Wrestlers ready for playoffs

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Pahranagat Valley took part in a 24-team wrestling tournament in Enterprise, Utah last week. However, the Panthers only had three wrestlers able to compete.

Coach Brad Loveday said the way the tournament was set up ?where everybody gets a lot of wrestling, five matches each day. They cross-bracket everybody quite a bit.?

The first day, he explained, ?the wrestlers were placed in a round-robin format, and you wrestle everybody in your pool. Then depending on how well you did there, they placed you into an A, B, C or D pod, with the A pod being the best kids, and so forth,? said Loveday.

Only three Pahranagat boys were entered in the tournament, and all advanced to the A pod. Mateo Linares (220) placed fourth, Jeremy Minick (132) was second, and Danny Heredia (126), but he did not place.

Loveday said Minick lost to the defending Utah state champion. ?He lost by pin, but it was a good match, went back and forth, could have gone either way.?

Lincoln County coach Steve Culverwell said the Lynx attended the same Enterprise tournament and had two men who moved into the championship rounds. Zake Rowe took third at 106, and Jesse Mathews was second at 120.

Will Culverwell (138) did not advance to the championship rounds, but had a very good tournament, going 7-1 overall. Derek Mathews (113) did much the same thing, and was 5-2 in the tourney.? Other members of the Lynx team also wrestled but did not place.

Lincoln and Pahranagat Valley now participate in the Division III and IV league finals this weekend at Indian Springs, which is used as seeding for the Regional tournament to be held in Alamo Feb. 15.