Highline Men's Wrestling 2009-10 Season
NJCAA Nationals (Feb. 26/27, 2010)
Nationals 2/26-2/27
The past weekend we wrapped up the end of our wrestling season
in Des Moines, Iowa. Unfortunately, we didn’t have the
fairy tale ending we had hoped for, however, we did produce 4
All-Americans, and 3 of them became 2 x All-Americans.
At 125, Justin Purves had a rocky season, however, he wrestled
extremely tough at nationals. He became a 2 x
All-American. He finished 7th, with his lone losses coming
to the National Champion Joe Colone in the quarterfinals, and
lost to Kyle McCrite (NIC) who finished 3rd to advance through
the consolation rounds.
At 133, Aaron Smith was forced to battle through some neck
injuries that were causing stingers down his arm. Smith
advanced to the semi-finals, but was turned away by Omi Accosta.
Aaron lost in the consolation finals to Tim Thurston of Iowa
Lakes. However, Aaron did become a 2 x All-American.
Jason Gray started the tournament seeded #2. However, he
was upset in the quarterfinals by David Dejesus 3-0. Then,
the next day he drew Tanner Kampmen ( Iowa Central), whom Jason
had pinned a month earlier, however, this time Kampmen turned
the tables. Jason did become an All-American.
Marshall Giovannini was ranked #1 all season. However,
once again he was robbed in the semifinals. In the first
period, he shot a double, stood up with the kid, and then set
him down and coming dangerously close to scoring near fall pts.
Ironically, the kid cried out and the referee would not award
the takedown or near fall. At the very least it was a
takedown. This match in particular was highly scrutinized,
because so many people saw it. Personally, it made me want
to puke. Marshall ended up losing 5-4. In his next
match, he drew Tarrence Williams of Clackamas, who defeated
Marshall in the Region Championships. Marshall used a
series of single leg take downs to defeat Tarrence 9-4.
Giovannini was defeated in the match for third, but did become a
2 x All-American.
At 197, Daren Faber may have had one of the worst draws yet.
He drew Carl Frohnside from Iowa Central who was ranked #2
during year, and who had pinned him 3 weeks earlier. Faber
wrestled a brilliant match, until the last 5 seconds.
Faber was winning with 5 seconds left by 1 point, and then shot
in and was taken down. In his next draw, he drew the
defending national champ at 184 from a year ago and lost.
Faber had a great tournament, but a very difficult year.
Darren will come back next season, and definitely challenge for
a national title
David Lopez lost his first 2 matches at heavyweight.
Overall, the team wrestled well. We put
together a
great team and we had an excellent season. We had multiple
kids that were ranked1st all year, they just came up short on
the last tournament. However, they represented Highline
extremely well. We also posted 12 wrestlers to the
All-Academic Team. This requires the wrestler to complete
a 3.0 or higher. We were very proud of how the kids
competed all year, and the fact that they will be moving on to 4
year schools.
