BY JOHN RENSHAW •
This e-mail address is being protected from spambots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it
• JANUARY 21, 2010
| HURRICANE - When Hurricane wrestler J.D. Ritchey stepped onto the mat Wednesday night, the senior simply had redemption on the mind.
It was only two weeks ago that Ritchey lost to Cedar's Tanner Tavoian in a highly competitive duel.
Yes, the Tigers ultimately won the contest, but in wrestling, it's as much of an individual sport as it is a team sport.
Suffice to say, Ritchey wasn't satisfied.
The Tigers' third year letterman more than evened the series with his counterpart this season after a dominating 10-5 win over Tavoian in the 171-pound weight class - a result that complimented the Tigers'
convincing 43-22 win.
"I wanted to come out and dominate the first round," Ritchey said. "Staying patient was a key too because I wasn't the last match."
Cedar - who was wrestling without standout Larsen Cottam due to a coach's decision after he didn't meet weight specifics - was very much in the contest late.
But Ritchey's win increased the Tigers' lead from 28-16 to 31-16, setting the wheels in motion to the Tigers closing out two of the last three matches with pins.
Tavoian did keep Ritchey at bay in the first round, but soon fell behind early in the second, 7-2.
Yet, Tavoian fought back and closed the gap to 8-4 late. Ritchey regained position and eventually closed the deal with two more points.
Hurricane had momentum from beginning to end.
The Tigers' Dakota Olsen increased the team lead to 18-4 after pinning Jessie Doucet of their first round.
The Reds, though, were too talented to go quietly into the night.
Second-year Hurricane (3-2 in region) coach Mike Randall said Cedar's Code Hone is a stud of an athlete and knew he'd be tough to beat Wednesday.
And he was right.
Hone (135) made quick work of Tyler Stout, pinning the letterman with 19 seconds left in their first round. Cedar's Travis Bass def. Jace Jackson in the most thrilling match of the evening in the ensuing
match.
Bass squeaked out the 11-10 win in three rounds.
After building a 7-3 lead in the second, Jackson slowly chipped away but ran out of time. Spectators watched in suspense as the pair swapped clever moves and battled for mat position.
But with the Tigers' once large lead cut to 18-13, Zach Prince reversed the momentum in the next match with an 11-3 win over Chris Lucky.
"This is a good win for us. We've been up and down all season," Randall said. "We're a young team, just a few seniors, but we're working hard and getting better. With only three weeks left until the state tournament, we need to be."
Randall added this Tigers lineup isn't star-studded, but it can be solid from top to bottom. - just as long as everyone does their fair share on the mat.
|
|
Activities 
