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Tia Barfield Finishes Fourth Place at State Finals

Last week, senior Tia Barfield of the Bishop Bronco Wrestling Team placed 4 th at the 3-day California State Wrestling Tournament in Bakersfield. Competing at 162 pounds, Barfield entered the tournament as the 7 th seed, meaning that she was ranked 7 th in the state.

In her first match, Tia pinned her opponent in 1:27. In her second match, which was against the 10 th ranked wrestler in the state, Tia won by a 6-2 decision. Her next match was against the #2 wrestler in the state, Jerzie Estrada from Birmingham High School. Although she wrestled hard, Tia lost 14-4, which put her into the consolation bracket.

Tia came back and won the next 3 matches, putting her into the match for 3rd place against Estrada again. In an exciting match, Tia got an early lead and nearly pinned her opponent. However, just before the end of the 2nd period, her opponent used a throw and pinned her.

In her quest for a state championship, Tia wrestled against the 2 nd , 6 th , 8 th and 10 th ranked wrestlers in the state, defeating them all except for the 2 nd ranked wrestler.

Coach Mark Hodges said, “This was a great accomplishment and I am very happy for Tia. Her 4 th place was a big improvement over last year’s 8 th place finish. Tia’s accomplishments this year include:

  • A record of 30 wins and only 3 losses
  • CIF Champion – 1 st girl ever for Bishop. The only other Bishop Bronco wrestlers to become CIF Wrestling Champions are: Randy Rogers in 1985, Jaime Ruelas in 2012 and this year Mark Mayhugh
  • Master’s Champion – 1st girl ever for Bishop. The only other Bishop Bronco wrestler to become a Master’s Champion was Randy Rogers in 1985
  • 4th place at the State Tournament – 1st ever girl (or boy) to place at the state wrestling tournament

“There is an old adage in wrestling that you will never be a good wrestler without having a good wrestling partner. So part of Tia’s success goes to senior Mark Mayhugh who wrestled with Tia in the wrestling room and before every match at the state tournament.” Said Mark Hodges.

Tia Barfield Dominates Master’s Wrestling Tournament

Last week, two of the five wrestlers on the Bronco wrestling team competed in 2-day Master’s tournaments in Lemoore. In Master’s tournaments, the top wrestlers qualify for the state tournaments, which are this week.

Senior Mark Mayhugh wrestled in a very tough weight class at 128 pounds, where there were 10 ranked wrestlers, including the top two ranked wrestlers in the state. Mark got a tough draw right off the bat, facing the Number 2 ranked wrestler and although he
wrestled well, he lost. In the consolation bracket, Mark won a match and then faced another tough wrestler and lost by a score of 0-2.

Coach Hodges said, “Mark went out there and wrestled his best. He is a great kid and one of the best wrestlers Bishop has ever had. He is planning on wrestling in college, which will be a first for Bishop as we have never had someone continue wrestling at college.”

Senior Tia Barfield, wrestling at 162 pounds, stormed through her Master’s tournament with no points scored against her. On the first day, Tia pinned her first two opponents in 29 and 44 seconds respectively. On the second day, Tia met the same two girls she saw
last week at the CIF tournament. She scored pins in both matches, finishing off her opponent in the finals in just 45 seconds. Tia becomes the second Master’s Champion wrestler from Bishop; the first was Randy Rogers back in 1985.

Coach Mark Hodges said, “Tia became eligible only in late December. Even so, she has a record of 25 wins and 1 loss. Tia impresses everyone with her wrestling prowess. Unlike many wrestlers, her goal is not to ‘make it to state’, but rather to win the state championship. Tia will be competing in the State Tournament in Bakersfield starting Thursday, where she is currently seeded #4 in the state. Tia and Mark become just the 5th and 6th Bronco wrestlers to ever make it to a Master’s tournament, which is testament to how good they are.”