OKLAHOMA CITY
– Zach White made some history here Saturday night.
White, a junior, won the Class 3A 160-pound state wrestling
championship with a 5-0 victory over Cushing’s Ethan Simpson
at the State Fairgrounds Arena. It was Woodward’s first
individual state title in wrestling.
White ends the season with a 39-1 record.
The performance by White capped a strong tournament showing by the
Boomers. who had two other medalists.
Matt White, a sophomore, finished third at 125 pounds and Joey Miller
was fourth at 119 pounds. Heavyweight Kevin Tapia and 103-pounder Josh
Rosborough were beaten in the consolation semifinals.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Zach White is in the finals and
four other Boomer wrestlers are still in the medal chase at the 87th
Oklahoma State Wrestling championships.
White, the top seed at 160 pounds in Class 3A, pinned Daniel Gifford of
Locust Grove and Colten Barnes of Oologah to reach the finals tonight
at the State Fairgrounds Arena.
The Boomers other four qualifiers split matches on Friday and are in
the consolation semifinals today. All need one victory to earn a top
four finish and a medal.
Josh Rosborough at 103 pounds lost his first match by fall and won by
fall in the consolation semifinals.
Joey Miller won her first
round match and lost in the semifinals at 119 pounds.
At 125 pounds, Matt White lost in overtime in the first round, then won
in the consolation semifinals.
Kevin Tapia got a fall at heavyweight in round one and lost a 1-0 match
in the semifinals.
OKLAHOMA CITY – Zach White, the favorite
at 160-pounds, leads a strong group of five Woodward High School
wrestlers into the Class 3A State Tournament today and Saturday at the
State Fairgrounds Arena.
White, a junior, is the top seed at this weight and sports a 36-1
record. The Boomers will also have freshman Josh Rosborough at 103
pounds, senior Joey Miller at 119, sophomore Matt White at 125 and
Kevin Tapia at heavyweight.
All five have a chance to do well, said Boomer wrestling coach Bobby
Cook.
“All five have an opportunity of placing,” Cook
said. “We have some tough, tough first round
matches.”
White, a state runnerup in Class 4A last season, opens against a
freshman in Daniel Gifford from Locust Grove.
“He’s 15-12 and he’s a pinner,”
Cook said. “We’ll have to stay in good
position.”
White’s likely semifinal opponent is Colten Barnes, a junior
from Oologah. Cook said Barnes is probably the best wrestler from the
eastern regional but got called on a defensive pin while winning in the
finals last week.
In the finals, White could end up in a rematch from the regional with
Cushing’s Ethan Simpson. White won 2-0 last week. Another
possible contender is Dusty Gehrke from Grove, who won the eastern
regional.
Rosborough is in an interesting weight at 103 pounds.
“Josh is wrestling Zane Howell from Madill, who has wrestled
a little longer than we have,” Cook said. “The
favorite is also on our side of the bracket (undefeated Damien Hopper,
a freshman from Grove) and he is tough, I coached him during the summer.
“We’ll have an opportunity to place at that weight
and that would be quite an accomplishment for a first-year
wrestler.”
At 119, Miller, who
medaled in Class 4A as a freshman, has a first round battle with Trey
Rhode, 20-12, from Locust Grove.
“His record is
only 20-12, but I will say this, the Locust Grove kids wrestle the
toughest schedule in the state of Oklahoma,” Cook said.
“Probably four or five of his losses have been to guys who
have been in the state finals.”
While matched up tough
early, Cook said Miller’s bracket is still pretty favorable.
“I really think
Joey has an opportunity to go to the finals,” he said.
“We’ll have a kid from Fort Gibson in the
semifinals and he’s beatable. We’ll be in some 4-3,
5-4 type matches all the way to the finals.”
Jared Patterson, a
two-time state champion from Cushing is 42-0 and a big favorite to win
the weight class. Patterson pinned Miller in the regional.
At 125 pounds, Matt White was third in the regional, but took the
option of the fourth place slot where he will face Robbie Nunez of Fort
Gibson, who is 40-1.
The move puts White on the bracket opposite top seed Jared Wynn of
Blackwell and into a possible semifinal rematch with Garrett Evans of
Cushing who beat him on a late takedown in the regional.
Nunez, though, is up first.
“The thing with him is I don’t think they (Fort
Gibson) wrestle the type of schedule we wrestle,” Cook said.
“Even though it’s tough right out of the gate we
fully expect to win that match.”
Cook said Tapia is in a heavyweight division where most every match
could go either way.
“It’s probably the most intriguing weight class in
the state tournament,” Cook said. “Zack Allison
from Blackwell is the best guy on paper and has beaten everyone there,
but everyone in the other seven can be second, third or fourth, it just
depend son who shows up Friday and Saturday.”
Tapia opens with Kris Powell from Inola, who is 24-2.
“He’s a dangerous type wrestler, we’ll
have to stay in good position and keep the pressure on him. I really
think we can get by him.”
A possible semifinal opponent is R. J. Bartley from Grove, who is 37-3.
The Boomers could also be a factor in the team race, Cook said.
“I really think Cushing is probably going to run away with
the tournament, but two through ten there will be just a couple of
points separating all of us,” Cook said.
“There’s so much parity in Class 3A.
“It’s like I told the kids, there’s
really no pressure this week, the pressure was last week. Once you get
to this tournament it doesn’t matter if you’re
5-30, you can still be a state champion.
“You’re three wins away from being a state champion
and a lot of times in the deeper weights it is just whoever gets hot. I
think we’ll come out guns a blazin’ this
weekend.”
Notes: The Boomers traveled to Perry on Wednesday to work out with the
Perry High School wrestlers and will work out there again on Thursday
before going to the state tournament. This is the second year in a row
the Boomers have qualified five wrestlers for state. Zach White and
Matt White are the only returning qualifiers, but Joey Miller qualified as a
freshman in 2005. Wrestling action starts today at 10:30
a.m. and again at 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The championship round is
Saturday night.
ER grapplers grab four regional titles
By Rex Hogan/Staff Writer
published Feb. 20, 2008
CHICKASHA — El Reno High School wrestlers won four
championships and had one runner-up to claim second place in the team
standings behind Duncan at the Class 4A West Regional.
Junior Austin Mogg won the 112-pound division. Cory Dauphin at
140, Cody Dauphin at 215 and Bryan Solomon at heavyweight all won
championships.
Hanna Martin
wrestled to a second-place finish at 103. Nathan Dewberry
at 152 pounds lost 9-5 to Lawton MacArthur’s T.J. Traylor in
the third-place match.
All six wrestlers earned passes to the 2008 Oklahoma State
High School Wrestling Championships — which get under way
Friday morning at the State Fair Arena.
Cody Dauphin pinned Caleb Martin of Durant in 3:47 in his
semifinals match. He then defeated Tony Lacy of Chickasha 3-1 in the
championship match.
Solomon won by an injury default in his semifinal match and then beat
Gabe McGee of Duncan 3-2 to claim his division’s top spot.
Cory Dauphin got a technical fall in his semifinal match. He
beat Payton Atchley of Duncan 16-1. He then wrestled Vincent Fairbairn
of Carl Albert in the championship round, which he won 3-2 in overtime.
Mogg got a pin in his semifinals match over Durant’s
Chase Manning and then claimed first place by defeating David McNeil of
Carl Albert, 5-4, in overtime.
Martin beat Nate Crawford of Durant 3-2 in her semifinals
match. She lost 2-1 in the championship round against Jesse Schettler
of Altus.
“We wrestled pretty good, but we ran into some bad
luck,” coach Shane Head said.
Brandon Hileman suffered a severe knee injury in his first
match and had to forfeit.
“He was wrestling a kid from Duncan and probably
would have won that match. If you take away those points from Duncan,
then we would have been in much better shape,” Head said.
“We just haven’t been able to put a full lineup
together,” Head said.
Duncan had 184.5 points and El Reno was a close second with
153.3 points. Deer Creek was third with 136 points, Chickasha was
fourth and Lawton McArthur finished fifth. Other teams in order of
their finishes were Durant, Northeast, Shawnee, Western Heights,
Guthrie, Ardmore, Ada, Capitol Hill and Southeast.
There have been times when Kristi Garr has wanted to run away
and hide, but the Goodrich sophomore has had no place to go.
