Girls Wrestling: Trojans go down fighting at Southern Nevada regional qualifiers
After a long season of growth and grit, the Pahrump Valley High School girls wrestling program gave it their all this past weekend during the girls wrestling Southern Regional State Qualifiers presented by the UFC.
Hosted at Clark High School on Jan. 30 and 31, Trojans freshman Patience Moore and sophomore Sarah Penner both represented Pahrump Valley with pride, giving hard-fought performances during their matches.
Despite not moving on further to the state wrestling championships and girls state invitational championship hosted in two weeks at the Winnemucca Events Center, the program displayed a strong glimpse into the future of the team.
Out of 43 participating programs, the Trojans placed in 39th place - sharing a three-way tie with Lake Mead and Valley high schools.
“The qualifier this weekend was a little bit of a mixed bag, we wrestled hard but didn’t quite get the results that we might have hoped for,” boys wrestling head coach and girls wrestling assistant head coach Antonio Sandoval said. “Either way it was nice to see our girls go out and compete against some of the best in the state and go toe-to-toe.”
Representing the 120-pound weight class, Moore received a bye through Cons. round 1, but later fell to Las Vegas High School’s Armahni White by takedown at 00:41 in the first period of Cons. round 2.
Her next match came in the Championship Round 1 bracket where Moore faced Lincoln County High School’s Dani Peterson.
After only giving up three points by takedown at 00:53 to Peterson in period one, Moore was taken down once more in period two at 01:44, dropping the match 6-0.
Representing the 125-pound weight class, sophomore Penner wrestled in three matches over the qualifier with a 1-2 overall record.
Receiving a first-round bye in Cons. round 1, Penner faced off against Coronado High School’s Joslyn Bock, defeating the Cougar 7-5 in a tight match.
Tied 5-5 after a scrappy period one, including a nearfall and takedown from Penner, the sophomore was able to clinch a reversal at 01:39 in period 2, earning her the decisive 7-5 victory.
”We definitely didn’t back down and just kept wrestling our style so that is something that I definitely really liked to see out of our team,” Sandoval said.
The following match in Cons. round 3, Penner squared off against Cheyenne High School’s Tiffany Ortega, where Penner ultimately fell 9-0 after Ortega recorded a nearfall at 00:00 and a takedown at 00:09 in period 1. Ortega recorded another takedown in period 2 at 1:10 to close out the victory.
In championship round 1, Penner staved off Sierra Vista High School’s Esme Valenzuela for over a minute and a half before being taken down at 01:37.
Led this season by head coach Elliott Owens, the year showcased a strong versatile mix of young talent from first-year wrestlers Quinn Kaucky and Moore.
Penner also had a strong year, as the sophomore looks to help lead the team again next season.
“The girls did well this year, worked really hard and gained some valuable experience that we can hopefully build off of for the next few years,” Sandoval said. “We’re excited to see who all comes out next year and hopefully our returners keep coming back and making strides forward.”
Contact Jacob Powers at jpowers@pvtimes.com. Follow @jaypowers__ on X.
