Chinle sending three grapplers to state
Navajo Times | Quentin Jodie
Chinle’s Tyaunna Sandoval gets her hand raised after winning the third-place match over Winslow’s Patryce Lomayestewa in the 235-pound weight class at the AIA Division II, Section III girls wrestling tournament on Saturday.
By Quentin Jodie
Navajo Times
WINSLOW, Ariz. – Chinle wrestling coach Nathan Wagner says the 2025-26 wrestling season has been exceptional despite having a young team.
He states that his girls team participated in several tournaments, gaining valuable experience while learning from different wrestling styles.
“We have a lot of first-time wrestlers, and the girls have been consistent,” Wagner said. “Some of them placed at the tournaments we went to, and some of them didn’t. The main thing was getting mat time and, you know, they’re competing and they’re leaving it all on the mat. It’s all a coach can ask for.
“As long as they leave it all on the mat and compete, the results should speak for itself,” he added.
Wagner enlisted a total of 52 wrestlers combined for his boys and girls team with 40 of them finishing out the season.
Of those wrestlers, Wagner brought nine grapplers to last Saturday’s Arizona Interscholastic Association Division II, Section III girls wrestling tournament.
Chinle qualified a third of those wrestlers to the AIA Division II state wrestle tournament, which is slated for Feb. 20-21 at the Veterans Memorial Coliseum in Phoenix.
Chinle junior Raidanna Sutton (25-8 overall) was the highest placer as she placed second at 132 pounds. Sutton dropped a 11-1 major decision to top-seeded Rheanna Tree (28-3) of Red Mesa.
The Wildcats had a couple of third-place finishers in sophomore Tenelle Tenorio at 100 pounds and senior Tyaunna Sandoval (235).
Tenorio (19-19) lost her opening round match to Round Valley’s Hunter Bliss (22-13) in a 20-12 major decision as this weight class featured only three wrestlers.
Sandoval won her third-place matchup over Winslow’s Patryce Lomayestewa (5-10) with a fall.
The Chinle coach is hoping to get a few boys qualified during Saturday’s Division IV, Section II meet at Winslow High as he will fill 13 of the 14 weight classes.
“Our boys are a young group, too,” Wagner said. “We do have some experienced wrestlers that came back, but we have a lot of incoming, first-time wrestlers.”
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Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow