Wildcats take 20-4 duels mark to Graham County
By Raymundo Frasquillo
MORENCI—The Morenci Wildcats, coached by Casey Woodall, have five more meets before hosting the state qualifying sectional on Feb. 15.
The Wildcats are scheduled to attend the Pima Multi on Wednesday, Jan. 8, the two-day Peoria Invitational on Friday-Saturday, Jan. 10-11, the Eagar Round Valley Multi on Jan. 15, host Saint Johns for a duel on Jan. 21, and attend the Tucson Salpointe Catholic Diego Galdea Invitational on Jan. 24-25.
Morenci’s learning and experience journey has yielded collective records of 20-4 for duels and 339-126 with 198 pins for individual bouts. A total of 20 Wildcats have worn a singlet representing their school, with seniors, juniors, and sophomores numbering four apiece and freshmen eight.
Heading to Pima this week, seniors Hollis Corbell (189/190/215, 31-1, 25 pins), Trent Nelson (126/127/132, 23-9, 15 pins), Omar Torres (145/150/157, 12-10, 7 pins), and Marques Varela (215, 0-1) are a combined 66-21 with 47 pins;
Juniors Isaiah Cook (285, 30-5, 22 pins), Kiano Torres (138/139/144, 21-8, 15 pins), Matthew Hernandez (120/126, 4-3, 2 pins), and Stosh Vineyard (150/157, 7-4, 2 pins) are 62-20 with 41 pins;
Sophomores Merrick Williams (132/133, 29-3, 26 pins), Emerson Motes (144/145/150, 25-11, 22 pins), Mason Clark (106/107, 19-9, 5 pins), and Joel Baca (160/165, 16-13, 2 pins) are 103-36 with 55 pins;
And freshmen James Davis (189/190/215, 23-6, 8 pins), Anthony Sanchez (120/121, 24-7, 20 pins), Ryder Nelson (107/113, 17-5, 11 pins), Jeremiah Cano, (113/114, 12-7, 7 pins), Luz Hernandez (175, 10-14, 6 pins), Rhyler Wyatt (106, 2-1, 1 pin), Treyson Scalise (157, 4-14, 2 pins), and Jase Morgan (138, 1-5) are 108-49 with 55 pins.
Six other program members have yet to break into the varsity lineup: seniors Anthony Heathman and Jonathan Vasquez, sophomore Hector Vasquez, and freshmen David Licano, Nathan Medina, and Joshwa Sandoval.
Morenci has participated in its own Multi meet on Dec. 4, the 2-day Mesa Red Mountain Nate Johnson Memorial Duels on Dec. 6-7, the Willcox Multi on Dec. 11, the two-day Marana Duels on Dec. 13-14, hosted a second meet on Dec. 20, and taken part in the two-day New Mexico Rio Rancho Cleveland meet on Jan. 3-4.
Conflict in Cleveland, Jan. 3-4
Morenci left “The Land of Enchantment” as the ninth-place team of 73 participating in the Rio Rancho Cleveland two-day (Jan. 3-4) meet. There were six Arizona teams: 44 from New Mexico, including 12 out of Albuquerque, 18 from Colorado, four from Texas, and one from California. A total of 416 entrants competed in 13 different weight classes, the most being 68 (152) and the fewest 56 (215).
The Wildcats totaled 128 points with 11 of 13 weight class entrants, three additional entrants, and three placers. Hollis Corbell (189, 5-2, 4 pins) placed fourth and contributed 24 points, Merrick Williams (133, 6-2, 5 pins) fifth with 22.5, and Isaiah Cook (285, 5-2, 4 pins) eighth with 17.
Non-placers included Emerson Montes (145, 4-4, 4 pins) with 14 points, Trent Nelson (127, 4-2, 4 pins) with 13, Kiano Torres (139, 3-2, 2 pins) with 10.5, Jeremiah Cano (114, 3-2, 2 pins) with 8.5, Anthony Sanchez (121, 2-2, 2 pins) with 7.5, Ryder Nelson (107, 2-2, 2 pins) with seven, Luz Hernandez (172, 1-2, 1 pin) with four, Joel Baca (160, 1-2) with two, James Davis (189, 3-2, 3 pins), Omar Torres (145, 2-2, 2 pins), and Mason Clark (107, 1-2).
