47°F
weather icon Partly Cloudy

BCHS claims title at own tourney

The Boulder City High School wrestling team claimed the title at the Boulder City Duals on Saturday, giving an early look at what could be a special season for the program.

“I’m so proud of all our guys for the hard work they put in,” head coach Jim Cox said. “Every team at the duals is tough, but our guys fought hard and a lot of them came out undefeated. Having wrestled against most of the teams in our region already, we feel like this could be another great season for us.”

Falling short of placing lofty expectations on his team after finishing with eight undefeated 4-0 wrestlers this weekend, Cox said the team will need to remain focused, despite the early success for the Eagles.

Seniors Zayne Dennington (132 pounds) and D.J. Reese (138); juniors Jimmy Dunagan (160), Thorston Balmer (170), James Ewell (195) and Ryan Vanario (220); and sophomores Curtis Brown (106) and Ladd Cox (145) all went undefeated.

“Obviously, all of our kids have individual goals of going to state, but we’re not gonna talk about that right now,” Cox said. “We have a lot of great guys in our gym, and they did extremely well this weekend. Now it’s time to get back in the gym and fall in love with the process before we can start talking about the end result.”

Falling in love with winning early and often, the Eagles as a team defeated 4A Liberty 66-6 on Nov. 29 in their home opener before defeating 4A opponents Desert Oasis (80-0), Valley (78-3) and Coronado (72-6) and 3A rival Virgin Valley (54-24) over the weekend.

Finishing the weekend 3-1 were senior Garrett Leavitt (126) and juniors Hayden Moore (152) and Mike Kaposta (275). Sophomores Jason Krumm (120) and Cade Cowley (180) each finished 2-2.

“The team overall performed very well,” Dunagan said. “Our expectations for this season is just to stay focused on the process, not the outcome. Every day guys are putting in hard work to become the best wrestlers they can be.”

Putting in extra work to become champions this year, the Eagles return last year’s 126-pound state runner-up, Reese, who is ready to take home the 3A title at 138 pounds this season. Vanario, who finished third at state last year at 195 pounds, moved up to 220 pounds this season.

“Last year being in the state championship match was a great experience,” Reese said. “Finishing second obviously was a disappointment, but it motivated me to work hard this summer to hopefully not only get back to the state championship match but actually be able to win it this year.”

Hopeful to bring home their first 3A state championship as a team since 1986, the Eagles’ core certainly doesn’t lack experience or skill after bringing back several key returners.

“This year we have a lot of returning state placers and qualifiers from last year, which is obviously very exciting to have,” Reese said. “I think a lot of our team can make it to the finals this year, and that’s what we need to bring home a state title.”

Looking to improve upon their preseason slate, the Eagles will get a firsthand look at just how talented this year’s team is when they travel to La Costa Canyon, California, on Friday for the Jimmy Hamada Tournament.

Contact Robert Vendettoli at BCRsports@gmail.com.

Upcoming matches

Friday and Saturday, Dec. 8 and 9, Jimmy Hamada Tournament at La Costa Canyon in Carlsbad, California

Saturday, Dec. 9, Junior Varsity Duals at Foothill, OVERSET FOLLOWS:TBA

MOST READ
THE LATEST
Lady Eagles to play for gridiron title

Boulder City High School flag football will get its shot at redemption today (Feb. 20) at Allegiant Stadium, ready to face off against rival Virgin Valley in the 3A state championship game.

Girls basketball team bounced from playoffs

Unable to keep pace with their rival Moapa Valley, Boulder City High School girls basketball ended their season with a 65-39 defeat in the opening round of the 3A postseason.

Eagles make early exit from playoffs

Live by the three, die by the three plagued Boulder City High School boys basketball on Feb. 10, turning a regular season league-title-winning team into an unexpected first-round playoff exit.

Goode, Bonar pace wrestlers at state tourney

Making their way onto the podium, Boulder City High School wrestlers Logan Goode and Sam Bonar placed at the 3A state tournament on Feb. 8.

Lady Eagles advance to postseason

Soaring high into the postseason, Boulder City High School girls basketball ended the regular season with a 20-6 record, defeating Sloan Canyon and Coral Academy during this past week’s play.

Clemons makes history as eight wrestlers head to state

Shining on their home floor, Boulder City High School wrestling will send eight wrestlers to state, after placing third as a team at regionals.

Eagles see 10-game win streak snapped

Splitting a pair of games this past week, Boulder City High School boys basketball suffered their first league loss on Jan. 31 to The Meadows, 73-66.

Bowlers have strong showing at state

Boulder City High School girls bowler Zoey Dieter finished fourth at state this past week, finishing as the highest bowler from the Eagles.

Eagles remain on top of division

Currently on a nine-game winning streak, Boulder City High School boys basketball picked up a pair of victories this past week.

Bowlers look for strong state showing

Qualifying for the state tournament, four bowlers will represent Boulder City High School.