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Saturday, February 23, 2008
Bulldogs second going into finals
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By DAVID WOLMAN
Traveler Sports Editor
sports@arkcity.net
HUTCHINSON - Wearing a mask that more resembles one from a Jim Carey movie, Arkansas City senior Trison Graham can now face reality.
He can join an elite group that few have attained.
Only 21 wrestlers in the sport's 78-year history in Kansas have won four straight titles, and Graham can join that group if he defeats a familiar foe in today's 130-pound final: Valley Center's Seth Mertins.
"It would mean a lot," Graham said. "I would be joining an elite group."
Graham advanced after defeating Bishop Carroll's Jake Mainz by an 11-2 major decision in Friday's semifinals of the Class 5A state tournament at the Salthawk Activity Center.
Graham has always insisted on taking things one match at a time, knowing that anybody can be knocked out of the tournament.
Breaking out a smile following his win over Mainz, Graham turned his attention to the prize.
Garrett Jones and Scott Elliott also advanced to today's 112- and 171-pound state championship matches, respectively.
Jones, a first-time state qualifier, appeared nervous at times, especially early. But he settled down and got focused.
After earning a 5-2 decision over Mill Valley's Trevor Boyer in the second round, Jones needed only 1 minute, 46 seconds to pin Sasha Ambrose, of Bishop Miege, in the semifinals.
Jones will face Tyler Stokes, of Gardner-Edgerton, in the final. For someone who won only five matches last season, Jones feels that he deserves to be competing for a state title.
"I was expecting to be in the finals," he said.
Added Ark City coach Shawn Silvis: "I was kind of worried how he would perform once he got here. In that second match, he turned it on and wrestled like he was capable. After that first match, he realized that he's supposed to be here."
Elliott made his quest to the finals look easy. He pinned all three opponents on Friday in less than four minutes.
There was a moment of worry in his quarterfinal match against Hutchinson's Dakota Sherry. Elliott was looking to score a takedown, but Sherry blocked it and scored a takedown for an early 2-0 lead.
No need to worry, as Elliott pinned Sherry with 12 seconds remaining in the first period. If Elliott defeats Tyler Koehn, of Pittsburg, in the final, he will exit as a three-time state champion - and will earn his first Class 5A title. He previously won two 4A state titles as a freshman and sophomore at Augusta.
Ark City enters today second in the team standings with 96.5 points. Bishop Carroll leads with a staggering 151.5 points.
Earning bonus points is a big factor in where Ark City sits in the standings. The Bulldogs earned bonus points in 11 of 18 matches yesterday.
"Bonus (points) have been huge," Silvis said. "We're putting a whole new wrestler in the tournament that's not even here because (we're scoring bonus points)."
Not everything turned out rosy for the Bulldogs.
Cameron Riojas and Aaron Hoag both lost heartbreaking matches in the semifinals.
Riojas scored upsets over top-ranked Greg Curtis, of Gardner Edgerton, and Grant Hinckley, of Lansing to reach the 160-pound semifinal. Riojas pinned Curtis with three seconds remaining in the second period. He then held off a late scoring attempt by Hinckley to earn a 4-2 decision.
In the semifinals, Riojas trailed 2-1 after he was awarded one point for a stalling call on Bishop Carroll's Tyler Rosenhamer with 19 seconds remaining. Silvis got off his chair on a few occasions during the match to argue that Rosenhamer was stalling, but to no avail. Rosenhamer walked away with a 2-1 decision.
Riojas falls into the consolation bracket.
Aarong Hoag, meanwhile, was leading Emporia's Sal Tovar 7-6 after scoring a reverse with 1:20 remaining in their 125-pound semifinal. Then came a little bit of controversy, as Tovar tied the match at 8 after being an awarded a point on a stalling call by Hoag.
Tovar went on to defeat Hoag 9-7 in overtime.
Silvis threw away the notion that the stalling calls cost Riojas and Hoag opportunities to compete for a state title.
"If we did the things in the first period like we did in the third, those controversies never would've come up," Silvis said. "Controversy or not, you've got to win those matches."
Kash Biddle (119) also lost his semifinal match.
Michael Martin ended the day on a positive note.
After losing to top-ranked and undefeated Aldon Isenberg, of Gardner-Edgerton, in their 140-pound opener, in which Isenberg scored 11 points in the first period en route to a 13-5 major decision, Martin scored six of the last seven points to defeat J.R. Roman, of Hutchinson, in the first round of the consolation bracket.
Ark City results:
112 (Garrett Jones) - bye; Jones def Boyer, Mill Valley, 5-2; Jones pinned Ambrose, Bishop Miege, 1:46.
119 (Kash Biddle) - Biddle def Klein, Newton, 7-2; Biddle MajDec Litvak, Gardner-Edgerton, 9-0; Keller, Bishop Carroll, pinned Biddle, 5:14.
125 (Aaron Hoag) - Hoag def Seibel, Salina South, 4-2; Hoag MajDec Blew, Lansing, 11-3; Tovar, Emporia, def Hoag, 9-7 (OT).
130 (Trison Graham) - Graham pinned Hoover, Salina South, 5:31; Graham pinned Korte, Mill Valley, 1:57; Graham MajDec Mainz, Bishop Carroll, 11-2.
140 (Michael Martin) - Isenberg, Gardner-Edgerton, MajDec Martin, 13-5; Martin def Roman, Hutchinson, 7-3.
160 (Cameron Riojas) - Riojas pinned Curtis, Gardner-Edgerton, 3:57; Riojas def Hinckley, Lansing, 4-2; Rosenhamer, Bishop Carroll, def Riojas, 2-1.
171 (Scott Elliott) - Elliott pinned Mason, Shawnee Heights, 3:08; Elliott pinned Sherry, Hutchinson, 1:41; Elliott pinned Matheny, Kapaun Mt. Carmel, 5:48.
189 (Clint Bruce) - Bruce T-Fall Pacheco, Gardner-Edgerton, 16-0; Cotton, Hutchinson, pinned Bruce, 1:34.
Above: Trison Graham was one of four Arkansas City wrestlers to advance to today's finals in Hutchinson.
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