Pirate Wrestlers Place High In Chaparral Invite

By RYAN ANDERSON

Moapa Valley Progress

The Pirates hosted Chaparral High School on Tuesday, Jan. 15, then traveled to Boulder City on Thursday.

Austin Tafoya, Russell Bodily, William Uri, Hayden Redd and Ryan McMurray all recorded pins against Chaparral.

But the Pirates had a rough go against a very tough Boulder City team.

The team then went on to compete in the Chaparral Invitational on Friday and Saturday in Las Vegas. This tournament is known as one of the most competitive tournaments of the year with 32 teams competing.

Russell Bodily went undefeated on day one, then lost his first match on Saturday morning against the number one seed. He got caught in his second match of the day and that put him into the 5th place match where he pinned his opponent to earn a very respectable 5th place in the toughest weight class of the tournament.

Hayden Redd took the roughest road in the tournament. He got caught in his first match on Friday and ended up getting pinned. Despite that setback, he stayed mentally tough and won five in a row to earn 3rd place, which was the team’s highest placement in the tournament.

One of the most inspiring aspects of the tournament was Jarrett Jackman recording his first win of the season after working extremely hard all year. He was ecstatic as were his parents.
The Pirates wrestle at Sunrise Mountain on Tuesday evening and then host Virgin Valley at home on Thursday (Jan 24). Wrestling starts at 5:30 pm in the high school old gym.

Moapa Valley is hosting the regionals this year on Feb 1-2. The team is looking for local volunteers to help run the tournament. Those interested can contact Coach Houston at housttj@nv.ccsd.net.