La Grande and Nyssa return home individual champions from Reno

RENO – The teams numbered over 80. Matches started early on the first day of action. By the end of the day two, both the 3A Nyssa Bulldogs and 4A La Grande Tigers wrestling teams could claim an individual title and a top 11 team score.

Joined by the Burns Hilanders, Nyssa and La Grande made the trip to Reno on Friday, December 27 to compete in the Sierra Nevada Classic. The tournament brings together squads from Oregon, California, Utah, Idaho and Nevada and includes state champions from each state.

La Grande finished in the top five in the team standings, grabbing fifth place. Nyssa was just outside the top ten, taking an 11th place finish while Burns finished 42nd in the field of 82 teams.

La Grande was led by two individual champions, Parker Robinson and Spencer Gerst.

Photo Gallery – Sierra Nevada Classic – Ed Peterson

Robinson, wrestling at 170 pounds, had three pins in the championship round. In the match for first place, Robinson took a 4-0 decision over Shadow Ridge’s Noah Gallardo to bring the medal home. He remains perfect for the season at 11-0.

Gerst had a near perfect record of pins in the championship round, taking five opponents to the mat before taking a7-2 decision in the championship match over Folsom’s Matt Kovalskiy for the title. Gerst wrestled in the 220-pound classification.

In addition to the success of both Robinson and Gerst, Braden Carson ended with a fifth place finish and Nathan Reed had a fourth place finish for La Grande.

Nyssa returned home with a first and second place individual finish with Adam Simpson claiming a title in the 195-pound division. After three pins and a win by decision coming into the final match, Simpson took a major decision, 14-4, over Rancho Bernardo’s Nick Blanchard for the title. Simpson remains perfect for the season.

Nyssa’s second place showing came in the 145-pound class as Elijiah Cleaver fell in the championship match to Rancho Bernardo’s Jaden Le in a major decision, 15-2. The loss marks only the second of the season for Cleaver.

Nyssa also saw an eighth place finish by Raul Ruiz and a fifth place finish by Bryan Flores.

 Team results: 1. Rancho Bernardo, 212. 2. Del Oro, 211.5. 3. Spring Creek, 207.5. 4. Sprague, 160. 5. La Grande, 150. 6. Shadow Ridge, 145. 7. Evergreen Valley, 141. 8. Desert Vista, 126.5. 8. Mountain View, 126.5. 10. Lakeland, 121.5. 11. Nyssa, 113. 12. Vista del Lago, 100. 12. Spanish Springs, 100. 14. Roseville, 97. 15. Millikan, 96.5. 16. Dayton, 96. 17. Franklin, 90.5. 18. Granite Bay, 89. 19. Folsom, 88. 20. Grants Pass, 87. 21. Fernley, 84. 22. Oakmont, 79.5. 23. Rocklin, 78.5. 24. McQueen, 77.5. 25. Clovis East, 77. 25. Thunder Ridge, 77. 27. Culver, 72. 27. Silver, 72. 29. Ponderosa, 71. 30. American Fork, 70. 30. SLAM Academy, 70. 32. Temescal Canyon Asb., 69.5. 33. Lowry, 66. 34. Will C. Wood, 64. 35. Carson City, 62. 36. Kelso, 59.5. 37. Bend, 59. 37. Reed, 59. 39. Palma, 58.5. 40. St. Francis, 57. 41. Cascade Christian, 56. 42. Burns, 54. 42. Northgate, 54. 44. Casa Roble, 50. 45.Lebanon, 49.5. 46. Ridgevue, 47. Silver Creek, 46. 48. Gregori, 43. Mazama, 43. 50. Chester, 41. 51. Reno, 40. 52. Churchill County, 37. Santa Ynez Valley, 37. 54. Corning, 36. 55. Archbishop Mitty, 34. Bishop Manogue, 33. 57. Lakeview, 32. 58. Yerington, 31. 59. Vintage, 30.5. 60. Cardinal Newman, 30. 61. Carmel, 29. 62. Paradise, 27.5. 63. Napa, 26. 64. Modoc, 25. 65. Damonte Ranch, 23. 65. North Valley, 23. 65. Yuba City, 23. 68. Pleasant Gorve, 21. 69. Beyer, 20. 70. Douglas, 19. 70. Galena, 19. 70. Modesto Christian, 19. 73. Quincy, 16. 74. Arbor View, 15. 75. Sparks, 12. 76. Anderson, 9. 77. Trinity, 8. 78. Wooster, 7. 79. Hug, 6. 80. Independence, 5. 81. Central Valley, 3. 82. Excel Christian School, 2.5.