Nevada High School Wrestling Championships Underway in Winnemucca
– The 2026 NIAA Nevada State Wrestling Championships are currently taking place in Winnemucca, Nevada, with competition spanning and . The event showcases the top high school wrestlers from across the state, representing classes 2A, 3A, and 5A.
The championships come on the heels of a successful regional tournament for Pershing County High School. According to reporting from The Pershing Post, the Mustangs secured the Class 2A Northern Nevada Wrestling Tournament title on , finishing with a team score of 236.5, outpacing Battle Mountain’s 187 points. This marks the second regional championship in school history for the Mustangs and their first since 2019.
Pershing County was led at the regional tournament by four individual champions: James George at 120 pounds, Jeffrey Elerick at 144, Israel Knight at 165, and Anthony Gibson at 190. Additional wrestlers qualifying for state from Pershing County included Ayden Anderson, Jaxson Happy, Thomas Brooks, Brayden Baca, Houston Allen, Cade Liebsack, and Lorne Maita. Rylie Burt, Braylen Tupa, Josh Elerick, Patrick Mitchell, and Zachary Charles also competed and contributed to the team’s overall success.
Semifinal Results Released
Early results from the championships, as reported by Flowrestling, show several wrestlers advancing. In the 2A 106-pound bracket, Jacob Reynoso of White Pine won by fall over Ethan Rider of Lake Mead Christian Academy, with a fall time of 1:40. Lance Stewart of Battle Mountain also secured a win by fall over Ayden Rodriguez of Wells, finishing in 3:13.
The 2A 113-pound bracket saw Ayden Anderson of Pershing County win by fall over Matthew Carter of Tonopah in 2:31, while Donovan Gilbert of Battle Mountain defeated Brylee Henderson of Wells by fall in 3:04.
In the 2A 120-pound division, Wyatt Miller of Tonopah won by fall over Cade Sampson of Wells in 3:13. James George of Pershing County secured a decision victory over Danny Soriano of West Wendover, with a score of 10-4.
Cooper Reed of White Pine advanced in the 2A 126-pound bracket with a fall over Miguel Avila of Incline in 1:16. Kekoa Aguirre of Lake Mead Christian Academy won a decision over Finn Bundrock of Battle Mountain, 3-2.
Jaxson Happy of Pershing County won a decision over Zander Shapiro of Founders Acc, 8-5, in the 2A 132-pound bracket. Johnny Glascock of Wells won by fall over Landon Neilson of White Pine in 2:58.
Theron Hernandez of White Pine won by fall over Kaycen Stewart of Battle Mountain in 3:27 in the 2A 138-pound bracket. Nathaniel Gutierrez of Yerington secured a technical fall victory over Andre Hernandez of West Wendover, 15-0.
Rex Marshall of Pahranagat Valley won by major decision over Maximillion Dahl of Wells, 11-3, in the 2A 144-pound division. Jeffrey Elerick of Pershing County won by fall over Talviano Sifre of White Pine in 3:04.
Trueitt Ciserella of Pahranagat Valley won by fall over Thomas Brooks of Pershing County in 5:16 in the 2A 150-pound bracket. Wyatt Madalena of Battle Mountain also secured a win.
The growing popularity of high school wrestling in Nevada is evident, with the state championships now requiring two weekends to accommodate all competitors, according to MSN. FloWrestling is providing ongoing coverage of the event, offering fans a way to follow all the matches and results.
The NIAA Class 3A Northern Regional wrestling tournament, held and at Churchill County High School in Fallon, served as a key qualifier for the state championships. The top four wrestlers in each weight class from the Northern Region advanced to compete in Winnemucca.
the Nevada Appeal recently reported that the school board has officially recognized girls wrestling as a school-sponsored sport, signaling continued growth and investment in the sport across the state.
