THE EAST BROTHERS
The East brothers — Tyler and Cody — took up wrestling just this year, which made things increasingly difficult for the other wrestlers in the state.
Eleven-year-old Tyler is the younger of the two brothers. He wrestled in a grand total of five events this year and has five medals to show for it.
In his first tournament, Tyler took second place. It was the only time he lost a match all season. Tyler won his next tournament, then went on to win the New Mexico Junior Wrestling State Championships — only the third tournament he wrestled in his young life.
Tyler’s older brother Cody, 13, wrestled along side him throughout the season. In the 12 tournaments he competed in this past season, Cody took home 13 medals — at one point wrestling in two age divisions.
Of his 13 medals, 10 are for first place and the other three for second.
The sons of Dolly and Terry East of Los Lunas, the brothers were both state champions this year. Cody breezed through the state tourney, pinning all of his foes in the first round.
Cody went on to place second in both the 16-and-under and 14-and-under age divisions in the 150-pound class at the Southwest Regionals on Feb. 10.
Meanwhile, Tyler cruised through the competition to win the 10-and-under 110-pound class.
Last weekend, the brothers went on to compete in the Brute Rocky Mountain National Tournament. There, Tyler brought home the first-place trophy.
Older brother Cody didn’t fare as well, finishing down on the list. But despite his disappointing finish in the 16-and-under age division, Cody did not finish the season without his share of hardware. He was voted Most Outstanding Wrestler by his fellow Manzano Vista wrestlers and Most Outstanding Middle School Wrestler. Both awards came from gaining the highest cumulative score through the course of the season.
With one year of wrestling under their belts, the brothers are continuing their training in the off-season and look forward to next season.
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April 18, 2024
