Pair of Vandal wrestlers place 4th at Sparks tourney

Right after New Year, the Eureka Vandal wrestling team participated in a 19-team tournament in Sparks Ja n. 4-5.

And the team showed themselves well, said Coach Jeremy Auch, earning 46 points for 14th place, right behind Wooster High with 49 points.

Sage Borba (113) won one and lost two. She first lost by fall to Brooks Watson (Galena), got a bye in the first round of the consolation bracket, then lost a 4-0 decision to Arden Ckoor )Spanish Springs).

James Filippini (126) placed fourth in the tournament. His first match he pinned Mason Sloan (Fernley), won his quarterfinal match by fall over Daniil Razor (Pershing County), but lost in the semifinals on an 11-10 decision to Logan Galvin (Yerington))

In the consolation bracket semifinals, Filippini took a 4-2 decision over Caleb Salgabo (Reed). However, he lost by pin in the third place match to Sebastian Hatzi (Hug).

Wyatt Anderson stepped up to 145 pounds for this tournament and won three and lost two at this weight.

He began with a first round loss to Jared Caulk (Fernley), the eventual runner-up in the class. He then registered three wins in the consolation rounds, one with a bye, then a 4-3 decision over Tyler Egan (Fernley) and a pin of Nathan Glass (Fernley).

But he lost the next match on a 6-4 decision to Logan Davis (Yerington).

Garrett Todd, the other Eureka wrestler at 145-lbs, took fourth place and earned 19 points for the team. Auch said he was in “his first tournament since recovering from broken nose surgery and will be wearing a mask the rest of the season. He was in good shape for having been gone for a few weeks.”

He began by losing by pin to Michael Garcia (Fernley). But he then proceeded to advance to the consolation semifinals and along the way had a bye, followed by pins over Jeremy Lowe (Damonte Ranch), Connie Hunter (Fernley) and Jace Mentaberry (Lowry). He then took an 8-5 decision over Brian Fair (Douglas) and a 4-2 decision over Dillan Otteson (Tonopah).

But he lost in the consolation semifinal match to Saul Andrade (Spanish Springs).

Finally, Preston Hubbard (152) placed sixth, earning the Vandals 11 points. He won by fall in the first round over Mariano Herrera (Douglas), but lost the quarterfinal match on a technical fall to Sean Gottschalk (Pershing County).

Moving to the consolation side, he won a 7-6 decision over Joseph Garcia (Lowry), then pinned Cameron Daniels (Douglas).

He lost the consolation semifinal match by fall to Patrick Rodriguez

(Reed) and in the fifth place match lost again to Gottschalk (Pershing County) on a 20-9 major decision.

This Friday and Saturday, the Vandals will be at the Spring Creek Invitational. “It’ll be a tough tournament, “Auch said, “because there are a number of good teams that come down from Idaho.”