‘Hurricane’ Wyatt takes conference crown at 152 pounds

• Mariner mat men pin down 7 State berths

By Sean Pearson
Homer Tribune

After 15 grueling hours in the Wasilla gymnasium on Friday, Mariner Mat Men exceeded all expectations and qualified seven out of 11 wrestlers for the state tournament next weekend at Chugiak High School. 
According to Homer Head Coach Chris Perk, seven wrestlers is the most state qualifiers the program has had since the 2002 season, when the Mariners placed 10th at State overall. 
Leading the way for the M’s was Northern Lights Conference Champion Mitch Wyatt, who also won the tournament last year at 152 pounds. Wyatt allowed only two escapes in three matches.
“Both of those escapes were awarded because Mitch allowed his opponents to be free so he could earn another takedown,” Perk explained. “His wrestling is very focused. He is a man on a mission.”
Perk said Wyatt dominated Skyview’s Jared Thomas – currently ranked No. 4 in the state – 11 – 1 in the finals.
Joining Wyatt at State will be seniors, Eli Garvey at 103 pounds and Josh Brandt at 215 pounds. 
Garvey placed fifth after falling to Hope Stephenson from Kenai in another close battle that went to double overtime. 
“The match was tied at 1-1, until Hope hit an inside switch and was able to score five points before Eli could counter,” Perk said. “He is getting as close as you can get to winning this match. I think one more attempt this weekend and we could score a big win. I would much rather be in his shoes this week than hers.” 
Garvey has won 31 matches this season, and earned the “Good Sport Award” at the conference tourney.
Perk said Brandt’s three victories throughout the tournament put him into the final match at 8 a.m. Saturday morning, where a last-second reversal by Skyview’s Mike Eyre knocked Brandt down to sixth place.
“They had to wrestle early on Saturday, because Josh’s opponent had already met his five-match limit for the day before,” Perk said. “Another week of technique and conditioning should get Josh right up to speed with his opponents, as he makes up for many weekends off due to eligibility issues.”
Juniors Larry Croft, 189 pounds, and Ben Harville, 285, both defeated wrestlers who had beaten them earlier in the season. Croft won by technical fall over Colony’s Tommy Class to place fifth in his weight class. He has won 24 matches this season. 
“Both Croft and Harville spent time on the mat in the Popeye Wrestling Program this spring, and that has allowed them to get a bit more experience in,” Perk said. “Harville’s 11 – 5 decision over Sean Maranville of Palmer was one of the most exciting matches at the tournament.”  Also qualifying for the “big show” this weekend with critical wins in the quarterfinals were sophomores DJ Marsengill at 119 pounds and Shlomo Gherman at 145. Perk said both have also spent significant time working on their skills in the off-season. 
Marsengill pinned Justin Goff from Kodiak with a near-side cradle in the first period, and then went on to place sixth. Gherman pinned Mike Gilbert from Kodiak in two minutes, before losing his next two matches and placing fifth overall. 
“Shlomo, just like Brandt, is still looking to peak,” Perk explained. “He missed the past month of competition due to personal reasons.”  Sophomores Travis Catron and David Jolly also participated in the competition, along with freshmen Mark McGregor and Drew Raymond. However, none of these young wrestlers placed in the top six in their respective weight classes. 
Wrestling at the state tourney will begin at 9 a.m. both Friday and Saturday at Chugiak High School. 
“Eli and Mitch both have experienced the big show last season,” Perk said. “Realistically, both of them could take top six honors. It would certainly be an honor if one of them makes the finals and gets to dance under the lights Saturday night.”

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Posted by Newsroom on Dec 9th, 2009 and filed under Sports. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.

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