from Coach Scott Norton March 10, 2010
NJCAA Region XVIII Championships (Feb
13, 2010)
First Place Team - North Idaho (94.5 points)
Second Place Team - Clackamas (75 points)
Third
Place Team - Highline (66.5)
Fourth Place Team -
Southwestern Oregon (60 points)
Fifth Place Team - Yakima
(34 points)
125 lbs
1st - Kyle McCrite (NIC)
2nd - Justin Purves (HCC)
3rd - John
Reese (CCC)
157 lbs
1st - Terrance Williams (CCC)
2nd - Marshal Giovaninni (HCC)
3rd - Jesse
Chunn (SWOC)
197 lbs
1st - Kameron Jackson (NIC)
2nd -
Darren Faber (HCC)
3rd - Tim Hester (SWOC)
133 lbs
1st - Aaron Smith (HCC)
2nd - Ryan Arrand (SWOC)
3rd - Mitch Giberson (CCC)
165 lbs
1st - Jake McCoy (SWOC)
2nd - Jesse
Nielson (NIC)
3rd - Derek Mestrovich (CCC)
Heavyweight
1st - Roger McCovey (NIC)
2nd - Kyle
Stults (YVCC)
3rd - Rudy Schaffroth (CCC)
141 lbs
1st - Anthony Weerheim (CCC)
2nd - Jake
Stanley (SWOC)
3rd - Anthony Owens (YVCC)
174 lbs
1st - Stevie Vasquez (NIC)
2nd - Jake
Morris (CCC)
3rd - Anibal Vasques (SWOC)
Five "Wild
Card" selections voted on by the head coach's who will advance
to Nationals as well:
Kenny Sanders (125) Yakima
McKray
Jones (149) North Idaho
Joey Pieroti (157) North Idaho
Caleb Kociemba (197) Clackamas
David Lopez (285)
Highline
149 lbs
1st - Jason
Gray (HCC)
2nd - Trent Stevenson (SWOC)
3rd -
Jack Calvert (YVCC)
184 lbs
1st - Celic Bell (NIC)
2nd - Brandon
Jackson (CCC)
3rd - Benji Martin (YVCC)
The Region 18 "Coach of the Year" award winner is Scott Norton from Highline College.
The Region 18 2010 Wrestling Championship Tournament -
"Outstanding Wrestling" award
winner is Tarrence Williams
(157 pounds) from Clackamas College.
Wyoming Duals
(Jan. 29/30)
#4Northwest Wyoming vs. #7Highline
Justin Purves hung on for a decision over Philip Grout
8-2. In a battle of All-Americans, Aaron Smith knocked off
Saul Guerro 13-8, who did nothing but back up the entire match.
It was a very frustrating match to watch. Highline
forfeited at 141, due to Sam Ottow being lost for the year for a
kidney problem. #1 ranked Jason Gray d. Bobby Robins 5-1.
Marshall Giovannini beat Brenton Briston 3-2. Tyler Story
won a tight match over Zach Oppenheimer 4-3. However, that
would be all the wins Highline could muster. Northwest
Wyoming took over on the strength of their upperweights.
However, the Thunderbirds had an excellent showing against them.
#1Iowa Central vs. #7Highline
Things
didn’t go so well against Iowa Central who have won the
Nationals the last 4 straight years. Highline was only
able to come away with 2 wins. However, one of them came
when #1 ranked Jason Gray pinned #2 ranked Tanner Kampman.
Jason scored early with a pair of takedowns, and then threw him
to his back for the fall in the 2nd round. The other
victory came as Marshall Giovannini continued his winning ways
over Bendon Parker from Iowa Central 4-2.
From Coach Scott Norton Feb. 10, 2010
The Men's Wrestling Team finished 1-2, losing 39-9 to
Iowa Central Community College (results)
and 26-15 to Northwest College (results),
and winning its meet against Western Wyoming College 29-15 (results).
Successful Highline wrestlers included Jason Gray and
Marshall Giovaninni, who both went 3-0 in their individual
matches, Sam Ottow winning his only match (1-0), Jason Purves
(2-1), and Aaron Smith (1-1).
