MVHS Wrestlers Compete In Thanksgiving Dual

Moapa Valley Progress

The Moapa Valley High School wrestling team traveled to Clark High School in Las Vegas over the Thanksgiving weekend to compete in its first tournament of the season.
“We always look forward to this tournament because it is a dual tournament, meaning our team competes head-to-head with other teams, thus ensuring each wrestler gets multiple matches win or lose,” said MVHS Assistant Coach Ryan Anderson. “It’s a great way to start the season and get some mat time in early.”

The Pirates are not a dual team this year. Because of low numbers, the team will forfeit at least four matches and start around 30 points behind our opponents before the dual even begins.
“That’s a big hole to dig out of,” Anderson said. “That being said, when our wrestlers come away with team wins or even close losses, it’s a huge accomplishment for such a small team.”

The Pirates wrestled Spring Valley in their first dual and lost 66-12. Gavin Henrie and Jackson Mills both pinned their opponents to earn the 12 Pirate points.

The next dual was against Rancho where the Pirates lost 54-24. Zachary Anderson, Hayden Redd, William Uri and Jackson Mills all won their matches by pinning their opponents.
The Pirates wrestled Cheyenne in their third dual of the day and won a nail-biter, 39-36. Zachary Anderson, Hayden Redd and Gavin Henrie won their matches. Redd and Henrie won by pin while Anderson won by decision (10-7). Avery Stratton, Will Uri, Ryan McMurray and Jackson Mills all had forfeits.

The Pirates’ fourth dual of the day was against Shadow Ridge. The Pirates lost 45-30. Jorge Cervantes won his match by pin. Avery Stratton, Cropper Henrie, Ryan McMurray and Jackson Mills all won by forfeit.

The final dual of the day was against Silverado where the Pirates suffered another loss 54-24. Jorge Cervantes, Avery Stratton, Hayden Redd and Gavin Henrie won their matches by pin.

The Pirates knocked the rust off on day two of the tournament and came out much more hungry. They started the day wrestling Western High School and won 42-29. Hayden Redd and William Uri won their matches by pin. Jorge Cervantes, Zach Anderson, Gavin Henrie, Ryan McMurray and Jackson Mills all won by forfeit.

The dual of the tournament for the Pirates was their second dual on Saturday. There they had the opportunity to face off against Rancho again and to show they were a much better team than the first team Rancho faced on Friday. Although the Pirates still lost the dual 33-36, it was a huge improvement from their 54-24 loss the day before.

Zachary Anderson, Hayden Redd, Gavin Henrie, William Uri, Ryan McMurray and Jackson Mills all won their matches. Zach, Hayden, Will, Ryan, and Jackson all won by pin. Gavin won by decision.

The coaches and team were the most impressed with Ryan McMurray who came out extremely aggressively. He earned 6 points for the team by pinning his opponent. McMurray is wrestling in the 195 lb weight class this season despite weighing in at 183 naturally.
“Ryan really inspired the team with his win,” Anderson said.

When shaking hands at the end of the dual, Anderson related that the Rancho coach had said, “Wow! What a huge difference from the last dual. Your boys were hungry today for sure. You guys put a scare into us.”

The Pirates wrestled Cheyenne for the second time in their third dual on Saturday and won 42-30, improving their performance from day one. Anderson, Redd and Henrie all won their matches by pin. Stratton, Uri, McMurray and Mills won by forfeit.

The Pirates finished off their weekend wrestling Sierra Vista High School and suffered a tough loss 54-24. Gavin Henrie was the only wrestler to pull off a win. He pinned is opponent. Redd, Cropper Henrie and Mills all had forfeits earning the remaining 18 points for the Pirates.

Over all, the coaching staff was very pleased with the marked improvement they noted in such a short time. “We’re looking forward to watching these wrestlers compete this year and reach their full potential,” Anderson said. “We have holes in our lineup at 126, 132, 138 and 220-285. We’d love to try to field a full team if anyone is willing and ready to come be a part of an elite group of young men who have a very real opportunity to do some great things this season.”