Serving the High Plains
Serving the High Plains
Tucumcari High School’s only two entrants in the Region 2 girls wrestling championships at Cobre earned medals and qualified for the state tournament later this month.
Sarah Vallejo, a senior in the 114-pound weight class, and MiKayla Klinger, a junior at 152 pounds, each finished fourth at the 33-team tournament that took place Friday and Saturday. The top eight finishers in each weight division advanced to the state tourney.
“I was very pleased with both of those girls. They gave everything they had,” Tucumcari coach Tim Clark said, nothing they accomplished both their goals of medaling and earning a state berth.
Both Vallejo and Klinger lost twice to the same opponent at the regional – first in the preliminary rounds, then in the semifinals after fighting their way through the consolation bracket.
Vallejo (17-6) went 4-2 during the tournament, losing only to Esmerelda Meraz-Ortiz of Goddard. Vallejo barely lost in sudden-death overtime in the preliminaries Friday, then was pinned in semifinals on Saturday.
Klinger (11-6) went 3-2 at the event, losing only to Jazzlyn Atwood of Albuquerque High in the prelims and then the semifinals. In the consolation round, Clark said Klinger was losing 7-3 to a foe from Santa Teresa but rallied to pin her for the victory.
Vallejo and Klinger will compete in the state championships on Feb. 23-24 at the Rio Rancho Events Center.
The Tucumcari boys will compete at the Region 2 championships on Friday and Saturday in Belen. The top seven finishers, plus two wild cards, in each weight class will qualify for the state tournament.