Highline Community College - 29 Western Wyoming
College - 15
125 Justin Purves Wheat, Michael W DEC
5 - 3
133 Sam Ottow Bassett, Jacob W MD 15 - 2
149
Jason Gray Petersen, Hayden W DEC 10 - 6
157
Marshall Giovaninni Dollar, Rodney W MD 13 - 4
165 Tyler
Story Hammond, Jerod L DEC 3 - 6
174 Tate Collins Evans,
Cole L DEC 3 - 7
184 Theo Mcclain-Burrell Forfeit W NOMATCH
197 Darren Faber Forfeit W NOMATCH
285 Victor Ognoskie
Farnsworth, Rusty W DEC 6 - 3
Northwest College - 26 Highline Community
College - 15
125 Justin Purves Grout, Philip
W DEC 8 - 2
133 Aaron Smith Guerrero, Saul W DEC 13 - 8
149 Jason Gray Robins, Bobby W DEC 5 - 1
157
Marshall Giovaninni Brenton, Briston W DEC 3 - 1
165 Tyler
Story Oppenheimer, Zach W DEC 4 - 3
174 Tate Collins
Petersen, Nick L MD 14 - 0
184 Theo Mcclain-Burrell Baker,
Jarrett L FALL 2:29
197 Darren Faber Jones, Makensey L MD 1
- 10
285 Victor Ognoskie Harris, Landon L FALL 6:21
Iowa Central Community College - 39 Highline
Community College - 9
125 Justin Purves Colon,
Joe L FALL 5:30
133 Aaron Smith Garofalo, Michael L DEC 8 -
14
149 Jason Gray Kampen, Tanner W FALL 4:42
157
Marshall Giovaninni Parker, Bendon W DEC 4 - 2
165 Tyler
Story Vega, Juan L DEC 6 - 8
174 Tate Collins Kersten, Kody
L FALL :40
184 Theo Mcclain-Burrell Pica, Dominic L FALL :54
197 Darren Faber Foreside, Carl L FALL :40
285
Victor Ognoskie Mandzik, Philip L DEC 4 - 9
Statistics courtesy of the National Wrestling Coaches
Association Scorebook Stat Tracker
http://www.nwcaonline.com/nwcaonline/results/ColScorebook/MeetResults.aspx
Highline wins over Yakima Valley Community
College 36- 13
(January 26, 2010)
Despite having 2 starters out of the line-up we were still able
to have a strong showing against Yakima. The entire meet
took 60 min.
Justin Purves started it out at 125, by pinning Kenny Sanders.
Aaron Smith then received a forfeit at 133, however, we gave 6
pts. back by forfeiting at 141. Sam Ottow was out with a
kidney infection.
Yakima then attempted to bump the
141 pounder to 149, but Jason Gray pinned Anthony Owens.
Yakima got their first win, as Brad Sweet defeated Spencer
Kalebac who was filling in for Marshall Giovannini.
Tyler Story won at 165 over Adam Thies 2-0. Yakima won
there only other match at 174, as Joel Veloni defeated Theo
Burrel 7-3. Tate Collins then pinned his opponent.
Darren Faber then followed with a tight 6-5 match over Tyler
Bullington. Rounding out the meet, David Lopez pinned Kyle
Stults. The final score was 36-13. This weekend we
will head to Wyoming to take on #1 ranked Iowa Central, and #4
Northwest Wyoming. We are looking forward to the tough
competition.
from Coach Scott Norton Jan. 28, 2010
125
Justin Purves
Sanders, Kenny W FALL
133
Aaron Smith Forfeit W NO MATCH
141
Pena, Chris L NO MATCH
149 Jason Gray
Owens, Anthony W FALL
157
Spencer Kabelac
Sweet, Brad L MD 0 - 14
165 Tyler Story
Thies, Adam W DEC 2 - 0
174 Theo Mcclain-Burrell
Veloni, Joel L DEC 3 - 7
184
Tate Collins Forfeit W FALL
197 Darren Faber
Bullington, Tyler W DEC 6 - 5
285
David Lopez
Stults, Kyle W FALL
Simon
Frasier/ Clackamas/ Pacific Dual (Jan. 23, 2010)
"We had some stellar performances against Clackamas at 133 Aaron
Smith, and 149 Jason Gray. The two looked like two
champions on a mission as they put points on the board all 7
min. They looked phenomenal. Spencer Kalebac also
had a terrific match at 157. “I think Spencer surprised
himself a little bit, he has really come a long way.” The
final score was 19-18 Highline. Highline was deducted 1
team pt."