When you're a girl participating in a boys sport -- wrestling
-- you're going to stand out whether you like it or not. There are no
hiding places. Garr's attempt to be just one of the guys was made even
harder last week when ESPN came to town.
"You try to blend in as much as possible, but with all the cameras, it
made it that much harder," Garr said. "It's really tough."
Garr and her teammate, junior C.C. Weber, are the subjects for
a story the cable-sports giant is doing on girls in wrestling.
The show will be featured on the network's regular Sunday
morning show, "Outside the Lines." It is scheduled to air March 9.
"I'm flattered by it," Weber said of the added attention.
"It's good exposure for our team as well."
The story was the brainchild of ESPN feature producer Andy
Lockett, who along with reporter Steve Cyphers, arrived in Goodrich on
Feb. 16.
Lockett said when he was doing research for the project, he
was given some suggestions from Ortonville resident Kent Bailo, who is
the head of the United States Girls Wrestling Association.
The reason Goodrich was chosen over schools from across the
country is because it has not one but two female wrestlers in their
starting lineup.
Weber starts at 103 pounds and Garr at 112 for Goodrich,
ranked No. 1 in Division 3.
The Martians (42-2) will face Gladstone (10-3) in a state quarterfinal
match at 3:15 p.m. Friday at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.
"There are examples across the country where there is a girl
on a team, but they're not contending for a title," Lockett said. In
some cases there is a girl that is a token. In Goodrich's case, C.C and
Kristi are helping the team get to the top."
The ESPN cameras were first turned on at the individual
district tournament Feb. 16. Both girls competed at 103, with Weber
finishing in first place and Garr taking third.
The filming, which was done by an in-state crew, also included
both matches in the Martians' team regional championship last Wednesday
at Richmond.
Goodrich coach Matt Turnbow was fitted with a microphone
during both matches and a boom mic was also used. The network filmed
various interviews on Thursday and Friday along with a school assembly
Friday.
The individual regional tournament Saturday at Goodrich was
also taped. Weber came in fourth place to qualify for the individual
state tournament March 6-8 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Garr did not
qualify.
Weber is 51-13 on the season -- the most single-season wins by
an area girl. Keristen LaBelle posted a 50-12 mark at Davision in 2000.
Weber is the first area girl to qualify for the individual
state tournament twice. Garr is 22-18.
"To see what these girls have accomplished is truly
impressive," Cyphers said. "They are not playing to the camera. They
are focused on their goals. They are out there to do one thing and that
is to win the team state championship."
Turnbow said the ESPN crew was respectful of his team and
their preparation for the state finals.
"They've been a class act," Turnbow said. "It's not very often
that someone from your high school or your team can be seen on ESPN. We
might as well take advantage of it."
Lockett said he and Cyphers will start editing their materials
the first week in March. He said they will keep tabs on what Goodrich
does at the state finals and incorporate the Martians' results into
their show.
While both girls said they enjoyed the extra attention, they
were quick to point that while others might see them as different, they
feel they are just one of the guys.
"I don't think, 'Oh God, I'm a girl and there are guys all
around,' " Weber said. "I'm just there to wrestle and that is what I
do."
On Friday Kalei Kubota was baptized. I wish I had a picture
but I left my camera in the car (I actually brought it from home but
then wrestling with a toddler. . .yeah). Kalei's (Kah-lay) family has
been inactive for years. I am not sure if her stepfather is a member of
the church. I think not. Her older sister, Hoku, is a senior this year.
Last year Hoku attended the SOAR program at BYU Provo. This is an ACT
prep week for multi-cultural students. Hoku came away with much than a
better understanding of standardized tests. She realized that she
wanted what so many of the other students at SOAR had. The Gospel! She
told me once that the other students in the program had a direction, a
purpose and a comforting light that she craved. This is coming from the
student body president of Kamehameha School Maui (private school for
Hawaiian heritage), a 4.0 student, a
nationally ranked female wrestler, a girl who started a
mediation program at her school, I could go on and on. The girl had
drive! She had direction. But I think that is also what helped her to
go for the gospel so whole-heartedly. Once she had that desire
instilled at SOAR she started meeting with the missionaries back on
Maui. Then she started coming to church, mutual, firesides, etc. Now
she is my Laurel President and is one of the most awesome people I have
ever met. It has been a goal of hers for a while now to have her
younger sister, Kalei be baptized and to have the rest of her family
reactivated in the church. I know the happiness that I felt at Kalei's
baptism was only a fraction of what Hoku must have felt. It awesome to
see them at church and at mutual. Their mom, stepdad and brother have
also been coming to sacrament meetings for several weeks now. They are
such a gorgeous, amazing family. I just can't say enough good things
about them. I just had to share.
It is times like this (and they happen more often than not) that I am
so happy to be in Young Women. When I was first called as president (at
24 mind you) several of the Laurels were coming to my house to borrow
clothes after school. I thought "how can I lead these girls, this is
going to be disaster!" then I got over it. Then I got pregnant. I
thought for sure that they would release me when I had the baby. In
fact I planned on it. Really, I PLANNED for it. When I wasn't released
I thought "how am I going to lead these girls with a new baby, it is
going to be a disaster!" then I got over it. And it hasn't been a
disaster. I don't do everything right, I don't even do everything well.
But I love it. I love the girls. Now, if they ever do release me, I
might cause a scene. It might even be a disaster.
“He’s got morals and values,”
the coach of the Kelly Walsh wrestling team, Todd Lattimer, said of
Green River wrestler Seth Harris.
In today’s state wrestling championship, defending champion
Harris was slated to wrestle NC freshman Jessica Brenton, one of only a
few female wrestlers in Wyoming, whose career has been among the most
successful of women’s careers in the sport. Harris chose
instead to follow what his upbringing tells him about how to treat a
“young lady” and forfeited the match. The morals
and values Lattimer is referring to are those that led Harris to
forfeit his first state wrestling match because it was against a girl,
those morals which dictate that women are inferior,and should be
treated as such.
The two articles describing Harris’s forfeit in the Casper
Star Tribune are rife with praise for the young man, referring to his
actions as moral, admiring him for being a man, and observing how well
he has learned the difference between right and wrong. Words like
“family beliefs, “upbringing,”
“courage” and “sacrifice” adorn
the report. The smiling face of the forfeiting champion gleams from the
pages, a noble visage unharried by the incorruptible chivalry his
mormon parents instilled in him. Never mind that Brenton may well have
beaten him, girl-parts and all; Harris has won his coaches’
respect.
Brenton’s coach, Scott Russell, praised her wrestling
ability. However, he offers no recognition of her courage in
participating in what has long been a male-dominated activity. He does
not note her nobility in challenging archaic norms, or describe the
morals and values which inspired her to pursue her dream of wrestling.
He simply says that state laws dictate that girls be allowed to
wrestle, and that he follows the rules. The unspoken rule, implied by
the reverence for Harris’s decision, seems to be that women
actually shouldn’t be allowed to wrestle; Harris is being
praised for noting such.
Words like morals, family values, right and wrong, are charged with
something far more than their meaning. When such words are called upon,
it frequently seems that they are calling down the writ of God,
denoting who is playing by the rules of God and who is not. Rarely is
it noted that morals refer not to a set of defined rules and their
interpretations, but only to the existence of that set, their meanings
varying from person to person. I strongly doubt that any person on
earth lacks some moral code of their own, some system of conduct which
they believe is appropriate for human behavior. While for some, morals
entail not injuring women, others might call morals striving for
success, and still others may observe morals as sacrificing virgins to
the god of thunder. Further, a moral code describes a spectrum of
offenses. While it may be immoral to give up, it would be more immoral
to wrestle a girl. Morals do not denote what is humane, in the
classical sense; rather, they describe specific and variable codes for
living. The coach’s frequent generalizing references to
morals, values, and the like seem to assume that all people share that
same code, when clearly they do not.
In current society, particularly in politics, morals have become a
buzzword, a buzzword which seems to make the same oversight as
wrestling coaches. When President Bush refers to “good family
values,” I find myself asking, “which
family?” Harris demonstrated values of a traditional
Christian sort, values that were formed in an era when the superiority
of white males was unquestioned. These morals defined the treatment of
women based on the theory that they are intrinsically inferior. Thus,
one does not hit a woman because she is naturally unable to defend
herself. In keeping with this moral code, however, it would be immoral
to allow a woman to own property because she is ill-equipped to
effectivey manage it.
