RYAN HOPE / SPECIAL TO THE PVT Pahrump Valley's Zach Weldon, above, and Frank Lopez, below, won weight classificiation titles in the Kiwanis Invitational Wrestling Championships contested last weekend at Spring Creek. The Trojans were third in the team standings. Advertisement

SPRING CREEK -- Nothing came easy at the 15th annual Kiwanis Invitational Wrestling Tournament.

Not the team title. Not individual championships and certainly not the jockeying between teams for bragging rights within their classifications.

The 2008 field that consisted of 27 teams may have been the tournament's toughest to date, and it showed on the mats.

First-place Minico from Rupert, Idaho, put seven wrestlers in the championship matches, but still couldn't quite shake second-place Class 4-A Churchill County Fallon until late in the tournament. Likewise, third-place Pahrump Valley finished just 1.5 points ahead of fourth-place Spring Creek.

"There were some great matches," said Spring Creek coach Wade Pehrson."The quality (of the tournament) went way up."

Of the 14 championship matches, only five were determined by pins and eight were decided by decisions of seven points or less.

On the strength of 10 placers, Minico repeated as champion with 255 points. Fallon had the most individual champions (three) and finished with 236.5 points.

The battle between Nevada Class 3-A powers Spring Creek and Pahrump Valley turned into an interesting storyline throughout the tournament.

Two of the favorites to win the state title were always within striking distance of each other, and by the end of Saturday's last match, Pahrump Valley edged Spring Creek for third place 198.5-197.

"That's why we came up here," said Pahrump Valley coach Craig Rieger. "Spring Creek is still the team to beat. They're the four-time state champions.

"It was a tough tourney. Our guys wrestled well. I was surprised with how strong some of the other (3-A) schools were. Spring Creek has a lot of individual standouts. They'll be tough to beat.

"You never know how other teams are going to help you (at state meet)," said Rieger, whose team will host the Southern regionals Feb. 2. "We were seven points behind them last year. It's going to be close (at the state tournament, to be contested Feb. 8-9 at Moapa Valley High School in Overton).

Pahrump Valley had two champions -- Zach Weldon at 171 pounds and Frank Lopez at heavyweight -- and two seconds (112 Elias Armendariz and 145 James Chapman), a third (215 Pierce Henkel), a fourth (130 Chris DeMille) and a fifth (189 Joe Colucci).

Three Spring Creek wrestlers advanced to the championships and two -- Cameron Hopper and Bryar Saddoris -- won their divisions.

In a possible preview of the state final, Hopper scored an early single-leg takedown against Armendariz in the 112-pound title match and held on, literally, the rest of the way for a 2-0 victory. Armendariz is a three-time Nevada state champion, winning two at 103 pounds and one at 112.

Hopper rode Armendariz the entire second period, then avoided giving up back points a couple of times in the third period.

"It was a tough match," Hopper said. "I figured I might be able to turn him, but he was tough. He was close (to scoring back points) one time."

Saddoris avoided a loss in his 152-pound title match. Fallon's Tyler Reibsamen had Saddoris on his back and close to a pin in the first period, but Saddoris fought his way out of it.

The near-loss seemed to motivate Saddoris, as he had his way with Reibsamen the rest of the match and won a 16-6 major decision.

"I just about got pinned there," Saddoris said. "It was a fun match and a fun tournament."

Hopper was named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler of the lower weights and Saddoris received the same honor for the middle weights. Fallon's Trevor deBraga (160) was the most outstanding wrestler of the upper weights.

Spring Creek's Nick Wooden, who hasn't lost to a Nevada opponent this season, kept his streak intact, but finished second with a loss to Minico's David Burgara in the 130-pound final.

Wooden and Burgara were tied 2-2 late in the third period, when Wooden was penalized for fleeing the mat and Burgara was awarded a point. Pehrson argued the penalty, but after a brief conference between officials the decision stood and Burgara went on to win 3-2.

"(Nick) needs to score more points earlier in the match so it doesn't come down to that," Pehrson said. "Burgara) is a good wrestler. He's undefeated this season. I just don't like it when referees decide the match."

Five other Spring Creek wrestlers finished in the top six. Josh David (125) and Kamas Wing (171) were third, Kenny Miller (215) finished fourth, Andrew Nash (285) was fifth and Jordan Kendall (145) was sixth.

NOTES -- Pahrump Valley wrestlers' records, at Spring Creek after the Kiwanis Invitational and as they prepare for a trip to Arizona for the Bullhead City Invitational Duals Friday and Saturday: Elliott Owens, 103 pounds, 1-3, 23-8; Elias Armendariz, 3-1, 34-4; Josh Armendariz, 119, 2-2; Paul Miller, 125, 2-2; Chris DeMille, 130, 4-2; Gueran Fenicle, 135, 1-2; Kyle Abreu, 140, 2-2; James Chapman, 145, 3-1, 32-6; Jared Lydon, 152, 2-2; Ande Floyd, 160, 0-2; Zach Weldon, 171, 4-0, 37-2; Joe Colucci, 189, 4-2, 23-14; Pierce Henkel, 215, 4-1, 29-8, and Frank Lopez, 285, 4-0, 35-3 ... Pahrump Valley will host the Nye County Championships Jan. 23, Southern Nevada 3-A League duals Jan. 30, and the regionals Feb. 2 in the high school gym. A gym reconstruction project is to be completed Jan. 21.