from Coach Scott Norton Jan. 26, 2010
Highline wins over Clackamas 19-18
125
Justin Purves Reese, John L DEC 2 - 4
133 Aaron Smith
Forfeit W MD 12 - 4
141 Sam Ottow Weerheim, Anthony L DEC 3
- 9
149 Jason Gray Goldsberry, William W MD 20 - 9
157
Spencer Kabelac Williams, Tarrence L DEC 11 - 13
165 Tyler
Story Fistolera, Joseph W DEC 9 - 4
174
Theo Mcclain-Burrell Morris, Jake L FALL 3:58
184
Tate Collins Dumolt, Nick W DEC 8 - 4
197 Darren Faber
Kociemba, Caleb L DEC 2 - 7
Highline wins over
Simon Fraser 31-19
125 Justin Purves Lum, JJ W FALL
4:47
133 Aaron Smith Ostapowich, Thomas W TF 19 - 4 ()
141 Sam Ottow Swain, Daniel L DEC 3 - 7
149 Jason Gray
Cappus, Michael W TF 19 - 3 ()
157 Marshall Giovaninni
Arcand, Max W FALL 0:52
165 Tyler Story Virk, Arminder W
DEC 6 - 1
174 Tate Collins Dreves, Pano L MD 4 - 12
184
Theo Mcclain-Burrell Hanson, Clete L FALL 1:31
197
Darren Faber Forfeit W NO MATCH
285 David Lopez Bhullar,
Arjan L FALL 5:37
Highline wins over
Pacific University 40-0
125 Justin Purves Binkard,
Zach W MD 11 - 1
133 Aaron Smith Wolfe, Andrew W MD 24 - 12
141 Sam Ottow Honl, Seth W DEC 10 - 7
149 Jason Gray
Kramer, Dakota W DEC 11 - 9
157 Marshall Giovaninni Hyland,
Ken W MD 17 - 9
165 Tyler Story Shay, Nathan W DEC 11 - 5
174 Tate Collins Branson, Jordon W MD 14 - 6
184
Theo Mcclain-Burrell Streng, Niklas W DEC 6 - 4
197
Darren Faber Neu, Ronald W FALL 2:35
285 David Lopez Forfeit
W NO MATCH
Clackamas Open Jan. 16,
2010
The Thunderbirds headed south to Portland this past
weekend. The team got off to an excellent start as they
put 4 wrestlers in the Semi-Finals in Justin Purves 125, Aaron
Smith 133, Jason Gray 149, and Marshall Giovannini 157.
These have been our most consistent wrestlers all year.
Justin was beating his nemesis from SWOOC in Thomas Gowing, when
he was in on a leg and tried a poor finish that brought Gowing
on top of him, and provided him with 5 pts.
In his next
match, Clackamas had forfeited to Purves, and then re-entered
their wrestler after they had pulled him out of the tournament.
It was a very weak move on their part.
Purves then
went on to top Kyle McCrite of NIC who had beaten him two days
earlier. He wrestled pretty well. He just needs to
iron out the mistakes.
At 133, Aaron Smith fell to former
Oregon State wrestler Eric Stevenson who was extremely good in
college, but graduated 3 years ago. Unfortunately, Aaron
was unable to get himself ready for his next match, and lost to
Ryan Arrand of SWOOC. Aaron won 4 matches.
At 149,
Jason Gray continued to mow down the competition, as he added 3
more wins to his record. He is currently 25-4, and
undefeated amongst Junior College competition.
The #1 ranked
wrestler in the country, Marshall Giovannini only wrestled 2
matches due to the flu.
Tyler Story and David Lopez also won
2 matches each. Tyler is really wrestling well right now.
He could really surprise some people at the nationals.
Come
watch the Thunderbirds wrestle Clackamas, Simon Frasier, and
Pacific this Sat. Jan. 23. Action begins at 3PM and
continues till all the duals are over.
From Coach Scott
Norton January 20, 2010
North Idaho vs. Highline Jan. 13, 2010
Tonight the #6 Thunderbirds took on 3rd ranked North Idaho at
Highline. Returning All-American Justin Purves was
defeated by Kyle McCrite 11-5. That was definitely a
match we needed. I was a bit surprised we came out on the
short end of the stick there.
Quickly turning the tide was #2
ranked Aaron Smith of Highline, as he posted a major decision
19-9 over PJ Reich.