In the public eye, when someone refers to morals, these are the morals
that are brought to mind. Being moral, then, cannot be cited as a
universally good trait; rather, it simply describes a set of behaviors
that one can expect an individual to exhibit, based on those beliefs
they hold most dear. Thus, one can be both moral and wrong, when wrong
is defined as the value of actions which do harm to an individual or to
society. In the case of Harris, whose forfeiture is derived from his
morals- his personal rules- regarding the treatment of women, those who
share something akin to my own moral code would see his behavior as
moral and wrong, in that he is following his moral code, but in doing
so damages an individual and/or society.
Brenton has established herself as a skillful wrestler, yet Harris
forfeits to her because she is female, irrespective of her skill. In
doing so, he implies that she is not skillful enough to offer a
defense, and that her participating in wrestling is morally wrong,
regardless of its amoral value. He offends her morality, which dictates
that she should wrestle. Moreover, his actions injure society; by
acting upon morals that assume inequality to be natural, they cultivate
an attitude of inequality that has become archaic and injurious to
those who were once oppressed by it.
In short, the liberality with which people refer to morals and values
cultivates oppression,and these terms should be called upon only with
greater forethought regarding their meanings. We cannot in good
conscience assume that because one is moral, that their morals are
correct and good. Such an implication suggests the degree to which
oppression has been institutionalized, that we could praise
someone’s moral behavior when it is a direct affront to the
ideals of equality. An action may be moral and still be unjust, if
justice is that which gives each his or her due. With that said, in
both wrestling and justice, Brenton has triumphed over Harris,
regardless of morals or nobility or antiquated ideals of manliness.
Over the weekend as many of you know we had a state wrestling
tournament held in casper up at the events
center. On friday when i was at work
my boss told me that he had read in the paper that there was a Female wrestler
in the state tournament and there was a male wrestler that said he
REFUSED to wrestle a female because he was raised to not treat women
like that and it was against his morals. So he
would not wrestle her... My question is was this hurting or helping her
by refusing to wrestle her. was he scared of loosing to a girl? or did
he trulybelieve
that it was inappropriate and against his morals to do
so? In my opinion she was the one
that is choosing to compete in a man denominated
sport so it's okay treat her equal. I am shore
that she would not be wrestling if she didn't
think that she could compete at a males level! more power to her!
The Boonslick Heartland YMCA Wrestling Club had a busy weekend
while competing in two different tournaments.
After having last weekend off due to the Missouri State High School
Wrestling Championships in Columbia, the Boonslick Heartland YMCA
Wrestling Club had two members compete in the Fort Osage Open on
Saturday, while the rest of the team competed Sunday in the Fort Osage
Novice Tournament.
Kole Ficken and Andrew Broyhill both competed on Saturday, with Ficken
finishing second in the 8-and-under, 75 pound weight class and Broyhill
placing third at 12-and-under, 115 pounds.
Ficken and Broyhill both finished the tournament at 2-1.
Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Boonslick Heartland Wrestling Club had five
wrestlers place first in their respective weight classes.
Braedyn Perez won all three matches by fall in the 8-and-under,
65-pound weight class. Hunter Edwards captured first as well in the
8-and-under, heavyweight division by winning two matches by pins.
Remington Hammers took first in the 10-and-under, 65-pound weight class
by winning his first match 6-2 and second match by pin. Wyatt Grizzle
competed in the 10-and-under, 85-pound weight class and captured first
with a 14-2 win in the first match, a 5-4 win in the second and the
third by pin. Meanwhile, in the 12-and-under, 75-pound weight class,
Rory Concannon finished first with tech falls in both matches.
Blake Barnes finished second in the 10-and-under, 70-pound
weight class by losing his first match 3-2 and then winning his last
match by fall. Brennan Hammers also finished second in the
12-and-under, heavyweight division by winning his first match by fall
and then losing his second match 12-4.
Third place finishers were Michael Runnebaum in the 6-and-under,
55-pound weight class and and Joel Concannon placed at 10-and-under, 90
pounds.
Charlie Pummel took fourth at 8-and-under, 65 pounds.
Rumbaoas compete in Clinton Youth Wrestling Club Invitational
Representing the Eierman Elit Wrestling Club, of Millersburg,
Boonville's Gabe, Ben and Michaela Rumbaoa competed this past Saturday
in the Clinton Youth Wrestling Invitational Tournament.
Rumbaoas also participated along with about 400 wrestlers, most of whom
represented clubs in the southwestern part of the state.
Gabe Rumbaoa captured first place in the 8-and-under, 95-pound
weight class with pins over S. White of Marshall in 1:52 and over D.
Meek -Cook of Clinton in 11 seconds.This was Gabe's seventh first-place
finish in 11 tournaments this season.
Rumbaoa's pin over Meek-Cook was the fastest pin of the
tournament for the entire 8-and-under age group until the
final round of wrestling. In the final round of the
tournament, Blake Pomajzl, of the Sedalia Youth Wrestling
Club, surpassed Gabe's record by scoring a
pin in just 9 seconds. Pomajzl, another familiar
name in Boonville's wrestling history, captured the championship in the
8-and-under, 70 pound weight class at the Clinton
tournament. Blake is the grandson of Mike and Donna Pomajzl
of Boonville.
Blake Pomajzl has only two losses this season.
Ben Rumbaoa took second place in the 12-and-under,
110 pound weight class with pins over A. Hass of Lexington in 2:26 and
over C. Robinson of Clinton in 20 seconds. Ben lost
his last match to B. Franklin of Pleasant Hill in a very close
contest. Rumbaoa led by a score of 3-2 until about
20 seconds left in the bout when Franklin turned Rumbaoa for a 3 point
near fall for a final score of 5-3.
Michaela Rumbaoa won first place in the 12-and-under, 95
pound weight class with pins over R. Stevenson of Odessa in 1:23 and
over A. Larsen of Warsaw in 13 seconds. Michaela held the
record for fastest pin of the tournament in the entire
12-and-under class with her Larsen pin. This only lasted for
about 15 minutes until another 12-and-under wrestler surpassed Rumbaoa
with an 11 second pin. Rumbaoa cruised to a
6-4 decision over D. McElroy of Ray-Pec. Last season, Rumbaoa
had lost 3 matches to McElroy, who was a state
qualifier.
The Rumbaoa brothers, Gabe and Ben, will compete in the
Fulton tournament next Saturday, as will the Boonslick YMCA Youth
Wrestling Club. Michaela Rumbaoa will be heading
west on that same Saturday, competing in Kansas City at the
Missouri USGWA (United States Girls Wrestling
Association) State Championships Open. Next Saturday
is the final tune-up before the start of the "road to
Hearnes". The district tournaments will be
on March 8, with regionals on March 15, and the Missouri State
Youth Wrestling Tournament at Hearnes Center in Columbia on the MU
Campus on March 28-30.
SAN
MARCOS – The trail-blazing high school wrestling career of
Imperial's Priscilla Caldera came to an end yesterday in the opening
session of the two-day San Diego Section Masters Tournament at Mission
Hills High.
Caldera, a senior, was eliminated from the tournament in the
second consolation round. A two-time Division IV champion at 103
pounds, she was the first female wrestler in the state to accomplish
that feat competing against boys.
After winning her opening match via pin, she fell to
Carlsbad's Daniel Romero, the No. 2 seed, 15-2. In the
consolation round, she lost to Thomas Green of Cathedral Catholic.
“I'm just happy I had the opportunity, and I feel
like I made the most out of it,” Caldera said. “It
was fun to have a chance to compete with the guys and feel like I could
keep up with them.”
Caldera will continue her wrestling career – against
women – next season at Menlo College in San Francisco.
State champs
There were several state champions from San Diego around the mats
yesterday. Aside from the three coaches – Valhalla's Mark
Gerardi (1985, '86 and '87), La Costa Canyon's Dwayne
Buth ('89) and Mt. Carmel's Gail Miller ('92)
– a pair of Poway state champs, Colton Nichols ('05)
and Todd Schavrien ('06), were also among the
spectators.