Times Sports Editor Don McDermott contributed to this story.

Results

Team -- 1. Minico, Idaho 1 255; 2. Churchill County Fallon 1 236.5; 3. Pahrump Valley 198.5; 4. Spring Creek 197; 5. Twin Falls, Idaho 193.5; 6. Nyssa, Oregon 134.5; 7. Winnemucca Lowry 134; 8. Buhl, Idaho 111.5; 9. Yerington 109; 10. Elko 104; 11. Fernley 94.5; 12. Minico 2 85; 13. Reno Bishop Manogue 72; 14. Indian Springs 50; 15. Fallon 2 45; 16. Ely White Pine 44; 17. Reno Wooster 42.5; 17. Sparks 42.5; 19. West Wendover 21.5; 20. Independence 18; 21. Pershing County Lovelock 16; 22. Eureka 14; 23. Carlin 9.5; 24. Owyhee 7; 25. Wells 4; 26. Reno Sage Ridge 1; 27. Lund 0.

Individual standings

103 -- 1. Rocky Garcia (Nyssa); 2. John Stralla (Sparks); 3. Colton Smith (Elko); 4. Collin Merkley (Fallon); 5. Nery Sprague (Fallon 2); Chris Pike (Lowry).

112 -- 1. Cameron Hopper (Spring Creek); 2. Elias Armendariz (Pahrump Valley) 3. Joe Hamilton (Twin Falls); 4. Donovan Jones (Twin Falls); 5. Anthony Reibsamen (Fallon); 6. Garth Crane (Minico).

119 -- Landon Hartley (Nyssa); 2. Nate Crane (Minico); 3. Jim Allen (Elko); 4. Blaine Tibbets (Yerington); 5. Ryan Lopez (Fernley); 6. Nico Ricci (Fernley).

125-- Kevin Martinez (Fernley); 2. Will Keeter (Twin Falls); 3. Josh David (Spring Creek); 4. Matt Pike (Lowry); 5. Kyle Schoorl (Nyssa); 6. Guillermo Galdamez (Wooster).

130 -- 1. David Burgara (Minico); 2. Nick Wooden (Spring Creek); 3. Todd Anderson (Twin Falls); 4. Chris DeMille (Pahrump Valley); 5. Torivio Gallegos (Nyssa); 6. Skylyr Bleck (Lowry).

135 -- 1. Jake Hruza (Minico); 2. Ricky McDonald (Manogue); 3. Tyler Hine (Twin Falls); Jake Manzo (Lowry); 5. Anthony Woller (Fallon); 6. Antone Allen (Indian Springs).

140 --1. Cody Kapphahn (Fallon); 2. John Iverson (Nyssa); 3. Gary Albright (Manogue); 4. Kenny McCullough (Elko); 5. Vaughn Sobotka (Buhl); 6. Dezmond Hoston (West Wendover).

145--1. Trent deBraga (Fallon); 2. James Chapman (Pahrump Valley); 3. Chance Requa (Twin Falls); 4. Blake Finney (Buhl); 5. Landon Barnes (Minico); 6. Jordan Kendall (Spring Creek).

152 --1. Bryar Saddoris (Spring Creek); 2. Tyler Reibsamen (Fallon); 3. James Nava (Wooster); 4. Zak Slotten (Twin Falls); 4. Chance Share (Buhl); Rusty Lewis (White Pine).

160--1. Trevor deBraga (Fallon); 2. Trevor Grant (Lowry); 3. Ryon Sirucek (Buhl); 4. Aaron Kleopfer (Minico); 5. Grayson Stone (Twin Falls); 6. John Sparks (Nyssa).

171--1. Zach Weldon (Pahrump Valley); 2. Miguel Simental (Minico); 3. Kamas Wing (Spring Creek); 4. Ryan McCormick (Fallon); 5. Josh Cutts (Fernley); 6. Kyle Jones (Lowry).

189 -- 1. Brent Martinez (Twin Falls); 2. Brady Cooper (Minico); 3. Tyler Diaz (Fallon); 4. Sean Watson (Yerington); 5. Joe Colucci (Pahrump Valley); 6. Joe Brooks (Lowry).

215 --1. Stephen Skroch (Yerington); 2. Nathan Barclay (Minico); 3. Pierce Henkel (Pahrump Valley); 4. Kenny Miller (Spring Creek); 5. Terrence Taylor (Minico 2); 6. Vincent Orr (Buhl).

275 -- 1. Frank Lopez (Pahrump Valley); 2. Josh Ramirez (Minico); 3. Holt Bogdanowicz (Fallon); 4. Daniel Bauer (Yerington); 5. Andrew Nash (Spring Creek); 6. Justin Elmer (Twin Falls).