Fallon misses at medaling at RTOC

It doesn’t get any tougher than last weekend for the Greenwave wrestling team.

Fallon didn’t place any wrestlers at the Reno Tournament of Champions but did advance three to the second and final day of competition. Jack Swisher (160 pounds), Matt Goings (170) and Chase Hyde (195) went deep in the tournament but fell short as Fallon now has the week off before next week’s Sierra Nevada Classic.

“I was a little disappointed that we didn’t get any placers at the TOC,” Fallon coach Trevor de Braga said. “It’s a high level of wrestling and now the kids know how much they have to turn on their game to compete and beat that elite competition.”

De Braga said the tournament pointed out the team’s flaws that it’s still working on during practice. The tournament experience, like during last year’s state-winning season, will only make the team better when league matches begin next month.

“We still made mistakes and a lot of them were not finishing,” de Braga said. “We would be deep on great shots and just finish. We really have to bring the intensity to the match from the beginning instead of waiting until the final round when it’s too late.”

The holiday break comes at a great time for the team. Fallon doesn’t compete for almost two weeks when it travels back to Reno next week for the SNC. The break allows the team to recover from injuries and sickness, as well as focus on finals this week.

“It’s a rough time of year for wrestlers and we are battling a lot of sickness on the team,” he said. “This week will help us get healthier and recover some wounds the boys have taken the last three weeks”

At last weekend’s RTOC, Swisher finished the two-day tournament at 4-2 while Goings went 3-2 and Hyde was 2-2. Sean McCormick (145) also finished 3-2 followed by brother Tommy McCormick (120) and Ben Dooley (220) at 2-2. Terry White (120) and Kobe Abe (285) were 1-2, and Conley Hyde (152) finished 1-1. Mason Smith (126) and Dylan McAfee (138) were 0-2.

De Braga is looking forward to the team rebounding with the SNC next week.

“The SNC is very tough,” he said. “I think it has grown more and more over the years and I compare the competition right there with the Tournament of Champions, if not better. I hope we can rebound back at the SNC and prove that my boys can compete with the great wrestlers out there.”