Schavrien, who wrestles for Arizona State, was in town for
surgery on his knee. He said he'll be ready for next month's Pac-10
Tournament.
Nichols has been working out with Poway heavyweight Sam
Cervantes, the tournament's top seed.
Vista's Anthony Meza, a returning state
champ, was on the mat defending his title.
Quotable
“I want to tear the score sheet off the wall and send it
around the world.” – Valley Center coach Clay
Clifford, on his team leading the tournament after the first
round (mostly because all of the top seeds had first-round byes and
hadn't had an opportunity yet to score team points)
Hotel hex
In preparation for next week's state tournament in Bakersfield, Buth
booked the La Costa Canyon team in a hotel other than the Holiday Inn
attached to Rabobank Arena, where most teams stay. His rationale?
“Every year we stay at the Best Western, we've had a
guy make it to the state finals,” Buth said. “I'm
superstitious like that. So we'll see how it goes.”
LCC's best chance is 103-pounder Bryan Grubbs, who
is ranked fourth in the state and should be in the hunt for a title.
Cody Davis, a senior at Half Moon Bay High School and an El
Granada resident, won the Peninsula Athletic League wrestling title on
Feb. 8.
Ontario
, CANADA
Skopelianos and
McCallum capture OUA Gold to
lead University
of Western Ontario
Mustangs to women’s team Silver
By:
- Josip MRKOCI - London,
Ontario, CANADA 2/25/08
The
Ontario University Association (OUA)
Wrestling Championships were held at McMaster
University
in Hamilton
on Saturday, February 16, 2008. Wrestling competition was held at the
new
McMaster facility in front of some 500 fans with
athletes competing
in both men's and women's Freestyle wrestling from Brock University
( St. Catherines), McMaster University ( Hamilton), Guelph University (
Guelph), University of Toronto ( Toronto), Lakehead
University (
Thunder Bay ), Queens University ( Kingston) and the University of
Western
Ontario ( London).
Laura Skopelianos and Jill McCallum of The University
of Western Ontario
captured gold medals to lead the mustang women to a second place team
finish at
the 2008 Ontario University Association Wrestling
Championships.
Both women, Laura and Jill are the product of the London High
school
wrestling program and both wrestled for the London-Western
Wrestling
Club. Skopelianos graduated from Lucas Secondary School and
McCallum
graduated from Saunders Secondary School where she was taught her
wrestling
skills by Harry Geris - 3 time Canadian Wrestling Olympian.
Laura
Skopelianos 51kg -
UWO (purple) controling he apponent on
cross ankle hold
- won 2008 OUA Championships
Skopelianos who was 2007 OUA champion, defended her 51 kg title
defeating Liz
Sanli of Brock
University in a tactical match. The 4th year
UWO Kinesiology
student avenged a loss three weeks ago against Sanli. She
shut-down Sanli
in two straight rounds in what was a “chess match.”
Both wrestlers were counter
wrestlers and patiently looked for scoring opportunities, but it was
Skopelianos who scored first on the tie-breaking clinch to win the
first round
with a leg attack after the round ended 0-0. In the second
round,
Skopelianos was able to re-counter Sanli’s “front
head lock” counter to a leg attack
in the final 15 seconds and scored 1- point takedown to win
the match and
the gold medal.
Jill
McCallum 67kg
- UWO (purple) - front head and arm hold - won 2008
OUA Championships
The UWO mustangs Jill McCallum captured the 67 kg individual gold medal
defeating Allison Leslie (Guelph University) in two straight
rounds. The mustang co-captain won the first round
4-0, scoring
with a quick 3- point leg attack straight to the back exposure from
Leslie’s
two-on-one tie-up. “Jill did an excellent job of
taking away Leslie’s
tie-up which virtually took away her offense”
remarked UWO's head coach
Ray Takahashi. McCallum, was down in the
second round by one
point and had to score in order to win. With the time running out and
her
opponent in control McCallum scored with a “sit-out
reversal” with 3 -
seconds left to win the second round 1-1, and the
match. McCallum
was last year's silver medalist and the 2006 OUA champion and
her past
wrestling experience helped her win the final match and the
gold medal.
The UWO women wrestlers which won silver medals at the 2008
OUA Championships
were, Jennifer Nguyen (55 kg), - last year's Canadian Junior Champion
and
Stephanie Szmiett (48 kg), - 2007 OUA
Champion. Katrina
Huszarik (59 kg) and Erin Cochrane (72 kg) took bronze
medals. First year
varsity wrestler Liz Sera (63 kg) who hails from Winnipeg
, Manitoba
placed 4th.
“Katrina showed a lot of poise and determination after
dropping her first match
by a pin,” said assistant wrestling coach Scott
Proctor. Huszarik needed
to defeat her next opponent from Guelph University by not allowing a
point to
be scored on her in order to advance to the medal round. It was
impressive as
she was nursing a lower leg injury suffered earlier in the week and won
the
match in two straight rounds, 6-0, 3-0.
Over all the mustang women wrestlers did well at
this year's
OUA Wrestling Championships with 2 - gold, 2 -
silver and 2 -
bronze medals. The UWO women wrestlers were 2007 Ontario
University
Wrestling Champions and placed third at the Canadian University
Championships
but this year had to settle for second place behind Brock University.
The six women medalists of the University
of Western Ontario
qualify for the Canadian University
Wrestling
Championships ( CIS ) in Calgary
February 29, March 1.
The mustang men only advanced two wrestlers to the CIS
Championships, Jeff Werden and Josh Dawson.
Captain, Jeff Werden (54 kg) lost to Brock’s Aaron Fabiano in
the final in two
rounds, 1-4, 1-7 and settled for the silver medal. Josh
Dawson ( UWO)
fought back after a first match loss and won three straight to earn the
bronze
medal at 72 kg weight class. Dawson, defeated
McMaster’s Tom Wauchope,
7-2, 7-2 to repeat as the bronze medallist. Werden
and Dawson hail
from Sarnia
area and wrestled under their High school coach Marty Leeson a former
UWO
Alumni wrestler.
Mustang men's wrestlers who placed 4th in their weight division were,
Mike
Ciniello (61 kg) and Phil Medeiros (57 kg). Brett Ferguson
(82 kg), Wolff
Schweitzer (76 kg) and Austin Van Horne (65 kg) placed 5th
overall, while
Robert Grant (72 kg) and Corey Palmer (130 kg) finished 6th overall in
their
respective weight classes.
“The competition was strong for our men and they
gave their best effort”
said coach Takahashi. The mustangs lost a few close matches that could
have
swung the momentum the other way. Veteran, Phil Medeiros, the
mustangs’
team leader lost a close semi-final and failed to qualify at 57 kg in
his final
year of eligibility. ONTARIO
UNIVERSITY ASSOCIATION
(OUA) -
All
Stars: ·
Jill McCallum -- women’s 67 kg. - (First
Team) · Laura Skopelianos -- women’s 51 kg
- (First Team) · Jeff Werden -- men’s 54 kg.
- (Second Team)
Mustang
Qualifiers to Canadian University
(CIS) Championships, Calgary,
ALBERTA
- February 29, March 1.
-
Stephanie Szmiett (48 kg) - Laura Skopelianos (51 kg) - Jennifer Nguyen (55 kg) - Katrina Huszarik (59 kg) - Jill McCallum (67 kg) - Erin Cochrane (72 kg) - Jeff Werden (54 kg) - Josh Dawson (72 kg
Goodrich's C.C. Weber (left)
competes against a wrestler from Comstock Park during last season's
individual state finals. Weber has a 51-13 record this season, most
ever by a Flint-area girl.
There have been times when Kristi Garr has wanted to run away
and hide, but the Goodrich sophomore has had no place to go.
When you're a girl participating in a boys sport -- wrestling
-- you're going to stand out whether you like it or not. There are no
hiding places. Garr's attempt to be just one of the guys was made even
harder last week when ESPN came to town.
"You try to blend in as much as possible, but with all the
cameras, it made it that much harder," Garr said. "It's really tough."
Garr and her teammate, junior C.C. Weber, are the subjects for
a story the cable-sports giant is doing on girls in wrestling.
"I'm flattered by it," Weber said of the added attention.
"It's good exposure for our team as well."
The story was the brainchild of ESPN feature producer Andy
Lockett, who along with reporter Steve Cyphers, arrived in Goodrich on
Feb. 16.
