Lady Cougars wrestling score over 100 points, finish 16th at Utah Winter Classic

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor 
The Monument Valley girls wrestling team started the new year on the right foot with a very strong performance at the Utah Winter Classic at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield this past Friday and Saturday, January 3-4.
The Lady Cougars scored 103 points to finish 16th among the 40 teams that competed. Summer Atene went 3-3 at 110 pounds on the weekend, scoring a team-high 36 points and finishing in fourth place individually.
Atene earned one win by fall, one by 5-4 decision, and one by 12-9 decision. She suffered a loss by fall to Kinsee Sailing of North Sevier in her third-place match.
Nay’myia Morgan scored 26 points at 120 pounds for Monument Valley, going 1-4 on the weekend to earn an eighth-place finish. Her win was by fall over Reva-Sue Walen of Millard in her first match of the tournament.
Aiyana Parker was 3-2 at 170 pounds for the Lady Cougars, scoring 25 team points and finishing in ninth place. Two of her wins were by fall including a very impressive 23-second victory over Jessie Cavasos of Desert Hills in the ninth-place semifinals.
Parker won her ninth-place match by 10-2 major decision over Payton Bishop of Payson High School. Keturah Whitehorse placed 13th at 115 pounds, going 2-4 to score 11 points. Both of her wins were by fall.
Alisha Sloan was 1-3 for Monument Valley, scoring five team points and finishing 18th at 155 pounds. Her win was by forfeit in the second round of the consolation bracket.
The Monument Valley boys finished in 32nd place in their Utah Winter Classic tournament, scoring 13 points on the weekend. Three wrestlers represented the Cougars in Richfield.
Kye Amy led the team with seven points as he finished 15th at 165 pounds. He was 1-3 with his only win coming by forfeit in the 15th place match.
Talon Brooks finished 20th for the Cougars at 157 pounds with a 1-4 record. He scored five points for the team and won by fall over Piute’s Trevor Pearson in the third round of the consolation bracket.
And Jace Tsosie wrestled hard for Monument Valley in Richfield. He finished the weekend 0-4, but scored one point to finish 23rd at 165 pounds.
Both Monument Valley teams are set to compete in the Battle at the Mine this Saturday, January 11 at Tintic High School in Eureka, UT.