MISSOULA — A pair of Montana wrestlers put on strong performances at a national tournament in Iowa over the weekend.
Missoula wrestler Izzy Moreno took home gold while Helena's Carson DesRosier finished second in their respective weight classes.
Moreno, a junior at Missoula Big Sky High School, defeated Jack Brusseau of California 9-1 to win the 152-pound weight class at the U.S. Marine Corps Folkstyle Nationals tournament in Cedar Falls, Iowa on Saturday. Moreno competed in the high school open division and the event was sponsored by USA Wrestling.
It was a dominant weekend for Moreno who won all five of his matches handily. Moreno, who was competing for his club Sudden Victory Wrestling, won his first two bouts by pin before winning major decisions in his final three matches.
Moreno's dad and wrestling coach, Rick Moreno, told MTN Sports that he has been taking wrestlers to this meet for the past 13 years when the family moved to Missoula and while they've had wrestlers earn All America honors at meets like this, this was a first that a wrestler from Missoula won a bracket like this, and only a few from Montana had ever done it previously.
Moreno won a state title at 132 pounds as a sophomore in 2021 and finished runner-up in 2022 at 145 pounds.
DesRosier, a two-time state champ who recently signed to The Citadel in South Carolina, finished in second place in the 145-pound bracket at the same tournament. Moreno and DesRosier are training partners as DesRosier often travels to Missoula to compete with Moreno and their club. DesRosier went 4-1 on the weekend with a pair of pins.