The show will be featured on the network's regular Sunday
morning show, "Outside the Lines." It is scheduled to air March 9.
Lockett said when he was doing research for the project, he
was given some suggestions from Ortonville resident Kent Bailo, who is
the head of the United States Girls Wrestling Association.
The reason Goodrich was chosen over schools from across the
country is because it has not one but two female wrestlers in their
starting lineup.
Weber starts at 103 pounds and Garr at 112 for Goodrich,
ranked No. 1 in Division 3.
The Martians (42-2) will face Gladstone (10-3) in a state quarterfinal
match at 3:15 p.m. Friday at Kellogg Arena in Battle Creek.
"There are examples across the country where there is a girl
on a team, but they're not contending for a title," Lockett said. In
some cases there is a girl that is a token. In Goodrich's case, C.C and
Kristi are helping the team get to the top."
The ESPN cameras were first turned on at the individual
district tournament Feb. 16. Both girls competed at 103, with Weber
finishing in first place and Garr taking third.
The filming, which was done by an in-state crew, also included
both matches in the Martians' team regional championship last Wednesday
at Richmond.
Goodrich coach Matt Turnbow was fitted with a microphone
during both matches and a boom mic was also used. The network filmed
various interviews on Thursday and Friday along with a school assembly
Friday.
Goodrich's Kristi Carr (top)
wrestles against an opponent from the Genesee Area Conference this
season. Garr has a season record of 22-18.
The individual regional tournament Saturday at Goodrich was
also taped. Weber came in fourth place to qualify for the individual
state tournament March 6-8 at The Palace of Auburn Hills. Garr did not
qualify.
Weber is 51-13 on the season -- the most single-season wins by
an area girl. Keristen LaBelle posted a 50-12 mark at Davision in 2000.
Weber is the first area girl to qualify for the individual
state tournament twice. Garr is 22-18.
"To see what these girls have accomplished is truly
impressive," Cyphers said. "They are not playing to the camera. They
are focused on their goals. They are out there to do one thing and that
is to win the team state championship."
Turnbow said the ESPN crew was respectful of his team and
their preparation for the state finals.
"They've been a class act," Turnbow said. "It's not very often
that someone from your high school or your team can be seen on ESPN. We
might as well take advantage of it."
Lockett said he and Cyphers will start editing their materials
the first week in March. He said they will keep tabs on what Goodrich
does at the state finals and incorporate the Martians' results into
their show.
While both girls said they enjoyed the extra attention, they
were quick to point that while others might see them as different, they
feel they are just one of the guys.
"I don't think, 'Oh God, I'm a girl and there are guys all
around,' " Weber said. "I'm just there to wrestle and that is what I
do."
Napa High wrestler Alyx McChesney slips out of the grasp of Buhach
Colony’s Katarina Perez in the 122-pound semifinals during
Saturday’s second-day action at the ASICS Napa Valley Girls
Classic at Vintage High. Perez beat McChesney en route to the title,
and McChesney finished third. Lianne Milton/Register photos
Vintage High’s Myka Murphy, bottom, tries to free herself of
Pittsburg’s Simone Escajeda before getting pinned by the
Panther at 165 pounds.
Three local wrestlers medaled on Day 2 of the 10th Annual ASICS Napa
Valley Girls Classic.
Napa’s Alyx McChesney (122 pounds) lost to eventual winner
Katarina Perez in her semifinal match on Saturday but fought back to
win her next two for a third-place finish.
“She
did really well,” Indians coach Travis Newton said.
“She was confident; she started shooting really well. She
pulled through and got a win when it could have gone either way. She
definitely stepped up her game today.”
Hogan was the tourney’s top team for the second year in a
row, closely followed by cross-town rival Vallejo.
Mary Jane Fernandez (98, Vallejo), Courtney Madison (103, Novato),
Jennifer Fernandez (108, Vallejo), Angie Mayes (114, Arbor View), Ariel
Green (118, Sutter Union), Perez (122, Buttach Colony), Serrina Smith
(126, Elk Grove), Kayla Garza (132, Los Banos), Moriah Fernandez (138,
Live Oak), Alexandria Sanchez (146, Santa Teresa), Monica Gonzalez
(154, Hogan), Alexandria Flores (165, Edison), Angela Vyborny (189, Del
Campo) and Jamilia McBride (235, Inderkum) won each of their weight
classes. Green won the tourney’s Outstanding Lightweight
Award while Gonzalez won the Outstanding Heaveyweight title.
Jean Rabaino (154) was Vintage’s best performer, with a
fourth-place finish.
“She wrestled very hard all weekend,” Crusher coach
Rob Lanterman said. “She was really patient; she let the
matches develop. It may have cost her in the third-place match but
she’s been so successful, you can’t knock her for
it.”
Samantha Gardner (138) was Napa High’s other medalist at
sixth place, despite breaking a blood vessel in her eye on Friday.
“She wrestled extremely well today,” Newton said.
“She’s in a very tough weight class. Sixth place
doesn’t show how well she did today. She had some blurriness
in her eye from the blood vessel. She was very tough. I’m
proud of her.”
Despite a couple dozen fewer girls than last year, Vintage’s
tourney had “as good or better competition than last
year” according to Rob Lanterman.
Rob and his father, and tournament director, Jim Lanterman expected
roughly 230-250 wrestlers this weekend but a little fewer than 200
showed up due to two other girls tournaments being featured this
weekend.
“It cut into our numbers a little bit,” Rob
Lanterman said. “The top wrestlers still come here
regardless. The competition was outstanding; only three pins in the
final matches.”
Newton added, “It was a tough tournament, tougher than I
though it would be.”
Though it affected his tournament, Jim Lanterman wasn’t too
disappointed that other all-girls events were taking place as
he’s thrilled to see more doors opening for female wrestlers.
In fact, that was the primary reason he started the ASICS tourney 10
years ago.
“The idea of it is now they have good competition with
another girl,” Jim Lanterman said. “This tournament
sets a standard for the state rankings. You see progress in the growth
of the women’s sport and it’s good to
see.”
Jim Lanterman was especially thankful for all of the support and
assistance he received, adding that it was vital to run a two-day
tournament well. Many of Vintage’s boys wrestlers helped out
as well as several former grapplers such as Maika Watanabe and John
Arrambide.
“We’ve had a lot of excellent feedback on how the
tournament was run and all the help,” Jim Lanterman said.
“Everyone helps everyone. It’s like a sorority or
fraternity.
“We had very few injuries other than twists and turns. I deem
that a success, too, with this type of sport.”
Vintage hosts Wood on Wednesday while Napa travels to Fairfield. Both
matches begin at 6 p.m.
WAILUKU
— This wasn’t the Lahainaluna Invitational, but it
looked like it.
In the girls competition, Kamehameha Maui won its first MIL
wrestling title. The Warriors piled up 107 points to hold off Baldwin,
which finished with 79. Lahainaluna and Molokai tied for third with 42
apiece.
‘‘I told the girls that we had a good chance this
year and they proved it,’’ Kamehameha coach Tony
Souza said after Malia Medeiros won at 103 and Caronne Rozet won at 108
to lead the charge. ‘‘The girls have worked really
hard in the room this year and we are getting ready for state. I can
remember when we had only two girls in the room five years ago when we
started the program and now we have girls in 10 of 11 weight
classes.’’
UIL Girls Wrestling Championships
Saturday Results 95 pounds
Round 4 – Jessica Nguyen,
Houston Cypress Ridge p. Ofelia Valdez, Dallas Molina, 4:32; Nicole
Silva, El Paso Hanks d. Jenny Garza, Rio Grande City, 10-1.
Consolation – Jennifer
Gonzalez, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo d. Danisa Garcia, El Paso Bowie, 12-10;
Candy Martinez, Amarillo Caprock p. Neda Hassani, Frisco Centennial,
3:18; Ofelia Valdez, Dallas Molina p. Jennifer Gonzales, Pharr-San
Juan-Alamo Memorial, 4:22; Candy Martinez, Amarillo Caprock d. Jenny
Garza, Rio Grande City, 9-5.
