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Bray and Moratov Continue Hot Streaks
The Trapper wrestling team went 1-3 in four duals in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, last weekend. Despite the losing record, the team wrestled well, said Northwest College head coach Jim Zeigler. That included winning four matches against third-ranked Clackamas Community College and a solid win over Umpqua Community College.
Van Bray continued his hot streak for Northwest College wrestling, going 4-0 last weekend during a series of duals.
The freshman from Fillmore, Utah, extended his record to 8-0 on the season, earning praise from Zeigler. “He was our star for the weekend,” the coach said.
Bray comes from a wrestling family with a great history for the Trappers. His uncles, Seth and Jacob Wright, both wrestled for Zeigler in 2004, helping the team win the NJCAA national championship that year.
Bray was a three-time state champion for Millard High School before following his uncles to NWC, wrestling in the 106-pound class his sophomore and junior years and at 126 pounds his senior year.
Now wrestling at 133 pounds, Bray picked up two wins Friday against Clackamas’s Hunter Sparks (a 5-2 decision) and North Idaho College’s Bryce Miller (7- 1). On Saturday, Zeigler moved Bray up a class, to 141 pounds, for a dual against Umpqua’s Kobe Olson — and Bray scored a 5-0 decision. In the final match, Bray, once again at 133 pounds, picked up a 9-1 major decision against Highline Community College’s Gerardo Suarez. Bray finished the weekend with a major decision victory over Highline Community College’s Gerardo Suarez (9-1).
Zeigler said the move up was just for one match.
“You have to be careful moving guys around,” he said.
Bray wasn’t the only wrestler that Zeigler moved against Umpqua, and it paid off with a 31 18 victory against the River Hawks. That came despite four Trapper forfeits, due to injuries sustained earlier this season. Six of NWC’s seven wrestlers won their matches in the dual. Majid Muratov at the 197-pound class was the only wrestler who stayed in his usual weight class.
Muratov finished the weekend with a 3-1 record in the 197-pound class, including pins over NIC’s Zane Scott and UCC’s Louie Sanchez-Rivera. His only loss came in a close match against Highline’s Kai Olson, dropping the decision 5-4.
Previously undefeated Brayden Lowry went 2-2 on the weekend, dropping his first match of the season on Friday to NIC’s Salvado Silva in the 149-pound match. “Brayden wrestled well but got pinned [by Silva] while in a defensive position,” Zeigler said.
Lowry’s wins included pins of Clackamas’ Gregory Guzman (149 pounds) and Umpqua’s Garrett Russell (157 pounds).
The Trapper wrestling team has the holiday weekend off and then heads to Great Falls, Montana, for matches in the Top of the Rocky’s Duals on Friday, Dec. 6 and a match against the University of Providence on Saturday, Dec. 7.