Freshman Sam Ottow slammed the door on
Nick Harris who had defeated him earlier in the year.
Midway through the first period, Sam put the legs on and turned
Nick in a force half for the fall.
Next up was #1 ranked
Jason Gray who defeated Macray Jones by a major decision 10-2.
It was actually an exhibition match because Macray missed
weight.
Immediately following, was Highline’s other #1 ranked
wrestler in Marshall Giovannini who defeated nemesis Joey
Pierotti 7-4. Marshall had a pair of takedowns, while
Pierotti was unable to muster an offensive point.
Tyler Story
took to the mat at 165. He took on Jesse Nielson who had
beaten him decisively earlier in the year. Story came up
short in the last round and fell 4-2, however, the match was
extremely close.
At 174, Theo-Burrel was decisioned by Steve
Vasquez 15-2. Meanwhile, Tate Collins was defeated by
Celic Bell 18-7.
We forfeited at 197, as Daren Faber
continues to recover from surgery.
The most exciting match of
the meet was at Heavyweight as David Lopez took on 3rd ranked
Roger McCovey. In a sea-saw battle, both teams were
standing on the sidelines. It was tied in the final
minute, but McCovey secured a late takedown with 4 seconds left.
The final score of the meet was NIC 23, Highline 19. I
was very pleased with how our kids competed. They gave me
maximum effort through all weights, and we are improving, and
that is what is most important. We will wrestle in the
Clackamas Open this Sat.
Justin Purves 5 , Kyle McCrite 11
Aaron Smith 19 md. 9
Sam Ottow fall over Nick Harris 2:29
rnd. 1
Jason Gray 10 md. Macray Jones 2 Exhibition Highline
gets forfeit
Marshall Giovannini 7 d. Joey Pierotti 4
Tyler story 2 , Jesse Nielsen 4
Theo Burrell 2, Steve
Velasquez 15
Tate Collins 7, Celic Bell 18
FF,
Kamren Jackson
David Lopez 4, Roger McCovey 2
From Coach Scott Norton December 6, 2009
SWOOC Jan. 10, 2010
Highline lost its match
with Southwestern Oregon 19-18. According to the Oregon South
Coast newspaper
The World, both teams forfeited one match in the dual and
they split the other eight matches, each winning four decisions.
The difference came at 184 pounds, where Hank Turner earned a
12-4 major decision over Tate Collins. The four points for
Turner's win were just enough to give the Lakers the victory.
From Coach Scott Norton:
This past Sunday was our first
meet since the break. Unfortunately, our team looked
very lethargic, and wrestled pretty poorly.
Justin Purves
fell to Thomas Gowing 10-6.
Aaron Smith posted a solid
11-5 decision over Ryan Arrand.
At 141lbs, Sam Ottow
found himself down by 6 pts. going into the 3 period. Sam
reeled off a series of takedowns but came up short 12-14
in a loss to Jacob Stanley. Jason Gray, the number 1
ranked wrestler in the country, dominated highly touted Trent
Stevenson 7-1.
Marshall Giovannini then won a close decision
over Jesse Chun 5-3.
Nathan West received a forfeit at
165
Tyler Story, wrestling up a weight at 174, lost to
Anibal Vasquez 7-3, as he was caught in
a head-lock. We lost Casey park, our normal starter, due
to a season ending shoulder injury.
Tate Collins lost to Hank
Turner at 184 by a major decision 12-4.
Highline was then
forced to forfeit at 197, due to Daren Faber coming back from a
surgery in mid- December.
Last was Hwt. David Lopez
who wrestled his first match of the year, won decisively, after
being out the first half with a knee injury.
Southwestern
Oregon Dec.11, 2009
The 6th ranked
Thunderbirds took to the mat at high noon and defeated
Southwestern Oregon, 28-15.
