San Juan wrestlers take fifth at annual Manti Holiday Classic

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor
The San Juan High School wrestling team is off until 2024 following a strong performance at the Manti Holiday Classic this past Friday and Saturday, December 15-16.
The Broncos finished second in their pool and fifth in the gold bracket at the annual event that featured 18 teams from around the state.
San Juan won duals over North Sanpete, Whitehorse, North Summit, and Beaver on the way to a 413-point performance.
Logan Keith, Trace Bennett, and Taylor Black were all undefeated with 9-0 records at the tournament. Trace Bennett collected seven wins by fall, Black earned six falls and an 8-6 decision. And Keith had five wins by fall and three decisions.
Parker Snyder lost only once in Manti, finishing with an 8-1 record. Six of his wins were by fall with one by 12-5 decision. Chad Yellow was 6-2 on the weekend with four wins by fall.
Lynnox Benn went 6-3 for the Broncos with five wins by fall. Jared Burke was also 6-3 with one pin and a 9-3 tiebreak win. Grady Lacy was 5-3 with three wins by fall.
Miken Keith was 4-3 on the weekend with two wins by decision. Taren Bayles was also 4-3 with a 13-2 major decision and an 11-7 decision.
JD Palmer was 4-1 with one win by decision and a 10-2 major decision. Staley Dandy got a couple wins by fall. And El’ Myron Begay wrestled hard for San Juan.
The Broncos return from the Christmas break with a trip to Richfield January 5-6 for duals against fellow 2a squads.