Charles Schmeiser gets his hand raised after winning a match at the Coyote Classic. He would win a total of three matches on the day. Submitted photo.
Broncs send 14 to East High for the tournament
The largely, inexperienced Broncs wrestling team made the trip to Bakersfield to take their chances at the Coyote Classic. The annual tournament was held at East High.
There were 14 Broncs that took their turn on the mats to try and advance in the brackets. Only three from Kern Valley were able to finish in the top 12, but mat time is the goal at the beginning of the season. The three that made it top 12, barely missed bringing home a medal, but gained valuable mat time. Charles Schmeiser wrestling in the 120-pound class, Andrew Miller at 126 pounds, and Ivan Mondragon at 165 pounds were the three from Kern Valley to finish in the top 12 at the Classic.
Leading the way for the Broncs was Schmeiser. He would collect three wins on the day. Mondragon was right behind as he earned a pair of victories on the mat. Michael Porter in the 215-pound weight division wrestled his way to the firs-ever win at the varsity level for Kern Valley. The rest of the squad consisted of Carlos Monzo at 113 pounds, Max Baughman at 132, Greyson Fitzgerald at 138, Brett Willingham at 144, Troy Valenzuela at 150, Jacob Abraugh at 174, Thomas Pacheco at 190 pounds, Cyrus Rutherford at 215, and Hunter Aultman who wrestled in the Heavyweight division.
The Broncs head coach Wes Woody said, “We brought a really young team with only one wrestler from the end of last year’s season along with Ivan (Mondragon) who moved in this year. We brought many underclassmen who showed a lot of improvement from last week’s tournament. Showing growth even though the wins aren’t coming yet. We are rebuilding, but the future this year is bright as well as the years to come.”
The upcoming wrestling schedule will take the Broncs team to Immanuel -Reedley Invitational this weekend for another tournament as the team heads toward the HDL matches that will take place just the beginning of the New Year.