All-American Justin Purves was upset 4-2 by Thomas Gowing, even
though Purves shot 8 times and Gowing was content to hang out in
a front headlock. Number 1 ranked, Aaron Smith added a
major decision over Ryan Arand 13-5. Meanwhile, Sam Otto
pinned Matt Pride at 141. Jason Gray ranked #2 in the
nation at 149, had to come back with a fall after he was caught
in a double arm bar. Marshall Giovaninni also won 13-1
major decision over Jesse Chun. Tate Collins also posted a
victory over Matt Parson’s 8-3. The top performance went
to Daren Faber 197, who posted a technical fall 17-2 over
Washington stand out Tim Hester. Highline will return to
the mats 1/9/10 Sat. at 12:00 PM.
Highline Southwestern Oregon
125 Purves, Justin Thomas Gowing Loss Decision 2 - 4
133 Smith, Aaron Ryan Arand Win Major Decision 13 - 5
141
Ottow, Sam Matt Pride Win Fall 4:21
149 Gray, Jason Trent
Stevenson Win Fall 5:21
157 Giovaninni, Marshall Jesse Chunn
Win Major Decision 13 - 1
165 West, Nate Jacob McCoy Loss
Fall 4:25
174 Story, Tyler Jake Rice Loss Decision 2 -
3
184 Collins, Tate Matt Parsons Win Decision 8 - 3
197
Faber, Darren Tim Hester Win Technical Fall 17 - 2
285 Ognoskie, Victor Brandon Moseley Loss Decision 6 - 4
From Coach Scott Norton December 11, 2009
Clackamas/Pacific Dec. 5, 2009
The 6th ranked Thunderbirds were without 2 of their best
wrestlers this past weekend. Marshall Giovaninni 157 and
Aaron Smith 133 were unable to compete due to the flu, and they
were severely missed.
In the
first meet, their absence was barely missed. Highline was
all over Pacific as they dominated them 36-6. This was the
second meet in which Highline didn’t lose a match. The box
scores are as follows:
HIGHLINE CC 37, PACIFIC 6
125-Justin Purves (HCC) maj. dec. John Cushman (PAC), 11-2 (4-0
HCC)
133-Andrew Wolfe (PAC) win by forfeit (6-4 PAC)
141-Sam Ottow (HCC) dec. Seth Honl (PAC), 10-5 (7-6 HCC)
149-Jason Gray (HCC) maj. dec. Kody Kramer (PAC), 21-9 (11-6
HCC)
157-Spencer Kabelac (HCC) dec. Ken Hyland (PAC), 10-3
(14-6 HCC)
165-Tyler Story (HCC) dec. Nathan Shay (PAC), 12-6
(17-6 HCC)
174-Casey Park (HCC) dec. Jordan Branson (PAC),
6-4 (21-6 HCC)
184-Tate Collins (HCC) dec. Nik Streng (PAC),
12-4 (25-6 HCC)
197-Daren Faber(HCC) win by fall over Ron Neu
(PAC), 0:38 (31-6 HCC)
285-Viktor Ognoskie (HCC) win by fall
over Chris McLinden (PAC), 0:40 (37-6 HCC)
Highline was
provided with a pair of pins from Viktor Ognoskie and Daren
Faber.
The Thunderbirds got rolling
fast against Clackamas, as All-American Justin Purves came out
with a big fall. Highline also received victories from
Jason Gray 149, Spencer Kabelac 157, and Viktor Ognoskie Hwt.
Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Clackamas shut the door
when Casey Park was pinned at 174, as well as Tate Collins at
184. The final score was 28-18.
25- #7 Justin Purves
(H) fall Levi Root (CCC) 0:32
133- John Reese (CCC) winner
forfeit
141- #4 Anthony Weerheim (CCC) dec Sam Ottow (H) 11-5
149- #2 Jason Gray (H) dec #10 Billy Goldsberry (CCC) 9-6
157- Spencer Kabelac (H) dec Joe Fistolera (CCC) 8-5
165- #7
Derek Mestrovich (CCC) maj dec Tyler Story 14-4
174- Jake
Morris (CCC) fall Casey Park (H) 4:04
184- #6 Brandon Jackson
(CCC) fall Tate Collins (H) 6:13
197- #5 Ryland Geiger (CCC)
dec Daren Faber(H) 13-6
285- Viktor Ognoskie (H) winner
forfeit
Highline will wrestle Southwestern Oregon Friday,
December 11th at 12:00 at Highline.
