Bishop Bronco Wrestling

February 22, 2026

by Dr. Mark Hodges

This past Friday and Saturday, two Bishop Broncos took to the mat at the Central Section Master’s Championships in Fresno—the final hurdle before the State Tournament. Representing Bishop were freshman Mikey Valle at 113 pounds and senior Kano Graves at 165 pounds. To qualify for State, wrestlers had to finish in the top ten out of 32 competitors in their weight class.

Mikey Valle—the first freshman in Bishop history to reach the Master’s Tournament—made an immediate statement by pinning his opening opponent in just 41 seconds. His second match came against the No. 2–ranked wrestler in California, and Mikey fell short. In his third match, he nearly secured a pin twice in a thrilling back‑and‑forth battle, but ultimately lost by points.

At 165 pounds, Kano Graves opened his tournament with a dominant 15–0 technical fall in just over two minutes, then followed it with a pin over the No. 25–ranked wrestler in the state. His next bout came against the No. 5–ranked wrestler, where he took his first loss and dropped into the consolation bracket. Kano responded with a pin and a major decision before falling in his final two matches—both against state‑ranked opponents. His performance earned him 6th place overall, securing his spot at the State Championships this week.

Kano becomes just the third boy from Bishop to qualify for the State Tournament, joining Randy Rogers (1985) and Will Hennarty (2023). On the girls’ side, Tia Barfield reached the State Tournament in 2019 and finished 4th.

Head Coach Brady Howell said, “I am super pleased with how these two guys wrestled. Mikey not only made it to Master’s, but he won a match—and he’s just a freshman! I can’t say enough about Kano. He can be a beast in the top position. The only losses he has had this year are to state‑ranked wrestlers. We are so proud of how these guys have performed.