Monument Valley girls come home fifth, boys 12th in state tournament

by Art Adair
Contributing Writer
The Monument Valley Lady Cougars delivered an impressive performance at the 1A/2A Girls State Wrestling Tournament this past weekend, finishing fifth in the team standings despite qualifying just six wrestlers.
Under the direction of head coach Sidiah Parker, five of the six Lady Cougars reached the podium, highlighted by three state runner-up finishes.
At 190 pounds, Zaira Holliday battled hard but fell in the opening round to a San Juan opponent and later in the consolation round to a Whitehorse opponent, ending her tournament run. 
Keturah Whitehorse (110) earned a fifth-place finish after securing a 53-second pin in the quarterfinals. After falling late in the semifinal round, Whitehorse battled back through consolation and pinned her opponent in the final seconds of the third period to claim fifth.
At 125 pounds, Nay’myria Morgan rebounded from a quarterfinal loss by fighting through three consolation rounds, earning two wins by fall to reach the third-place match. Morgan ultimately finished fourth after falling in the consolation championship bout.
At 115 pounds, Summer Atene dominated her early rounds, winning her opening match, quarterfinal and semifinal all by fall.
In the championship match, she fell to her North Sevier opponent but secured a strong second-place finish. Atene closes her season with a 24-10 record as state runner-up.
Freshman Priseis Parker (155) made a statement in her debut state tournament. She earned a 41-second fall in the quarterfinals and followed with a second-period fall in the semifinals over a tough Enterprise opponent.
In the championship match, Parker battled San Juan’s Saraeya Mills in a tightly contested final before falling 9-6. Parker concludes her freshman campaign 21-7 and firmly establishes herself as a top contender heading into next season.
At 170 pounds, junior Aiyana Parker put together one of her strongest tournaments of the year. After quick falls in the quarterfinals and semifinals, she advanced to her first state championship match.
In a highly competitive bout against San Juan’s returning state champion, Parker fell 5-0 but finished as state runner-up. With one year remaining, she will enter next season among the favorites in her weight class.
The Monument Valley boys team finished 12th at the 1A State Tournament. Jimcinto Freddy (113) earned a second-period fall at 113 pounds in the consolation round.
Jace Tsosie (165) also secured a victory by fall before being eliminated. Durwin Hulligan (165) competed for the Cougars at the state tournament as well.