From Coach Scott Norton
December 6, 2009
Highline vs. Yakima 12/1/09
The 6th ranked Thunderbirds flexed their muscles as they
dominated Yakima 47-0. “It was impressive because we won
all 10 matches, and posted 5 falls.” Highline received
falls from: Sam Ottow 141, Jason Gray 149 ranked #2 nationally,
Tyler Story 165, Casey Park 174, and Daren Faber 197.
Justin Purves ranked #7 in the nation, had a good performance as
he defeated Kenny Powers at 125. Meanwhile, #1 ranked
Aaron Smith defeated George Mendez 9-5. Rounding out the
victories were: #2 ranked Marshall Giovaninni 157, Tate Collins
184 who had a very strong showing, and lastly, Viktor Ognoskie
sealed the meet with a victory. Highline will be home
again on Dec. 11, wrestling begins at 12:00 PM. Come see
one of the top teams in the Nation.
Cal-State Fullerton Open 11/21/09
The Thunderbirds headed to sunny California to take place in the
toughest tournament they will see this year. The
tournament boasted five Pac-10 teams (Division 1), a slew of D-2
and D-3 schools, and lastly just about every junior college in
California.
Highline however, was the last junior college in the tournament,
and our team went deep into it. We had 4 kids in the
quarter-finals; Aaron Smith 133, Jason Gray 149, Marshall
Giovaninni 157, and Tyler Story 165. Right off the bat,
the starters posted 12 straight wins, and no losses. It
was impressive, and the best team performance I have ever seen
since being at Highline.
National-Runner Up, Marshall Giovaninni (157 lbs.) led the way.
He made it all the way to the semi-finals before falling to
Tyler Chang. Marshall was then forced to withdraw due to
an injury. Marshall will always elevate his game to meet
the competition level. However, in this meet he wrestled
the best he has all year, with the exception of the last match.
Sam Ottow had an excellent showing as well at 141 lbs. Sam
won his first 2 matches in the championship, and then made it
deep into the tournament.
All-American Aaron Smith 133, knocked off 3 straight division 1
wrestlers in the championship, but then lost to eventual
champion Todd Wilcox. Aaron injured his leg early in the match,
and he never really recovered from it. Aaron is clearly
capable of wrestling at the division 1 level. He is one of
the most exciting wrestlers I have ever coached.
All-American Justin Purves at 125 lbs. won his first 2 matches
in the championship. However, wrestling back in the
consolation he made a mistake executing an inside trip, that
cost him the match. He still looked solid, and is getting
better each match he wrestles.
Jason Gray has lived up to the billing at 149 lbs. He lost
a tight match in the quarter finals to Matt Lopez of Cal-State
Fullerton 13-10. Jason had done a phenomenal job
this season; we just need to get him better on his mat
wrestling.
Tyler Story also
did a great job. He made it to the quarterfinals, but fell
to Steven Towne. Tyler had a very solid tournament at 165
lbs.
Tate Collins was
2-2 at 184 pounds, as was heavyweight Viktor Ognoskie.
Overall, our team had a great showing. If we can build on
this momentum throughout the year, things should get exciting at
nationals.
The constant question we were asked throughout the
tournament was …”Are you guys division 2? And where is
Highline?” For teams to be asking if we are division 2,
that’s a great compliment. We have easily the best team I
have ever coached at Highline. It’s been a fantastic start
to the year, and I couldn’t be more proud of the way our kids
competed this weekend. Had it been the national
tournament, we would have been in the top 3. It’s an
encouraging sign. The Thunderbirds will be in action at
home on Dec. 1.
