Broncos mat squad showcase improvement at Pomeroy Tournament

The Broncos mat squad is preparing for thee upcoming league match and Springdale Tournament after taking three athletes to compete in the Pomeroy Tournament in Pomeroy on Thursday, Dec. 29.

Tristan Regan, Alex Whitman and Samuele Bortolato were the athletes who competed on in the tournament, which included a variety of school districts such as athletes from Idaho and Oregon, said Head Coach Jason Hilzer.

Regan wrestled first at 106 pounds against an athlete from Enterprise, Oregon. Hilzer said the Oregon athlete proved to be more advanced with his skills and mental game and quickly took down Regan. He lost by pin in the first round.

For his second match, Regan faced an athlete from Union, Oregon. Determined to not allow his opponent to gain the advantage, Regan managed to remain quick on his feet and avoided being pinned in the first round, said Hilzer.

Despite his efforts, Regan could not recover from being taken down by the Union athlete and lost by pin in the second round.

Regan wrestled a third match against an athlete from Joseph Oregon next. The exertion from his first two matches seemed to take a toll on Regan as he lost by pin in the second round and placed sixth.

Hilzer said Regan’s opponent proved to be more experienced and is the reason for his losses. Despite losing, Hilzer said he remains impressed with Regan’s motivation and aggression on the mat.

With additional mat time and some improvements on proper technique, Regan will acquire the skills to match up against the elite athletes of his division, he explained.

Whitman wrestled next against an athlete from Potlatch, Idaho, at 145. Being one of the more experienced members of the team, Hilzer said he expects Whitman to be a role model for the Broncos in practice and during matches.

During his firth match, Whitman could not seem to get the advantage on his opponent and lost by pin in the second round.

Whitman then faced a wrestler from Colfax who has defeated him in previous years. He showcased improvement in his overall skill and technique by not allowing his opponent to pin him throughout the entire match.

Despite losing the match 4-9, Whitman proved he has become a stronger athlete just by being able to challenge the Colfax athlete, who in previous years would pin him by the second round, said Hilzer.

Bortolato faced a Potlatch athlete for his first match at 182. His opponent’s quickness and technique proved to be more advanced than Bortolato’s as he lost by pin in the first round.

Hilzer said he did not expect Bortolato to be able to match up against the Potlatch athlete due to his elite ability and quickness on the mat. The wrestler also claimed first place in the tournament, confirming Hilzer’s depiction of his skills.

Bortolato then wrestled an athlete from Union Oregon for his second match. Being more evenly matched in skill with his opponent, Bortolato took advantage of an opportunity to take down his opponent and won by pin in the second round.

He then faced a Clearwater Valley, Idaho ,athlete for his final match of the tournament. Bortolato showcased improvement in his endurance and mental game, as he did not allow his opponent to gain positioning on him.

By the end of the third round, Bortolato had fought hard but came up short 2-7 against the Clearwater Valley athlete.

Hilzer said he is pleased by how Bortolato wrestled and the reason for his loss is due to the lack of experienced compared to his opponent.

Bortolato has impressed his coach by his ability to learn quickly and his athletic ability, said Hilzer.

As the season progresses, Hilzer expects Bortolato to improve tremendously and become one of the team’s strongest wrestlers.

The team is gearing up for their upcoming League Match on Jan. 5 in Liberty as well as the Springdale Tournament on Jan. 7. In preparation for the matches, Hilzer said the team would continue working on being quick on their feet and reversals.

Focusing on how to escape from under their opponents and bottom positions will allow the Broncos to improve their overall technique and help them prevent losing by pin, he explained.

The team will spend a couple days running drills focused on escaping from the bottom before practicing during a live wrestling match, Hilzer stated.