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GARNETT — When the announcement was made by the public address announcer that the Osawatomie wrestling team had overtaken Independence in the team standings moments before the final round of matches were to be held Saturday at the Garnett Optimist Club Tournament, Trojans coach Jason Bloodgood didn’t hear it.
“I had no idea on the points,” he said. “I didn’t even care. My expectation was to win it. That’s what our expectation as a team was.”
Behind a top-to-bottom effort, in which the Trojans won six weight classes, placed second in two, third in two and fourth in two, they won the tournament. Osawatomie finished with 209 points, besting runner-up Independence, which finished with 193 points.
It didn’t come as a surprise to Bloodgood.
“We expected to do that,” he said.
Independence led Osawatomie 62-59 entering the semifinal round of the championship bracket. But the Trojans overtook the Bulldogs for good in the next round of matches.
After placing fourth at the Pleasant Hill (Mo.) tournament the prior week, Bloodgood was pleased to see his team win Saturday.
“We improved a lot on the mat,” he said.
Bloodgood moved most of his wrestlers up a weight class Saturday. More than anything, it was about trying to rack up wins for team.
“We didn’t do any weight cutting this week,” he explained. “We just concentrated on doing the right things on the mat.”
Westin Shay (125 pounds), Montana Dunn (130), Brant Johnson (140), Dakota Hunke (145), Chance Sinclair (152) and Zack Grimes (215) all won their respective weight classes.
After receiving byes in the first two rounds, Johnson needed less than one minute in each of his next two matches to win the 140-pound title. In the final, Johnson worked his way out of a move by Caney’s Fred Bunch, put Bunch in a headlock and pinned him just 57 seconds into their match.
Shay pinned all four of his opponents in less than three minutes. Dunn pinned all three of his opponents, including his last two in less than one minute. Hunke also pinned all three of his opponents.
Grimes trailed Fredonia’s Buddy Rickerson 2-0 after the first period in the 215-pound final. But Grimes started to pick up the pace in the second period. He recorded a pair of two-point near falls within the first minute to take a 4-2 lead. It remained close until the third period. Rickerson closed to within 10-8 after recording a three-point near fall, but Grimes maneuvered his way out of a move and behind Rickerson for a reverse and a four-point lead with 20 seconds remaining in the third period. Grimes held on for a 12-9 decision.
While Sinclair didn’t record any pins, he found a way to win all four matches in the 152-pound round-robin bracket, including a 21-4 technical fall over Caney’s Brady Terry in his third match.
A round-robin format was also used for matches in the 103-, 112-, 119-, 125-, 130-, 145- and 189-pound weight classes, while brackets were used for the 135-, 140-, 160-, 171-, 215- and 275-pound weight classes.
In perhaps the most entertaining match, William Wilson and Cherryvale’s Robert Lane were involved in a high-scoring thriller in a 171-pound semifinal that drew a good buzz from the crowd. Wilson led 12-10 going into the third period, but in the opening seconds of the final period, he elected to give one point to Lane so he could score from a neutral position. Wilson started the period in the up position, but he quickly moved his hands away from Lane. Lane got up off his feet and was awarded one point for an escape. That cut Wilson’s lead to 12-11, but he went on to record a 23-15 major decision. He nearly pinned Lane in the final seconds, but time expired. Wilson went on to place second.
Bohdi Wallace (103) also placed second. Gabe Castel (140) and Garry Wilson (275) both placed third. Clint Hampton (135) and Kole Jones (189) both placed fourth.
Osawatomie returns to the mat Saturday at Ottawa for a tournament. A three-week break follows, as Osawatomie doesn’t return to action until Jan. 15, when it travels to Burlington. Anderson County will also compete at Burlington.
Other Osawatomie results: 112 pounds: Devin Stine went 1-4. 160: Wesley Prue went 0-3.
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