From Coach Scott Norton Nov. 24, 2009
Best of the West
November 13/14
After coming off the previous weekend, the flu bug spread the
Thunderbirds, along with a few injuries. Therefore,
Highline mainly sent their second string guys. Freshman
standout Jason Gray led all-comers by placing a strong 3rd.
Meanwhile, Spencer Kalebac placed 4th, and Theo McClean placed
6th. Highline will head towards sunny weather next weekend
as they will compete in the Cal-Fullerston Open.
Mike Clock Open November 15
After two duals in Idaho on Friday night, and 1 day of driving
to Forest Grove, Oregon; The Thunderbirds took to the mats
again on Sunday.
Highline came away with two
champions in 133 lb. Aaron Smith ranked #3 in the country, and
149 lb. Jason Gray. In addition, Highline was second as a
team. Aaron received a forfeit from Prescott Garner, and
defeated 3 opponents to earn his first title at 133lbs.
Meanwhile, Jason Gray knocked off Oregon State D-1 wrestler, and
2 x California State Champion Scott Sakaguchi.
Marshall
Giovaninni ranked #2 in the country, fell in the finals to Tommy
Hooper of SOCC who is a returning All-American in the NAIA
division. Marshall was sick this weekend but gave a gutsy
performance. Returning All-American Justin Purves suffered
an early loss but battled back to place third, and pinned a
Junior National Champion. Justin is currently ranked #4
nationally by Intermat.
At 184, Tate Collins finished 4th
with a solid performance. Meanwhile, Tyler Story placed
5th, as well as HWT. Viktor Oganski. Darren Faber was
forced to injury default in the semi-finals due to a knee
injury.
From Scott Norton Nov. 15, 2009
Highline Defeats Cerritoes Community College
27-16
Highline began the year with an extremely challenging
weekend. They defeated Cerritoes C.C. 27-16; it was
anything but an easy match. Justin Purves got the ball
rolling at 125 by defeating Andy Yu by a point. Sam Ottow
received a forfeit at 141. Then Jason Gray ran out and
pinned Jesse Ponce at 149. Marshall Giovaninni got his
first victory of the year by beating Bronson Gerl. Tyler
Story than added another decision at 165. Casey Park then
went out and pinned Andy Jay at 174. That would be all the
victories Highline would come up with, but it was enough to hold
out for the win.
From Coach Scott Norton Nov. 15, 2009
North Idaho over Highline 26-12
The
following article is from
Left Coast Wrestling
November 7, 2009
North Idaho continued their good start on
the 2009 campaign, picking up two wins on the night. They were
victorious over Cerritos College and Highline. Highline
fought hard and was able to win 3 of the 10 matches, and fell
short in 2 other close matches on the night. North Idaho
picked up bonus points at 174, 184, and Heavyweight. Roger
McCovey, the freshman heavyweight out of California continued
his excellent start on the young season. Jason Gray of Highline
won a close match over Eric Luna in a battle of two talented
freshmen. Returning All American Aaron Smith of Highline won by
injury default for the Highline squad.
North Idaho Collge
26, Highline CC 12
125 Kyle McCrite (NIC) DEC Justin Purves
(HCC) 6-5
133 Aaron Smith (HCC) MFor over Tracy
Huffman (NIC) 4:30
141 Nick Harris (NIC) DEC Sam Ottow
(Highline CC) 6-5
149 Jason Gray (HCC) DEC Eric Luna(NIC)
2-1
157 Marshall Giovaninni (HCC) DEC JoeyPierotti(NIC)) 4-3
165 Jesse Nielsen (NIC) DEC Tyler Story( HCC) 8-3
174
Kelvin Gastelum (NIC) FALL Casey Park (HCC) 5:15
184: Celic
Bell( NIC) MD Tate Collins(HCC) 13-3
197: Kameron Jackson
(NIC) DEC Darren Faber (HCC) 11-7
285: McCovey, Roger (NIC)
MD Justin Whitney (HCC) 10-2
Article URL: http://www.leftcoastwrestling.com/article/post/show/id/54-North-Idaho-over-Highline-26-12