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The Alamogordo Tigers hit the mats hard at Saturday’s El Paso Irvin Invitational, with the boys’ team finishing 7th overall and the girls’ squad placing 9th in a competitive field. The Tigers showed grit and flashes of dominance, highlighted by three individual champions.
Boys Highlights
• 120 lbs – AJ Benitez (3-0, 1st place): Benitez stormed through the bracket, opening with a tech fall (17-1, :46) over Luis Murguia (DaVinci), pinning Alejandro Hernandez (Irvin) in the semis, and sealing the title with a win over Mark Alarcon (Santa Teresa).
• 132 lbs – Alex Gutierrez (3-0, 1st place): Gutierrez matched Benitez’s dominance, scoring a lightning-fast tech fall (17-1, :28) in the quarters, pinning Caleb Hernandez (Irvin) in the semis, and defeating Luis Ramos (Chaparral) in the finals.
• 113 lbs – Fynn Krafka (2-1, 3rd place): After a tough opening loss, Krafka battled back with pins over Angel Carrillo (Ysleta) and Tristan Rodriguez (Riverside) to claim bronze.
• 285 lbs – Joshua Becerra (1-2): Earned a quarterfinal win by decision before dropping close matches in the semis and consolation rounds.
• 138 lbs – Damien Montoya (0-2): Fell in his opening bout against Cesar Gonzalez (Ysleta).
• 175 lbs – Cameron Chavez (0-2): Dropped both matches, including a tech fall to Alex Richardson (Irvin).
Girls Highlights
• 155 lbs – Alina Marroquin (2-0, 1st place): Marroquin was unstoppable, pinning Stephanie Rojas (Las Cruces) in the semis and Emily Mendez (Centennial) in the finals to secure gold.
• 145 lbs – Ava Armijo (1-2): Rebounded from a first-round loss with a pin in the consolation semis before falling in the bronze match.
• 100 lbs – Alianna Rigales (0-1): Dropped her semifinal bout to Diann Dennis (Irvin).
• 130 lbs – Nylah Zhuckahosee (0-2): Fell in both matches, including a tech fall to Mia Gamez (Santa Teresa).
Next Up
The Tigers return home to host Goddard and Da Vinci on December 3rd, looking to build momentum from their strong individual performances and climb higher in team standings.
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