Highland senior Valenzuela takes top spot at annual Gary Curtis Invitational

Posted 1/11/23

Last Saturday the annual Gary Curtis Invitational took place in Riverside at Highland High School. In this boy’s wrestling tournament the Huskies and Golden Hawks both had wrestlers find …

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Highland senior Valenzuela takes top spot at annual Gary Curtis Invitational

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Last Saturday the annual Gary Curtis Invitational took place in Riverside at Highland High School. In this boy’s wrestling tournament the Huskies and Golden Hawks both had wrestlers find success in the 17-team tourney. 

Highland ended up finishing 11th as a team, but it was another great day for state ranked senior Carlos Valenzuela, wrestling in the 132 weight class, who rattled off four straight victories in different fashions to finish at the top of the podium as a Gary Curtis Invitational Champion.

In the first round Valenzuela picked up a victory by fall in one minute and 11 seconds over New London’s Killian Kelly. This was the only victory he earned by fall in his four matches. 

Riding the wave of momentum Valenzuela scored a tech fall victory, scoring more than 15 points before the time expired,  in the next round against Mount Pleasant’s Ramzy Davis. The match was won in four minutes and 45 seconds.  

In the penultimate semifinal round Valenzuela earned a major decision victory, winning by a margin of eight to 14 points, over West Branch’s Logan Christoffel. 

Finally with first place on the line Valenzuela capped off an impressive showing with a close victory by decision, 4-3, over Wilton’s Jordan Dusenberry and overall earned 26.5 team points for his efforts.  

 State-ranked Highland wrestler, junior Luke Guseman, finished fourth at the 120 weight class and earned 13 team points. Guseman lost in the semifinal round by decision, 11-5, to Washington’s Aaron Boone. 

Highland sophomore Landon Bell finished fifth at the 106 weight class and earned 11 team points. After receiving a bye in round one Bell lost via decision, 6-0, in the quarterfinal round to Washington’s Nate Edmonds, but rebounded with back-to-back wins. 

Mid-Prairie finished in the top ten and had five wrestlers medal. The Golden Hawks top finisher was senior Mose Yoder, who scored 22 team points and placed second on the podium.

After receiving a bye in the first round Yoder was able to pick up a pair of victories by fall, with times of one minute and 59 seconds and one minute and 35 seconds before being beaten in the title match by fall to Alburnett’s Rowdy Neighbor.  

Mid Prairie also got fifth-place finishes from junior Tucker Miller, who scored 15 team points, at the 132 weight class and sophomore Burke Berry, who scored 11 team points, at the 285 weight class.

Miller won by fall in his first match in 54 seconds against Regina, Iowa City’s James Whisler but was defeated in the next round by major decision, 10-2, against West Branch’s Logan Christoffel. Not all was lost however because Miller then went on to win three straight matches, winning his fifth place match by decision, 8-5, against Washington’s Jack Kleese 

After receiving a bye in the first round Berry was defeated in the quarterfinal round by fall in 53 seconds against Louisa-Muscatine’s Spencer Kessel. Receiving another bye in the next round Berry won two straight matches by fall, with the quickest win being in 16 seconds against Muscatine’s Kaden Gray in his penultimate match. 

More success for the Golden Hawks at this tournament was in the form of sixth-place spots on the medal stand for seniors Evan Phillips and Kaden Meador.

Phillips earned 10 team points in the 145 weight class during the tourney and picked up two straight victories by fall after losing in the first round by fall against  Washington’s Lane Schrock. In the fifth place match  Phillips was unable to secure victory and lost by fall to English Valleys-Tri County’s Joshua Osborn.

Meador earned 17 team points in the 170 weight class when the tournament was all said and done.  After winning by fall in the first round in one minute 55 seconds, against Cascade’s Benjamin Gehl, Meador was bested in the quarterfinal round by decision, 8-6, against Wilton’s Gatlin Rogers. 

He was able to bounce back, winning three straight matches. Winning those three matches by fall the quickest victory was in the semifinal round where Meador pinned his opponent, English Valleys-Tri County’s Owen Jones, in one minute and 15 seconds.