Whitehorse wrestlers opens new year at Utah Winter Classic

by Rhett Sifford
Sports Editor 
The Whitehorse High School boys wrestling team scored 58 points to finish 25th at the Utah Winter Classic at the Sevier Valley Center in Richfield onJanuary 3-4.
The annual tournament featured 35 boys teams from around the state. The Raiders were represented by four wrestlers.
Malakai Rentz led the way with two wins and two losses, finishing fourth at 285 pounds and earning 45.5 team points.
In the quarterfinals Rentz earned a third-period technical fall win over Zachary McCormick of American Leadership Academy.
He suffered a loss to Emery’s Josh Howard by 3-1 in the semis, but he bounced back for a 10-1 major decision win over Monticello’s Camren Carpenter in the third round of the consolation bracket.
Unfortunately Rentz suffered a forfeit loss to Royce Jolley of Cedar in the third place match.
Lance Tsinigine went 3-3 at 138 pounds to finish in 13th place with 11.5 points. He won by 7-1 decision over Ferrin Matthews of Bryce Valley and defeated Emery’s Marcus Rasmussen by fall. He finished with a 7-1 decision over Boston Devlin of Crimson Cliffs in his final match.
At 144 pounds, Hunter Tsinigine scored one point, but suffered an injury and was unable to finish the tournament.
Riley Benallie wrestled hard at 132 for the Raiders but suffered four losses.
The Whitehorse girls had a strong showing at the Girls Utah Winter Classic, scoring 65.5 points to finish 22nd among the 40 teams in attendance.
Like the boys, the Lady Raiders were represented by four wrestlers in Richfield. Rayauna Lee finished atop the pack with a strong fifth-place finish at 100 pounds.
She went 5-2, scoring 41 points for the team with all five wins coming by fall. Lee defeated Addy Banks in the fifth place match, her second win over the Salem Hills wrestler in the tournament.
Katie Whitehair was 1-3 at 125 pounds, scoring 2.5 points. Her victory came by 16-12 decision over Shalice Fuentes of Emery in the final match.
Haileigh Roberts wrestled hard for the Lady Raiders at 145 pounds, earning 14 points in an 0-3 effort on the weekend. And Megan Collins was 0-4, scoring eight team points at 170 pounds.
The Whitehorse wrestlers will try to build some midseason momentum at two events this weekend. The boys head to Eureka, UT for the Battle at the Mine at Tintic High School on January 11.
The girls compete in the two-day Thor’s Mjolnir Tournament in St. George on Friday and Saturday.