Lake Highland Prep & Sunkist Kids Win Team Titles
Lake Highland Prep & Sunkist Kids Win Team Titles
RMN Events’ 2021 Rumble in Arizona
By Bill X. Barron
In late February, over 2000 wrestlers on more than 150 teams represented 30 states in the annual RMN Rumble, held this year in Bullhead City, AZ in the spacious Anderson Auto Fieldhouse.
In Friday and Saturday’s K-12 individual competition, the Tempe AZ Sunkist Kids Monster Garage took home the team trophy with 180 points, led by seven champions and 12 place-winners.
The rest of the top five teams were 2nd-place Wyoming Seminary out of Kingston PA with 162 points (one champ, 17 placers); Clovis CA’s The Club in 3rd with 140 points (12 placers); 4th-place Valiant Prep out of Mesa AZ (139 points, 3 champs, 10 placers); and Orlando FL’s Lake Highland Prep (Central Florida Wrestling Association) with 131 points which included 2 champs and 9 placers.
Lake Highland’s head coach, Mike Palazzo, states: “RMN deserves kudos for assembling an individual event that was more competitive than any other tournament this season. California kids were out there in a big way: Clovis, Buchanan, Gilroy! Then you had Colorado Poway and of course Wyoming Seminary which, frankly, is still a cut above the rest.”
On Sunday, 61 dual teams competed in 9U, 12U, 15U, and 18U boys as well as high school girls divisions. Twenty-eight 18U boys squads competed in 7 groups of 4 teams. Champions of each small group comprised the Gold Pool bracketed competition.
On the Gold’s top side, Lake Highland beat the Basin Brawlers of Columbia WA 52-12 and Daniel Cormier’s Cali Custom CA club 38-15. On the lower half, Seminary had a bye and a 32-19 victory over The Club out of Clovis CA.
The Gold Pool final match for 18U 1st place overall came down to two private school squads, Pennsylvania’s Wyoming Seminary – the 2020 National Prep School Champion – and Florida’s Lake Highland Prep, with each team’s individual Rumble champions in their line-ups: Sem’s 170-lb. Gabe Arnold as well as LHP’s Brock Delsignore (195) and Bradley Hill (220).
Closely competed through the first ten weights, with Seminary holding onto a 16-15 lead, a pin at 182 pounds propelled Lake Highland into a lead they would not relinquish for a final 31-16 championship victory.
Second-place 18U teams from the initial groups competed in the Silver Pool (won by Salem OR Elite), 3rd-place teams fought in a Bronze Pool (won by Las Vegas’ Aniciete Training Club), and 4th-place clubs formed a Copper Pool (won by Mat Sense from Corvallis OR).
The 9U Duals were won by Dethrone Wrestling Club (Fresno CA). Washington’s Aggression Legionnaire took home the 12U team title. Boys 15U champions were DC Cali Custom of Fresno CA, while Buchanan’s Clovis CA Empire Wrestling Club earned the girls high school championship.