Championship Round –
Champion: Jessica Nguyen, Houston Cypress Ridge p. Nicole Silva, El
Paso Hanks, 3:09; Third: Candy Martinez, Amarillo Caprock d. Ofelia
Valdez, Dallas Molina, 8-5; Fifth: Jenny Garza, Rio Grande City d.
Jennifer Gonzalez, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo Memorial, 2-0. 102 pounds
Round 4 – Alba Mendoza, El
Paso Franklin p. Rachel Guajardo, Katy Mayde Creek, 3:55; Hilory
Cordero, Amarillo Caprock p. Whitney Watts, Vernon, 4:38.
Consolation – Courtney
Hole, Katy Taylor p. Arielle Salazar, Beeville A.C. Jones 3:14;
Alejandra Gomez, Houston Lee p. Elise Woodruff, Austin Lyndon B.
Johnson, 1:43; Courtney Hole, Katy Taylor p. Rachel Guajardo, Houston
Lee, 2:34; Alejandra Gomez, Houston Lee p. Whitney Watts, Vernon, 0:38.
Championship Round –
Champion: Hilory Cordero, Amarillo Caprock d. Alba Mendoza, El Paso
Franklin, 10-8; Third: Courtney Hole, Katy Taylor d. Alejandra Gomez,
Houston Lee, 12-0; Fifth: Rachel Guajardo, Katy Mayde Creek p. Whitney
Watts, Vernon, 1:17. 110 pounds
Round 4 – Emily Martin,
Frisco Centennial d. Lisa Martinez, Amarillo Caprock, 7-3; T.J. Cannon,
Arlington Bowie d. Taylor Busboom, Klein, 14-1.
Consolation – Krysta
Atkinson, Austin Lyndon B. Johnson d. Amy Lara, Dallas Molina, 6-4;
Brynn Suttles, Converse Judson p. Ashley Wilkes, Clute Brazoswood,
4:00; Lisa Martinez, Amarillo Caprock d. Krysta Atkinson, Austin Lyndon
B. Johnson, 11-1; Brynn Suttles, Converse Judson d. Taylor Busboom,
Klein, 12-1.
Championship Round –
Champion: Emily Martin, Frisco Centennial d. T.J. Cannon, Arlington
Bowie, 2-1; Third: Lisa Martinez, Amarillo Caprock d. Brynn Suttles,
Converse Judson, 9-2; Fifth: Taylor Busboom, Klein p. Krysta Atkinson,
Austin Lyndon B. Johnson, 2:48. 119 pounds
Round 4 – Maylene Garcia,
Corpus Christi Ray p. Nicole Almanza, Amarillo Caprock, 4:50; Liza
Gutierrez, El Paso Del Valle d. Mia Provence, Arlington Lamar, 8-4.
Consolation – Brittany
Rubalcado, Dallas Molina p. Angel Miller, Keller Central, 2:43; Julie
Smith, Houston Cypress Fairbanks d. Ariel Carmon, Austin Crockett,
12-4; Brittany Rubalcado, Dallas Molina d. Nicole Almanza, Amarillo
Caprock, 4-3; Mia Provence, Arlington Lamar d. Julie Smith, Houston
Cypress Fairbanks, 12-10.
Championship Round –
Champion: Liza Gutierrez, El Paso Del Valle d. Maylene Garcia, Corpus
Christi Ray, 10-6; Third: Mia Provence, Arlington Lamar p. Brittany
Rubalcado, Dallas Molina, 3:35; Fifth: Julie Smith, Houston Cypress
Fairbanks d. Nicole Almanza, Amarillo Caprock, 7-4. 128 pounds
Round 4 – Stephanie Han, El
Paso Irvin p. Katie Jones, Boys Ranch, 1:09; Luzette Villegas, Hereford
d. Anna Campos, Conroe Oak Ridge, 14-10.
Consolation – Kirsten
Strickler, Frisco p. Amanda Kelso, Waller, 2:48; Jodi Martinez,
Amarillo Tascosa d. Elizabeth Hawk, Friendswood Clear Brook, 6-1;
Kirsten Strickler, Frisco d. Katie Jones, Boys Ranch, 8-2; Jodi
Martinez, Amarillo Tascosa d. Anna Campos, Conroe Oak Ridge, 9-7.
Championship Round –
Champion: Stephanie Han, El Paso Irvin d. Luzaette Villegas, Hereford,
7-4; Third: Kirsten Strickler, Frisco d. Jodi Martinez, Amarillo
Tascosa, 13-5; Fifth: Katie Jones, Boys Ranch d. Anna Campos, Conroe
Oak Ridge, 12-1. 138 pounds
Round 4 – Tessa Plana,
Coppell p. Whitney Disotelle, Waller, 4:45; Daffney Barbosa, Amarillo
Caprock p. Frances Efiong, Arlington Lamar, 5:29.
Consolation – Beka Mahlow,
Arlington Martin p. Andrienna Moore, Killeen Shoemaker, 3:34; Julie
Stayton, Katy d. Lorraine Herrera, El Paso Andress, 5-3; Beka Mahlow,
Arlington Martin p. Whitney Disotelle, Waller, 1:52; Frances Efiong,
Arlington Lamar d. Julie Stayton, Katy, 4-3.
Championship Round –
Champion: Tessa Plana, Coppell p. Daffney Barbosa, Amarillo Caprock,
6:56; Third: Beka Mahlow, Arlington Martin d. Frances Efiong, Arlington
Lamar, 8-2; Fifth: Julie Stayton, Katy p. Whitney Disotelle, Waller,
2:02. 148 pounds
Round 4 – Shelby Fellers,
Waller p. Karra Stratton, Frisco Wakeland, 2:50; Breena Maul, Amarillo
Tascosa p. Julie De La Garza, Corpus Christi King, 5:28.
Consolation – Lauren
Marsolak, Coppell d. Kathleen Farmer, Katy, 10-1; Kristen Iruegas,
Hereford p. Bettina Castillo, El Paso Del Valle, 0:27; Karra Stratton,
Frisco Wakeland d. Lauren Marsolak, Coppell, 15-2; Julie De La Garza,
Corpus Christi King p. Kristen Iruegas, Hereford, 4:27.
Championship Round –
Champion: Breena Maul, Amarillo Tascosa p. Shelby Fellers, Waller,
2:51; Third: Karra Stratton, Frisco Wakeland d. Julie De La Garza,
Corpus Christi King, 8-6; Fifth: Kristen Iruegas, Hereford d. Lauren
Marsolak, Coppell, 13-1. 165 pounds
Round 4 – Katie Brackin,
Austin Lyndon B. Johnson d. Allannah Griego, Frisco, 3-2; Alana
Jimenez, Katy p. Brittany Jones, Coppell, 3:22.
Consolation – Rachel
Coleman, Dallas Kimball p. Cheryce Moss, Seguin, 2:45; Kendra Lewis,
Houston Cypress Ridge d. Courtney Bates, Waller, 3-1; Allannah Griego,
Frisco d. Rachel Coleman, Dallas Kimball, 6-3; Kendra Lewis, Houston
Cypress Ridge p. Brittany Jones, Coppell, 3:53.
Championship Round –
Champion: Alana Jimenez, Katy d. Katie Brackin, Austin Lyndon B.
Johnson, 6-1; Third: Kendra Lewis, Houston Cypress Ridge d. Allannah
Griego, Frisco, 5-2; Fifth: Brittany Jones, Coppell p. Rachel Coleman,
Dallas Kimball, 2:31. 185 pounds
Round 4 – Jamie Moore,
Cedar Park p. Meagan Fellers, Waller, 2:27; Jessica Scott, Arlington
Martin p. Dyondraia Williams, Arlington, 2:42.
Consolation – Walinda
Brown, Dallas Kimball d. Rachael Bryant, Killeen Shoemaker, 6-1;
Crystal Romero, El Paso Chapin d. Claudia Pena, Pharr-San Juan-Alamo,
14-4; Walinda Brown, Dallas Kimball d. Meagan Fellers, Waller, 14-7;
Crystal Romero, El Paso Chapin d. Dyondraia Williams, Arlington, 8-3.
Championship Round –
Champion: Jessica Scott, Arlington Martin p. Jamie Moore, Cedar Park,
2:52; Third: Walinda Brown, Dallas Kimball d. Crystal Romero, El Paso
Chapin, 3-2; Fifth: Dyondraia Williams, Arlington p. Meagan Fellers,
Waller, 3:58 215 pounds
For
the first time ever, a female high school wrestler
is headed to the county championship finals in Montgomery County.
