Bishop Bronco Wrestling

February 7, 2026


By Dr. Mark Hodges

The Bishop Bronco Wrestling Team closed out their season with a fiery showdown against the Kern Valley Broncs on January 28th. With only six Broncos and ten Kern Valley wrestlers across 14 weight classes, the night delivered just four official matches—but every one ended in a dramatic pin.

Freshmen Mikey Valle (113) and Jay Mena (120) joined sophomore Gabe Montoya (132), juniors Jaidyn McKellips (144) and Messi Trejo (190), and senior Kano Graves (175) in the lineup. Montoya was pinned late in the third, while McKellips stunned the crowd with a first‑period pin in the final second. Graves dominated 12–1 before sealing his own pin, and Trejo battled through the closest match of the night before being caught in the third.

Three exhibition bouts kept the energy high. Graves earned a pin in just over 90 seconds, McKellips followed with another in the second period, and Mena—wrestling up 24 pounds—pushed his match the full six minutes, falling in a 14–15 finish.

Last Friday, the Broncos headed to Desert High School for the High Desert League Individual Finals against Kern Valley, Desert and Rosamond. With no team fielding a full roster, the tournament shifted to a round‑robin format—every wrestler facing every opponent in their weight class, JV included.

For freshmen Mikey Valle and Jay Mena, with no opponents they automatically became league champions. Jaidyn McKellips also claimed first, while Talon Romero, Mikey Trejo, Messi Trejo, and Gabe Montoya battled their way to second. Daxon Svacina secured third. Senior Kano Graves stole the spotlight, pinning every challenger and earning a unanimous Upper Weight MVP.

Next up is CIF, February 13–14 at Mira Monte High School in Bakersfield. Only the top three advance to the Central Section Masters, raising the stakes for every Bronco stepping on the mat. https://sierrawave.net/bishop-bronco-wrestling-3/