Malad Dragon Wrestling started their season in impressive fashion in their opening week.  Their schedule featured their home opener as well as a two day weekend tournament in American Falls.  In the mix of it all, the Lady Dragon wrestling team also slipped in a one day tournament at Grace High School. 

Undefeated wrestlers Oakley Maddox, Drake Morrison and Jack Willie

The team hosted their first duals of the season Wednesday, December 3, going up against teams from Marsh Valley and Thunder Ridge. In their bouts against Marsh Valley, the MHS varsity team had a shutout performance as they defeated the Eagles 85–0.  They followed with a strong 57–27 win over Thunder Ridge, handily defeating the 6A Idaho Falls team.  The Lady Dragons and JV squads also opened their seasons with duals matches that night, both teams performing well for their first time on the mats. 

Friday and Saturday, the Dragons competed in the Dahlke Duals tournament in American Falls, a two-day event that hosted 22 teams from Idaho and Washington.  Instead of brackets in each weight class, the dual wrestling tournament featured a team-based wrestling event in which teams competed head-to-head, with one match held in each weight class. Individual match results earned team points, the team with the highest overall score ultimately declared the winner of the dual. Teams compete in multiple rounds, with win-loss records used to determine final placements. 

Dahlke Duels undefeated wrestlers Jennetta Jacaway, Aubrey Shultz, Bella Smith, Cale Carter.

Friday, December 4, the Dragons went a perfect 5–0 in duals, advancing to the championship bracket for Saturday. The team continued their dominant run on Saturday, defeating four strong opponents to finish the weekend 9–0 and claim the first-place team trophy.  Over the weekend, both the varsity and JV teams wrestled tough, performing exceptionally well against strong competition. 

Friday Team Scores

Malad 82, New Plymouth 0
Malad 84, Gooding 6
Malad 78, Bear Lake 12
Malad 66, Burley 14
Malad 50, Gonzaga Prep 32

Saturday Championship Bracket Score

Malad 49, Snake River 30
Malad 51, Buhl 27
Malad 42, Twin Falls 34

Malad 51, American Falls 33

Varsity individual records for the weekend were:

98 lbs — Joseph Angell (7–2)
106 lbs — Jaxon Mills (6–3)
113 lbs — Jack Willie (9–0)
120 lbs — Ayden Potter (8–1)
126 lbs — Riggin Montgomery (8–1)
132 lbs — Dutch Potter (6–3)
138 lbs — Porter Mills (6–3)
144 lbs — Cruz Carter (4–5)
150 lbs — Parker Price (3–6)
157 lbs — Drake Morrison (9–0)
165 lbs — Chase Martin (6–3)
175 lbs — Oakley Maddox (9–0)
190 lbs — Rydon Montgomery (8–1)
215 lbs — Cam Bingham (8–1)
HWT — Mordecai Charles (1–8)

Before making their way to the wrestles in American Fall, the Lady Dragons competed at the Grace Grizzlies Girls Tournament Friday, December 4.  Over the day-long tournament, the Malad girl’s team battled hard for a second place team finish.

Lady Dragons wrestling team took 2nd at the Grace girls tournament on Friday.

Individual Placers

Braylee Price — 1st
Bella Smith — 1st
Katie Palmer — 2nd

Cale Carter — 2nd
Aubrey Shultz — 2nd
Bentley Oglesbee — 3rd
Stella Merja — 3rd
Serenity Brees — 4th

Saturday, the Lady Dragons traveled to American Falls to compete with their MHS counterparts in the Dahlke Duals. The highlight of the day on the mats was four Malad lady wrestlers going undefeated, including Bella Smith, Jennetta Jacaway, Cale Carter, and Aubrey Shultz.  All of the girls wrestled exceptionally well. For many of them, this is their first year in the sport, and they are improving and gaining confidence every day.

The MHS girls coach staff shared, “Everyone got a lot of opportunities to wrestle.  With a bunch of first year girls, it was important for them to get some real mat time.  Everyone worked so hard, resulting in almost everyone getting their first win. With our first week out of the way, we know of some things to work on to continue to build the team.  We are really excited for what’s to come for the girls” 

Both wrestling teams are scheduled to compete in a two day tournament in Marsh Valley beginning Friday, December 12.