Magruder High
School junior Helen Maroulis will take on last year's defending
champion.
Two years ago, Maroulis was Maryland's first
female to place in the
state championship in high school wrestling as a freshman. She was
sixth in the
112 pound weight class. In her junior year, Maroulis' record is 31 and
2, but
she wants a county championship title before heading back to states.
Maroulis
is the only girl in the county tournament, but she says that shouldn't
matter.
"Once I prove myself to them and show them that I'm there and I'm
serious
and want to work hard, they all respect that."
On the first day of the tournament, Maroulis
started by pinning
Churchill's Saam Tashayyod in 5 minutes and 24 seconds. Then, she beat
Walt
Whitman's Andrew Follman 13-to-3 in a major decision. In the
semi-finals,
Maroulis came from behind to defeat Chance Sellman of Damascus 14-to-8.
"Everybody's
gunning for her, so she's gotta be ready," said Magruder High School
assistant wrestling coach Kevin Phelps.
Maroulis' coaches said she's one of their
hardest workers and best
technical wrestlers. "She's one of the guys, except for not being able
to
go into the locker rooms, she's just a wrestler."
After the county championship finals, she goes
to regionals and then
states. She doesn't want to stop there. "I want to wrestle in college,
I
want to go to the Olympics, I just want to keep wrestling as long as I
can
because I just really enjoy it."
Maroulis has to beat defending champion Danny
Lethbridge of Paint
Branch in the county championship. Lethbridge has defeated Maroulis
three time
before, but in their only bout this year, Maroulis won 5-to-2.
Published: Feb 17 2008, 12:06 AM
· Updated: Feb 17 2008, 12:07 AM
“We had a tough tournament,” Simpson said.
“Last year, five of our six kids went to sections.”
Simpson added that he was impressed with Sarah Hubbard’s
courage at 103 pounds, considering Hubbard was still recovering from a
broken foot and had to ice the area after every match she wrestled.
Published: Feb 24 2008, 10:58 PM
· Updated: Feb 25 2008, 12:04 AM
While some of their fellow male
teammates were wrestling at the North Coast Section Championships
Saturday, five local Humboldt-Del Norte Conference girls were more than
holding their own while competing at the Girls NCS Championships at
Kennedy High School in Fremont.
Ferndale’s Sarah Hubbard, wrestling at 103 pounds,
finished in third place, and according to her head coach Kenny Simpson,
gave the No. 1 seed from Novato, Courtney Madson, all Madson could
handle before Hubbard lost by a couple of points.
“I thought that Hubbard against Madson was basically
the finals match. It was a good match,” Simpson said.
“Madson (ended up) advancing to the finals and won
14-3.”
Simpson added that if Hubbard had been healthy and not
battling a foot injury, she may have indeed defeated Madson and won the
103-pound bracket.
“Hubbard has only been on the mat for a couple of
weeks since breaking her foot a month ago,” Simpson said.
Ferndale’s other participant, Allana Gallaty, took
seventh place at 108 pounds and also was very competitive, coming up
just short against the eventual third-place finisher, San
Leandro’s Armina Guidry, in Gallaty’s first match
of the day.
“It was cool because Allana basically wrestled
everyone of her own talent,” Simpson said. “She had
to battle for every single point but she never got manhandled. I liked
seeing her get after it like that as a wrestling coach.”
Other local girls competing included South Fork’s
Kelsey Stillwell (122), who took third place, and Arcata’s
Brittany Beller (108), who gave a great effort against the top seed in
her bracket, Pittsburg’s Frankie Silva, according to Simpson.
Arcata’s Alesha Beller (122) also wrestled at the
NCS.
This marked the end of the season for these wrestlers, as
there are currently no state championships for girls.
Simpson was very proud with how all five locals performed, not
only at the NCS, but throughout the wrestling season.
Simpson pointed out that because of the smaller sizes of local
high schools, both Bellers, Stillwell, Gallaty and Hubbard spent most
of their time wrestling against boys at varsity tournaments and were
facing girls who had been competing at girls tournaments for an entire
season.
This made the local girls’ efforts, and placements,
all the more impressive.
“For them to get beat up by the toughest kids year
after year, and never complain about it, my hats are off to all of them
for that,” Simpson said.
In this, her first year of competitive wrestling, Kalani
sophomore Megan Yamaguchi was just supposed to be getting her feet wet.
Instead, Yamaguchi pulled off the biggest upset of the Oahu
Interscholastic Association Wrestling Championships yesterday,
defeating state champion and two-time OIA titlist Danica Auna of Kahuku
6-5 to win the league's 120-pound crown.
"When I came into the season my coach said that I should use
this first year of wrestling to get all the butterflies out, and set
some goals for my junior and senior years," Yamaguchi said. "It feels
so good. I guess I had played her so many times this year, I really
didn't expect to beat her, but my coaches, my teammates, they really
helped me prepare for this."
The championship is not the first for Yamaguchi, who is also
the defending state judo champion at 115 pounds.
Other favorites secured much better fates for themselves. The
Kaiser boys won their second consecutive OIA team title under coach
Mike Kim -- the program's eighth overall -- outscoring Pearl City
208-178.
"Last year was real exciting for us, finally breaking
through," said Kim, the 1980 state champion at 105 pounds. "This year,
it feels good to show that last year wasn't a fluke. The flu bug was
going around and some of it got into our room -- not everybody was
healthy for us. It's a testament to all of the kids, they've been
working hard all season and they all deserved it."
The Cougars were sparked once again by Jordan Spiker (103
pounds), who opened the championship round with a win, just as he did
at last year's league championships. Spiker was one of six Kaiser
wrestlers to advance to the finals. He was followed to the victory
stand by teammates Tyler King (125) and Byron Apo (130).
"Going into the finals, we were up 30 points in the team
standings," King said. "We had six guys in the finals and we knew it
would be tough for Pearl City to catch us. We competed well as a team
and had some good surprises. Our guy at 112 (Brantly Yakabe) was in JV
the whole year and he made it to the finals today."
Kahuku's girls also repeated, giving the Red Raiders their
fifth OIA title in the last six seasons, as Kalae Johnson (108 pounds)
and Amanda Soliai captured individual titles. The win was Soliai's
second at 155 pounds, making her one of six grapplers to add another
OIA title to their resumes. Spiker, Farrington's Taylor Iberra (98
pounds), Pearl City's Bill Takeuchi (112), and Lowen Tynanes (171) of
Kailua also repeated.
Farrington senior phenom Tani Ader took home her fourth OIA
championship while competing in her fourth different weight class,
defeating Cianah Hee of Kahuku in the finals for the second straight
year. Ader, also a two-time state champ, has now claimed league titles
at 108, 114, 120 and 125 pounds.
The top eight wrestlers in each weight class from the OIA
tournament advance to next weekend's Chevron/HHSAA State Wrestling
Championships at the Blaisdell Arena, set to begin on Friday.
"Punahou won it last year, and they'll be the heavily favored
again to win it all again," Kim said. "Kamehameha is looking tough,
too. It'll be hard for an OIA school to knock them off. This week we
want to get everybody healthy again and make a run at it."
After moving up a weight class from 106 pounds to 114 pounds,
Imperial High School senior Priscilla Caldera hasn’t been dominating the
wrestling mat like she has in previous years.
She found success at the CIF Southern Girls Regional
Wrestling Tournament this past weekend at Channels Island High in
Oxnard.
She finished 5-0 at the tournament pinning her way to the top
spot on the podium. Her biggest pin came in the championship against Krystian
Johnson of Great Oak High in the second period.
“I feel I wrestled a good
tournament, but before finals I was real nervous going into the match” Caldera
said.
It’s the third straight time Caldera has taken home the gold from
this tournament.
Caldera wasn’t the only local girl to do well at the
tournament. Her freshman sister, Junnette, finished third in the 98-pound weight
class.
So far this season, Caldera is 7-7 against boys in high school
tournaments.
“I feel like I’m wrestling well being up a weight, it’s just the competition is
harder at the tournaments this year” Caldera said. “I plan on wrestling a good
tournament this weekend at the 106-pound weight class, the same class I plan on
competing in at CIF (San Diego Section Division IV tournament).”
