The Truckee wrestling team has had their share of growing pains during the course of the season as the program continues to evolve into one that will compete with the top teams at the Class 3A level.

Sporting a team comprised mostly of underclassmen, and first-year wrestlers, the Wolverines opted out of this season’s Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association Class 3A Northern Region Wrestling Championships, and instead finished the year on Saturday, Feb. 3 in California with the Redwood Empire Classic junior varsity meet at Ukiah High School.

“It was a great way to finish out the season,” said Head Coach Jim Bennett in an email to the Sun. “The young guys had success and that will carry over to the summer and ultimately next year.”

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Freshman James Atkinson dominated his time on the mat to finish the season with a first-place finish, going 3-0 on the day. Atkinson took a 9-1 major decision in the first round, and then pinned his next opponent. The Truckee grappler then closed out his season at 106 pounds with a 10-0 major decision.

Freshman Micah Ivens also captured first place with wins in each of his three matches at 145 pounds. Ivens opened with a 10-6 decision win, and then went into sudden victory in the next round where he earned a 6-4 decision to reach the finals. Ivens then closed out his season by pinning his opponent to claim first place.

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At 220 pounds, senior Andrew Parkhurst won his opening matchup, and then defeated sophomore teammate Kevin Castellanos to reach the finals. Parkhurst would drop a 6-3 decision to Willits’ Hunter Ford for a second-place finish. Castellanos finished his tournament with a record of 1-2.

Senior Thomas Daly concluded his wrestling career with a second-place finish in the 145-pound division. Daly pinned one of his opponents and defeated the other via a 10-0 major decision. Freshman Brandon Velasquez also took home a second place at the meet with a pair of wins by fall in the 126-pound bracket.

Freshman Ayden Luther finished his tournament with a 1-2 record at 126 pounds, which included a win by fall. Fellow freshman Kole Krautstrunk went 1-3 and picked up his first win of the season, according to Bennett, at 165 pounds.

Also wrestling for the team was freshman Dylan Ceja, who competed in the girls’ tournament.

Youth wrestling

Truckee’s youth team put together another impressive performance last weekend, wrestling in Reno at North Valleys High School.

Hank McDaniels and Joseph Svitana led the youngsters with a pair of first-place finishes. Jack Ridgel, Sammy Svitana, and Bodi McThorn all claimed second places. Tanner Schmidig went 3-2 in his matches. Owen Carlsson, Gage Callahan and Quinn Dorst competed for the team as well, with Callahan and Dorst each picking up their first wins of the season.