Chappell, Dirks earn hardware at Rocky Mountain Nationals

Holyoke students Tavery Chappell and Max Dirks came home with highly-coveted awards from the extremely tough Rocky Mountain Nationals wrestling competition March 18-19 at the National Western Complex in Denver.
    Wrestlers from 29 states competed in the weekend tourney.
    Chappell, wrestling with Holyoke Wrestling Club, competed in the 10 and under 100-lb. weight division. The fourth-grader finished in true second place, but after a challenge, placed third.
    He made it through to the championship match, which he lost to finish in second place. However, since he hadn’t wrestled the third-place finisher in the tournament, a challenge was allowed. Chappell got stuck in a headlock and ended up winning the third-place trophy in a very competitive bracket.
    On his way to the championship, Chappell earned three nice wins on the RMN mats. He is the son of Trent and Cassie Chappell of Holyoke.
    Dirks, a Holyoke sixth-grader competing with the Wray Wrestling Club, placed fifth in his bracket at the RMN tourney.
    He wrestled in the age 12 and under 130-lb. weight division and earned a nice medal for his fifth-place effort. He is the son of Jeremy and Brooke Dirks of Holyoke.
    Other Holyoke Wrestling Club members also participated in the Rocky Mountain Nationals.
    Sixth-grader Tayden Chappell was just one round from placing, going 2-2 in the tourney.
  

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