Five Falcon wrestlers head to district meet

Published 11:00 am Saturday, February 14, 2004

Five South Whidbey High School wrestlers are competing today because they were able to get the job done last Saturday.

At Mount Baker High School Feb. 7 for the North Cascades Conference Championship, the Falcons earned two championship and three other top-three placings to qualify a small but potent group of wrestlers for today’s Region 1 championship at Mountlake Terrace High School.

In getting there, the Falcons had to make some gains on last year’s performance. Champions in 2003, seniors Ben Harris and Phil Schorr came back for Saturday’s championship to be the top dogs again, though this time in heavier weight brackets. After making an easy run into the title bout at 112 pounds, Schorr fought a close battle against Brandon Monteith of Mount Baker. Down 2-3 after the first round, Schorr came back in the second to score a two-point reverse, giving him the 4-3 lead. In the third round, he scored two more points on a takedown to win 6-3.

Harris, who got to his championship bout after pinning his first two tournament opponents, had an easier time of it. Against Brady Emmons of Blaine, the 171-pound Harris was ungiving, scoring five points over three rounds but giving up nothing in the process. This was the second time this season Harris had blanked Emmons, so the outcome was not unexpected. Harris said he just wanted to get the victory, then concentrate on the coming district meet.

“I wrestled pretty conservative,” he said.

Making a big improvement over his performance at the NCC meet a year ago, senior Conley White made it to his first-ever championship bout at the event. Up to 135 pounds from the 130 at which he took fourth in the NCC last season, White took a thumping from his opponent, Colt Warren of Mount Baker, which relegated him to second place. Down 4-1 after the first round, he gave up another seven points in the second before getting caught in two near falls in the third to lose 22-5.

Another lopsided final-round bout went in favor of South Whidbey when 119-pound junior Tyler Rueth gapped Blaine rival John Bradley 11-1 in a battle for third place. After taking third at 112 pounds in 2003, Rueth was in command of the bout from beginning to end, taking the bout with a combination of takedowns and near falls.

Also winning a consolation final and a spot at the district meet was junior Kyle Calkins. Wrestling at 160 pounds, Calkins was clearly looking to pin his opponent Garrett Borgabous of Lakewood, taking him down three times and scoring a three-point near fall. In the end, he had to settle for a 9-1 decision, as Borgabous’ shoulders never did settle on the mat.

The Falcons had several other wrestlers place at the NCC meet, but only those who placed in the top four qualified for district competition. Taking an unlikely fifth place was 152-pound Keith Ryder. After falling behind teammate Eric Flister 8-3 in the first round of their fifth-sixth place bout, he rolled Flister to his back for the pin and the victory.

Also taking fifth place against a teammate was Matt Long. The 145-pound freshman did not earn the placing easily. After scoring a two-point takedown against junior Nick Martinovic in the first round, Long had to protect his lead over the next two rounds as neither wrestler was able to score. Long won the bout 2-0.

If any wrestlers drop out of the 152 and 145-pound divisions at the district meet, Ryder and Long would wrestle, since they are alternates in their weight classes.