Outlaws Wrestling Returns

By Rachel Dahl —  After a six-year hiatus, Wade Workman is back coaching the Fallon Outlaws wrestling team. He is joined by Rudy Maynez, a former Outlaw himself, and Evan Brandt with whom Workman has been coaching wrestling at Hug High School in Reno. Brandt and Workman, in typical Workman style, were able to take a substandard program at Hug and turn it into a winning team with several state qualifiers over the past few years. Maynez started wrestling for as an Outlaw when he was eight, and was Workman’s first Outstanding Wrestler of the Year which is a regional association award, and made the state all star team. This first year back, the Outlaws have 14 wrestlers, ranging in age from five to twelve years-old. Their season runs from November to March and the State tournament will be held in Winnemucca March 21st - 24th. Some of the wrestlers will stay on for three more months, wrestling on the national team and competing in regional tournaments. For now the Outlaws travel to their tournaments every Sunday and wrestle three styles — folk, freestyle, or Greco. During the week they practice Monday through Thursday, and do CrossFit one day a week with Sean Sweeney at CrossFit Powerstroke. Brandt said he really appreciates both Sweeney and Trevor deBraga, the Churchill County High School Greenwave wrestling coach. “Trevor lets us use the high school gym two days a week and Sean Sweeney lets us use power stroke two days a week and we’re all really grateful to both of them,” he said. This first year back with Outlaws has been a building year. Brandt said when they started in November all the kids were novices with very little technique or knowledge. “But they’ve all come so far,” he said. Lacey Hammon is twelve years-old and the oldest on the team. “She won last week,” said Brandt. “She’s lost all year, but keeps working hard and finally got a win against a girl she had kept losing to.” Most of the wrestlers are placing 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at the tournaments, according to Brandt, and he said their youngest wrestler, Marco Barros hasn’t lost a match all year. And what is the secret of the Outlaws and their reputation as tough, winning wrestlers? “Do your moves. Focus on technique,” says Brandt. “The technique is right so they’re winning and it’s fun for us, and fun for the kids, and fun for the parents.”