Middle schooler Tanner Rauch battles for first while Grizzlies tackle western might in Reno

Tanner Rauch, an eighth grader at Patton Middle School, was the lone McMinnville representative to place at the 2025 Sierra Nevada Classic in Reno, Nevada, from Dec. 29-30. Rauch competed as part of the McMinnville Mat Club and joined 21 other high school-age competitors from McMinnville at the two-day competition in the biggest little city in the world.

Grappling in the 138-143 pound weight class, Rauch bowled through his competition, going 4-0.

Rauch defeated his first opponent via 13-0 mutual decision, scoring with three takedowns and a nearfall. His dominance continued in the second round, where he won 24-7 via technical fall in the second period.

Rauch’s third battle was his quickest, as he won with a pin against Isaiah Roque of Carson Bulldog Wrestling Club (NV) just 1:15 into the first period. Rauch was crowned the champion of his weight class with a forfeit in round four.

At the high school level, 18 boys and three girls from Mac travelled to Reno and had varying success on the mat.

For the girls, senior Tayah Curry, junior Copper Williams and sophomore Grace Andrew combined to go 3-6. Williams lost both her matches at 135 pounds, while Andrew and Curry were victorious in one and two bouts, respectively, at 130 pounds. Curry won both her matches with a pin and Andrew won with a 9-5 decision.

The three gave Mac a 73rd-place team finish out of 81 squads.

The best performances on the boys side belonged to senior Nelson Campos (138) 4-2, freshman Patton Greene (190) 3-2 and junior Trent Rauch (132) 4-2.

Campos went 4-2 in his weight class, ending his tournament with 4-3 loss via decision in the sixth round of the 138-pound consolation bracket. His bouts began with two consecutive wins with a first-period pin, but he could not keep forward momentum, falling 17-2 via technical fall in the third round of the championship bracket.

The loss sent Campos to the consolation rounds, where he benefited from an opponent’s forfeit and continued to defeat Del Oro High School (CA) junior Kade Dunn with a 4-1 decision. The victory sent Campos to the next round, where his day ended against Ronaldo Wilharm of Pitman High School (CA).

Greene’s tournament ended in the fourth round of the 190-pound consolation bracket, but he battled back from a loss with immense strength. Winning his first match against a senior from Crosshill County High School (NV) with a 10-4 score and third-period pin, Greene was thrust to round two, where he lost with a fall in the first period.

Greene jumped back, winning his next two matches in the consolation bracket via pins while holding his opponents from scoring any points.

In the fourth round, Greene fought valiantly through periods but was defeated 7-0 as a fall took him out of contention with 52 seconds remaining.

Trent Rauch’s day ended in the sixth round of the 126-pound consolation bracket, but he secured two pairs of consecutive victories to propel him forward. His tournament began with a 12-4 mutual decision. Rauch then completed a second-period takedown to advance to round three of the championship bracket. There, Rauch was bested in the first period, but he responded with an 8-0 mutual decision and 12-7 decision to reach round six.

The Grizzlies 16 other boys competitors and their records were as follows: Ace Vander Meide (106, 0-2), Brayden Withnell (285, 0-2), Jace Walters (150, 0-2), Daniel Hendry (165, 0-2), Devin Hernandez (150, 1-2), Hoyt Thomas (132, 1-2), Ivan Allen (215, 1-2), Jackson Lewis (113, 1-2), Liam Hernley (144, 1-2), Riley Martin (175, 2-2), Broc Kamp (132, 2-2), Brady Schoof (120, 2-2) and Bryson Rex (106, 2-2).

Kamp joined a few others with comeback performances. Having lost his second match to fall to 1-1, Kamp responded with a third-period pin of Ryan Dimalanta from Rancho Bernardo High School (CA) to advance in the consolation bracket, despite being down 6-2 in points. Kamp lost his final match via 9-6 decision.

Mac’s 18 boys combined for a 32nd-place team finish out of 94 schools.