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Incline wrestling: Michael Guymon crowned state champ

Sylas Wright
swright@sierrasun.com
Incline senior Michael Guymon, far left, stands on the top rung of the podium after winning the Division III state title in the 182-pound division.
Courtesy photo |

Michael Guymon and Keenan Collier did their part to help revive Incline’s formerly thriving wrestling program.

One of them now has a spiffy, gold-colored medal to show for it.

Guymon, a senior who’s built like a tank at 182 pounds, won all three of his matches in the Division III state championship tournament in Primm on Saturday to earn the individual state title in his weight class. He defeated Jeremy Coffey of Laughlin in the championship match, pinning his opponent in the third round after building an 11-2 lead.



Incline coach Josh Wood said Guymon was “slammed pretty hard” in the first round, which only fueled his intensity en route to his victory. He posted a final record of 25-4 on the season while earning both the regional title and state title in his division.

“Michael’s strengths as a wrestler are his mat strength and his huge willingness to learn and become a better wrestler,” said Wood, who’s in his first year as Incline’s wrestling coach. “He is very coachable when he believes in his coach’s philosophy.”



Collier, meanwhile, who qualified for state with a third-place finish at regionals in the 106-pound division, lost his first match, won his second match by pin and lost his third match by pin after coming back from a 4-1 deficit to tie it up.

Wood said that Collier, a freshman, came on strong near the end of the season, showing promise for his remaining three years with the Incline wrestling program.

That program has struggled in recent years — in contrast to the Highlanders’ successful run previously, during which they enjoyed robust numbers and regularly contended for team titles.

Wood hopes to end that downward trend, which continued into this year. The coach started the season with six wrestlers and finished with just the two.

“I plan on this being a great start to many seasons to come as head coach for a once-established wrestling program at Incline,” Wood said. “I really want kids to see that they have a coach who cares about (them) and wants to make them better wrestlers and young men.”


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