(Photo courtesy of Charla Shults)
The Pampa Harvesters Wrestling Team had strong outings at the Boomtown Brawl in Borger and the West Plains JV meet in Amarillo.
Taking home gold at the Boomtown Brawl was Avery Bradford (3-0), Jace Jones (4-0) and Robert Galvan (4-0); second place was Bianette Ortega (2-1) and Brinley Cox (2-1) and in third place was Hope Bradford (3-2) and Jennifer Soto (3-2).
Placing at the West Plains JV meet was Raidyn Brown and Ana Blanco in second place. Mason Lopez, Melody Davila and Jasper Rodriguez all took third place while Trip Wheeler, Joseph Russell and Mason Mitchell all took home fourth place.
“Our boys and girls both gained a lot of confidence coming out of the Boomtown Brawl,” Head Coach Ryan Pearson said. “We had three first-place finishes, two seconds, and two thirds. Our athletes have been putting in a lot of work to get to this point, and it’s encouraging for them to see that hard work paying off. Strong showings like that reinforce that we’re moving in the right direction and help build momentum going into the break.”
(Top: Robert Galvan and Hope Bradford. Middle, Jace Jones and Brinley Cox. Bottom, Jennifer Soto, Bianette Ortega and Avery Bradford.)
Two grapplers who have really impressed early this season are Senior Brinley Cox and Sophomore Avery Bradford.
“Avery and Brinley both began wrestling last year, and the growth they’ve shown in that time has been incredible,” Pearson said. “Avery came in with a background in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. At this tournament, she didn’t worry about who stood across from her; she just competed, and she competed fearlessly.
“Brinley joined us after two years on the school’s soccer team, and she has developed into a fierce competitor. She wrestled hard all day and earned her silver; her only loss was to the returning state champion. Both young women have made huge strides since last season, and they continue to set the standard for work ethic and competitiveness in our room.”
As the team heads into their Thanksgiving Break, Pearson wants them to rest and get recharged but not lose focus on the goals ahead.
“I want our athletes to enjoy the break and get recharged but also stay disciplined,” Pearson said. “We’ll have open mats throughout the break so each wrestler can come in and sharpen the skills they want to work on. We’ve been building on the things that have worked well for us these past couple of weeks and addressing the areas where we can improve. December holds some big tournaments for us, and we’re excited for the tests that await.”
As the calendar turns to December, the Harvesters have the Be Heard Tournament (Dec. 2) for JV at Caprcok High School and then the much-anticipated Randall Ruckus (Dec. 5-6).
“The Be Heard Tournament is a JV event hosted by Caprock High School,” Pearson said. “It’s a good-sized JV tournament, and we’re excited to see how our younger athletes go out and compete now that they’ve gotten their first tournament under their belt. We hope to build on the success we saw at the West Plains JV Tournament.”
“The Randall Ruckus is the biggest tournament we’ll attend this season. With over 30 schools in attendance, making it to Day 2 is something each athlete will have to earn. It’s a great test of how our wrestlers handle a long, competitive tournament. The Randall Ruckus is just as much a mental battle as it is a physical one, and we’re looking forward to seeing how our team responds.”