This
weekend, she will test her skills in the Holtville Rotary tournament. It will be
her first tournament this season at 106 pounds.
As for her goals, she
hopes to win the CIF tournament as an individual, with her team and place at
Masters. Last season, Caldera made history by becoming the first girl to ever
win a section tournament in the state.
If Caldera succeeds in placing at
the sectionals, she will become the first four-time placer for the
Tigers.
Being in her last year at Imperial, Caldera is making plans for
her future.
“I plan on attending Menlo College to continue my wrestling
and studies” Caldera said.
Menlo College is one of only three schools in
California that has a wrestling program for girls in the NAIA
Division.
Caldera and the Tigers will host Southwest in Imperial Valley
League action at 7 tonight in Imperial.
By Rudy Coggins
Published in Sports
on February 25, 2008 02:25 PM
WINSTON-SALEM -- Josh Robinson and Jarrett Covar each
recorded a top-five finish, while Olivia Neal concluded her record-setting
career in the N.C. High School Athletic Association individual wrestling
championships this weekend.
A senior heavyweight from Southern Wayne, senior dropped
his opening-round match Friday morning to Meko James, a senior from perennial
power Parkland. However, Robinson recorded five consecutive victories in
consolation-round action and emerged third overall.
Covar, a senior at Charles B. Aycock, marched into
Saturday's semifinal round with back-to-back decisions in the 215-pound weight
class. He lost to eventual state champion Christian McLean of Southwest
Guilford, but worked his way back to a fifth-place showing.
"Jarrett peaked at the right time of the season," said
Aycock coach Mark Bass. "He won a conference championship, a regional
championship and placed one spot higher than last year. That's a strong finish
to the season, considering he met the state champion who dominated his weight
class."
Television cameramen, photographers and everyone else in
attendance kept a watchful eye on Neal -- the first-ever female to qualify for
the state meet. The senior 103-pounder from Rosewood didn't disappoint, either,
with a first-round pin of Bandys' Ray Farnsworth, the state's No. 2-ranked
wrestler in the Classes 1-A/2-A division.
Neal turned her final opponent, Cody DeCamp of South
Davidson, on his back as time expired in her season-ending match. She logged a
2-2 ledger during the two-day event, and tied for seventh overall.
"Olivia is a winner by simply making it to this level,"
said Rosewood coach Bill Edmundson. "She made some believers this weekend and
opened up opportunities for other female athletes. Olivia is a great ambassador
for Wayne County and Rosewood High School."
The remaining 13 wrestlers who comprised the Wayne County
contingent compiled a combined record of 7-26.
Eastern Wayne senior Chris Tesar lost his opening-round
match at 125 pounds and eventually ended his career with a 201-11 record. Tesar
won four conference titles, four regional titles and earned three top-four
finishes on the state level.
Fellow Warriors Jordan Harris, Zach Hahn, Brandon Darby
and Foy Coley each finished 0-2. Hahn, Darby and Coley lost to Parkland
wrestlers in first-round action.
Aycock's Kevin Carmel and Khiry Reid, who re-aggravated a
leg injury, each posted a 1-2 mark. Carmel notched a team-best 51 victories.
Teammate Drake Gurley went 0-2 in his final tournament appearance.
"Drake and Kevin each had a phenomenal year," said Bass.
"You hate to see the season end the way it did for Khiry. That three-week injury
caused him to take a medical default in the state tournament."
Southern Wayne's Tristan Bass went 2-2, while teammate
John Futrell claimed one win in the double-elimination tournament. Dustin
Richards was 0-2 at 140 pounds.
Rosewood's Josh Holmes registered one win in three tries
at 145 pounds on the 1-A/2-A scene. Heavyweight Trevor Morris made the trip, but
did not participate due to a torn medial collateral ligament in his knee.
by Natalie Dunleavy
E-mail: sports@nnsl.com
Monday, February 25, 2008
Support to sport
The Canadian Olympic Committee (COC) is accepting applications for a new
scholarship aimed at supporting female high school athletes in post-secondary
education.
The 2008 Carol Anne Letheren Leadership and Sport Scholarship is a national,
three-year $1,500 annual university award presented to one outstanding female
high school graduate.
Applicants must be in their graduating year, applying to a Canadian
university or college in business or sport-related fields, and demonstrate
qualities and personal values that personify that of the Olympics.
The award is named after the late Carol Anne Letheren, former chief executive
officer of the COC.
Posted by: Dave Buck on
January 11, 2008 at 5:33PM
EST
There's an interesting discussion on the comments from my story on the Gillette-NC wrestling match on Friday, Jan. 4, in
Casper. The comments are mostly about Jessica Brenton, Trey Gladson, their match
and female wrestlers. People who commented include Brenton, Brenton's mom,
Gladson's mom and Philip Young, an NC wrestler, among others.
Here is
how I saw the situation:
(Note: this is my first year covering wrestling, so
I am new to the rules and some of the jargon.)
After the 103 match, NC's
Neil Williams reported to the scorers' table for the 112 match. Williams was
listed on my roster/program at 119 along with Gillette's Tyler Cox.
There had been multiple changes to the roster I had. Most of the changes
were by Gillette. I was in NCHS's gym for the lineup announcement, but didn't
have a roster yet because they needed to print more. Comments below my article
said Williams was announced at the start of the meet at 119.
Gillette
coach Tom Seamans came to the scorers' table after Williams reported because the
NC wrestler was listed at 119. Brenton was listed at 112. NC coach Scott Russell
and the referee soon joined the discussion at the scorers' table. Russell said
that both Williams and Brenton weighed in at an acceptable weight to wrestle at
112. The ref said he was not there for the weigh-in and, if I recall correctly,
asked Seamans if he wanted to protest the match.
Eventually things got sorted out and Cox, a two-time state champion,
pinned Williams in the first period of the 112 match.
Brenton then
wrestled Gladson in the 119 match and she pinned him in the first
period.
From my perspective the people listed at 112 and 119 switched for
each team, just as other people from Gillette had switched spots. I do not know
this for sure, but I would bet the programs are printed hours before the
weigh-in and meet, thus accounting for the number of changes for Gillette other
than 112 and 119 from my program.
Going into the 112 match, when all the
confusion started, the meet score was 26-5. The final score was
38-14.
Brenton said this in her comment below my article, "We didn't
cheat and we weren't unfair in any way! Who cares? It's not like that match
changed anything, except added six points to our side. GILLETTE WON! So just
drop it."
She is correct in that the match didn't change the outcome of
the match. After Cox earned his pin the score was 32-5. There were three matches
left -- Brenton in 119, 125 and 135. If NC earned six points in each match with
a pin, the final would be 32-23. So even if NC earned the max points, it would
still lose by nine points.
Here are a few quotes about the
confusion:
Gillette coach Tom Seamans:
"I think we gave up one pin
tonight (in 119 to Brenton). That was a situation where we got caught about
three seconds into the period and had to try to fight off our back for a minute
50 (seconds)."
"We got pinned at 119... That's an expectation. (NC)
brought a kid down to wrestle (Tyler Cox). Many of his matches are mismatches.
He's probably at about an 80-match winning streak, he's very
solid."
Jessica Brenton:
Me: Were you expected to go against the
person you did? I know the weight classes kind of switched.
Jessica Brenton:
No, I was supposed to wrestle 112, but they bumped me up to '19s.
Me: Is that
so you wouldn't have to wrestle against Cox?
JB: Yeah.
Me: Did you want
to go against him?
JB: Not 'til state, anyway.
That's my take on the
situation.
Many of the comments on the story had to do with the morals /
merits of girls wrestling boys. I've seen NC wrestle twice, and both times
Brenton pinned her opponent and looked impressive. She also won the Lusk
Invitational.
As for my take on female wrestlers, I think they can
create great storylines, just as male athletes can. The idea of girls wrestling
isn't new, but it can be unique depending on how often it happens in an area. I
learned at an early age from "Saved By The Bell" that girls do wrestle and can be good at
it.
While some of their fellow male
teammates were wrestling at the North Coast Section Championships
Saturday, five local Humboldt-Del Norte Conference girls were more than
holding their own while competing at the Girls NCS Championships at
Kennedy High School in Fremont.