers didn’t make the tournament due to illness, which hurt Tucumcari in the team standings. He said Pacheco had been ill and “ran out of gas” during the finals Saturday.
Clark wasn’t disappointed with his athletes who competed, though.
“They all looked good,” Clark said of his male and female wrestlers. “It was tough competition. We were wrestling a lot of big teams, especially the girls side with it being just one division.
“It’s still early in the season. If we’re going to make mistakes, let’s make them now. We don’t want to make them three to four weeks down the road.”
Tucumcari’s teams will be wrestling Saturday at the Sammy Vivian Invitational at Socorro.
“That should be a tough tournament … a lot of teams we’ll see at regionals,” Clark said.