Local Wrestling Club Hosts AAU Sanctioned Event

By Misty Cryer

The Carlsbad Combat Wrestling Club hosted Chaos at the Cave, a New Mexico Junior Wrestling tournament, at Carlsbad High School at the end of November. The event drew over 400 wrestlers from all over New Mexico and West Texas, with over 50 from Carlsbad competing.

The individual results for Carlsbad Combat wrestlers reflected multiple placements, with the local team placing third in the tournament. Three out of four outstanding wrestler awards went to Carlsbad Combat wrestlers.

Chaos at the Cave was the first home tournament for the Carlsbad Combat Wrestling Club. “We were able to bid on it and get it this year,” said Coach Jimmy Westfall. He explained that there are 60 to 70 teams in New Mexico, and every team has an opportunity to bid on a tournament. “We were just lucky enough to get one,” he said.

With about 470 entries, around 30 teams showed up from all over New Mexico, with some from West Texas, said Westfall. He said the attendance was not bad, considering it’s early in the season, there was a big tournament in Tulsa that weekend, and this year the tournament was not a qualifier. “We had more numbers than we thought, which was a good thing,” he said.

“We had a rookie division, and we had a regular division, which was kind of a big deal because all the tournaments don’t offer a rookie division,” said Westfall, explaining that the rookie division is for wrestlers who have wrestled in travel wrestling for two years or less.

“We had some amazing sponsors that helped us out with awards,” said Westfall. He said both divisions got some really nice trophies for first place, with outstanding wrestlers being awarded rings or, for the girls, rings and tiaras. “Our awards were just really, really awesome,” he said.

“Out of all the teams, Carlsbad placed third overall in the team standings, which is pretty good,” said Westfall. He said a team from Rio Rancho took first, Jackson/Wink from Albuquerque placed second, Carlsbad Combat won third, another Albuquerque team placed fourth, and a Roswell team took fifth.

Individual results of the local wrestlers in this tournament can be seen on the Facebook page for Carlsbad Combat Wrestling Club. The three Carlsbad Combat wrestlers who won outstanding wrestler awards included Scarlet Graziano, Bristol Pomroy, and Audinese Fields, according to the published results.

Overall, Westfall said the tournament turned out well. “We had a lot of board members from NMJW there, and they said that they’re going to try to get it as a qualifier next year,” he said.

Westfall explained that to qualify for the state championships, participating in three qualifiers during the season is required, which makes the qualifiers a much bigger tournament that draws a lot more people. “We’re hoping to be able to have a qualifier in Carlsbad next year,” he said.

Carlsbad Combat Wrestling Club is a travel team made up of youth from five years old to seventh grade, with most wrestling year-round to prepare for tournaments the team travels to across the country, said Westfall. He said five students who wrestled for Carlsbad Combat are now in the eighth grade, and all five—four girls and a boy—made varsity this year.

Westfall coaches the team, along with his wife, Kari, and both are assistant coaches at the high school. Describing his wife as the one who does all the work nobody sees that makes him and the team look good. He said, “She’s kind of the glue that holds everything together. She’s the rock star.”

Submitted photos from Chaos at the Cave, Carlsbad Combat Wrestling Club’s first home tournament:

Appreciation was expressed to sponsors who helped with the awards. “Our awards were just really, really awesome,” said Coach Jimmy Westfall.