Host Cleveland earned the meet title by scoring 260.5 points. The Storm had 14 entrants in 13 different classes and placed 10, including two champions, a runner-up, three third-place finishers, two fifth-place finishers, and two sixth-place finishers.
Colorado Pueblo East was second with 238 points, New Mexico Albuquerque Volcano Vista third (234), Mesa Mountain View fourth (226), New Mexico Bloomfield fifth (160), Colorado Thompson Valley sixth (153.5), Tempe Corona del Sol seventh (147), Colorado Pueblo Central eighth (134.5), Morenci ninth, and New Mexico Los Lunas 10th (126).
Mesa Desert Ridge was 12th with 119 points, Gilbert Higley tied with Texas Hereford for 33rd (60), and Pima was 38th (54.5).
Christmas Clash, Dec. 20
Morenci ended 1-1 following its second home meet, defeating Division III – Section II Gilbert North American Leadership 44-35 and succumbing 30-52 to Division 1 – Section I Marana on Dec. 20.
Five Wildcats emerged unscathed in Williams (132, 2-0, 2 pins), Corbell (190, 2-0, 2 pins), Cook (285, 2-0, 2 pins), Ryder Nelson (113, 1-0, 1 pin), Davis (215, 1-0); five split two bouts in Wyatt (106, 1-1), Sanchez (120, 1-1, 1 pin), Trent Nelson (126, 1-1), Montes (144, 1-1, 1 pin), and Omar Torres (150, 1-1, 1 pin); two fell twice in Morgan (138, 0-2), Scalise (157, 0-2), Baca (165, 0-2), and Luz Hernandez (175, 0-2); and two fell once in Cano (113, 0-1) and Varela (215, 0-1).
Marana Duels, Dec. 13-14
Morenci returned from Pima County with a 5-1 duels record, having topped Marana Mountain View 60-15, Tucson Canyon del Oro 64-21, Prescott 60-15, Maricopa 59-21, Tucson Mica Mountain 53-30, and Marana 39-35. The Wildcats were 85-45 overall individually, with 62 pins or 73 percent (62-85) wins by falls.
Eleven of 16 Wildcats placed with Williams (132, 9-0, 9 pins), Corbell (190, 9-0, 9 pins), and Sanchez (120, 8-1, 6 pins) placing first; Trent Nelson (126, 7-2, 3 pins) second; Cook (285, 9-1, 7 pins), Montes (144, 7-3, 6 pins), and Ryder Nelson (113, 3-1, 3 pins) third; and Kiano Torres (138, 7-3, 6 pins), Cano (113, 6-4, 5 pins), Clark (106, 5-5, 2 pins), and Matthew Hernandez (120, 1-3, 1 pin) sixth.
Non-placers included Davis (215, 4-3, 1 pin), Vineyard (150, 4-4, 1 pin), Baca (165, 3-5, 1 pin), Luz Hernandez (175, 2-4, 1 pin), and Scalise (157, 1-4, 1 pin).
Willcox Multi-meet, Dec. 11
Morenci returned from Cochise County with three duel wins, 76-6 over the Saint David Tigers, 78-0 over the Tucson Saint Augustine Catholic Wolves, and 71-6 over the Willcox Cowboys. The Tigers numbered five, the Wolves nine, and the host Cowboys 10.
Seventeen different Wildcats received mat time, with 15 exiting without a loss, six in three bouts, including Montes (144, 3-0, 3 pins), Merrick Williams (132, 3-0, 2 pins), Omar Torres (150, 3-0, 2 pins), Vineyard (157, 3-0, 1 pin), Davis (190, 3-0, 1 pin), Corbell (215, 3-0, 1 pin), Cano (113, 3-0), Sanchez (120, 3-0), and Baca (165, 3-0); three in two bouts including Kiano Torres (138, 2-0, 2 pins), Clark (106, 2-0, 1 pin), and Trent Nelson (126, 1-1); and both Wyatt (106, 1-0, 1 pin) and Matthew Hernandez (126, 1-0, 1 pin).
Cook (285, 2-1, 1 pin) and Morgan (138, 0-1) combined for four bouts.
