10th Annual Veterans Memorial Invitational: Bloomfield repeats as champions

(Editor’s note: The rest of wrestling stories from the VMI will be printed in the Jan. 2 edition of the Navajo Times)

FORT DEFIANCE – The Bloomfield wrestling team successfully defended its tournament crown at the 10th Annual Veterans Memorial Invitational on Saturday.

The Bobcats won the White pool as they posted wins over Gallup (70-6), Hozho Academy (84-0), Chinle (74-5), Shonto Prep (85-0), Piñon (83-0) and Miyamura JV (78-3).

That dominate performance earned the Bobcats a meeting with Navy pool winner Kirtland Central in the tourney’s dual finale, as Bloomfield won all but two matches against KC. (The final score of that match was not posted on Trackwrestling.com.)

“I think we did great,” Bloomfield coach Jason Luster said. “I think when we first came in here, we were lacking the bonding that we usually do, but they used this tournament as an opportunity to bring themselves closer together as a team.”

As the defending tournament champs, Luster says his club, which is seven senior strong, is going to get everyone’s best shot.

“Our wrestling is always hard-nosed,” the Bloomfield coach said. “I mean, the way we look at it is all these coaches here, you know, have great teams, so we know we have to keep everything clean and be very technical.

“And I feel that we win by our technicality,” he said. “I’ve been lucky enough to be with these guys for 15 years, and they knew when they came in here with us defending our title here, we have to stay injury free and advance every single round.”

The Bobcats are led by the seven seniors, and they include Gunner Samora at 106, his twin brother Hunter at 126, EJ Johnson (132), Jayven Frank (144), Eli Snell-Martinez (150), Dylane Luster (165), Tyler Reinhardt (175) and Logan Gosnell (215).

“We have an awesome group of kids that have wrestled together since they were five, so I can’t really say it’s a one-man operation at all,” Luster said. “We know it’s going to take all of us. And the way they support each other is the way we do it.”

Gosnell considers his teammates his brothers even though he moved to Bloomfield from St. George, Utah two years ago.

“We’re all a family,” Gosnell said. “I mean, you don’t really see a bunch of wrestling teams as close as we are. You know, with me moving here when I as a sophomore, I already knew that they were a family, and they were gonna take me in.”

Gosnell, who wrestled for the first time this season after not making weight two weeks ago, was part of the Bloomfield football team winning state late last month.

“I had a tough time cutting down last weekend, but this weekend I did wrestle,” Gosnell said. “It was tough getting down, but I feel like I maintained my weight pretty well.”

Johnson is another member of the wrestling team that played on the Bobcat football championship team. Despite not having as much ample time to get into wrestling shape, the Bloomfield grappler was ready to start the season.

“I was behind a little bit, but the way we work in the room, we ain’t behind at all,” Johnson said. “I think we did good as a team and what makes us so good is we’re all a family. We’re all really close and how I perform individual is based on everybody else.”

KC reached the dual finale by posting wins over Hopi 71-3, Benjamin Franklin (44-29), Window Rock (60-12), Pojoaque Valley (43-36), Newcomb (66-5), and Bloomfield JV (54-24).

“Overall as a team, I thought we did pretty well,” KC coach Mike Hathcock said. “We have some things we got to work on, but that’s kind of the way it always is. You gotta be able to wrestle against tough opponents, and so that is what I think we saw whenever we saw tough guys; we needed to wrestle at a higher level.”

Hathcock says they’ll face Bloomfield many times this season and in its dual competition the Bobcats exposed some things that needs tweaking

“There were some things that we have to work on, you know, that we picked up from that,” Hathcock said.

Senior Nate Tom was one of two KC wrestlers that earned a win over Bloomfield. In the 165-pound bout, Tom pinned Bloomfield’s Delayne Luster.

“I mean, he was strong,” Tom said of Luster. “I know last year, I hit him with the same move. He was too far up, so I threw my arm up, and I caught his neck, and I pulled him down and I cradled him.”

In addition to Bloomfield and Kirtland Central, the Miyamura Patriots and the Holbrook Roadrunners won their pool as the latter two teams wrestled for third-place with the Patriots winning.

“I’m happy about finishing third and the kids progressing,” Miyamura coach Nate Sellers said. “You know, it’s so early on in the season. I love this tournament because you just get a lot of mat time, and the kids get to develop. It’s right before Christmas, and I think it’s vital in their pathway to the state tournament.”

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