Heights wins first league wrestling crown
Posted: February 12, 2011 - 9:39pm
By Rick Peterson
THE CAPITAL-JOURNAL
Shawnee Heights' first-ever Centennial League wrestling championship hung in the balance when T-Bird senior 189-pounder Donnie Lockhart took the mat for his championship match Saturday night at Seaman.
But as far as Lockhart knew, it was just another match.
"Actually, the funny part is I had no clue,'' Lockhart said after his 6-3 win over Manhattan's Ty Suggs clinched the T-Birds’ title by a scant 1½ points over Manhattan (181-179½). "After the match I walked off and coach (Chad Parks) said, ‘Son, you just won it.’”
Shawnee Heights trailed Manhattan by 2½ points heading into Lockhart's match, but Parks said he had no intention of telling Lockhart what the situation was.
"I didn't want it to be on his mind,'' Parks said. "I just wanted him to be able to go out and wrestle relaxed and do his thing.
"There was no reason to put extra pressure on him.''
Manhattan, coached by former Shawnee Heights coach Bob Gonzales, led Heights by 6½ points at the start of the championship round and went up 10½ points when Dane Norris won at 119 points.
Heights cut its deficit back to 6½ when Aspen Kmiec won at 130 pounds then got within 2½ when Nick Meck won at 171 pounds before Lockhart delivered the clincher.
"This is the greatest thing in the world,'' Lockhart, who improved to 29-0, said of the team title. "To win anything is great, but to win something that hasn't been done before is the most awesome feeling in the world.
"We knew we were going to be one guy short (145-pounder Marshall Hall, out with an injury), so we needed to come in and really, really get after it and that's what our guys did. Some of us got on the back side of the bracket and just stepped it up and that's what we needed.''
The win for Parks and Shawnee Heights came at the expense of his mentor, Gonzales.
"He was my mentor and that's why it's sometimes bittersweet if we beat them or they beat us because I love Gonzo.
"I'm just happy to bring one home to Shawnee Heights no matter what, and I know Gonzo is proud of that as well.''
Seaman finished third as a team and also had three champions — Cole Schreiner at 140 pounds, Bryan Guillen at 145 pounds and Dylan Kadous at 152 pounds.
Schreiner was named co-outstanding wrestler of the meet.
"It was a good tournament, but I still don't think we've put it together yet,'' said Seaman coach Patrick Kelly, who was named the outstanding coach of the meet. "The last time we had three league champs was 1998, so that's a good feeling.''
Topeka High wrestlers produced the city's other two league champions, with Briman Williams winning at 112 pounds and Will Geary winning at 285 pounds.
Williams was named co-newcomer of the meet along with Junction City's Andrew Millsap.
TEAM SCORES
Shawnee Heights 181,
Manhattan 179.5,
Seaman 162.5,
Junction City 153,
Emporia 142.5,
Washburn Rural 101,
Topeka High 77,
Hayden 28.5,
Highland Park 24.
INDIVIDUAL RESULTS
Championship finals
103 — Perez, JC, maj. dec. Freislinger, WR, 9-0;
112 — Williams, TH, dec. Ruiz, JC, 7-6;
119 — Norris, Man, dec. Dakin, Emp, 5-1;
125 — Millsap, JC, dec. Carlson, Emp, 6-1;
130 — Kmiec, SH, dec. Unruh, Man, 6-3;
135 — Charbonneau, Emp, maj. dec. Hilgers, Man, 9-1;
140 — Schreiner, Sea, winner by 22-7 tech fall over Davis, Man;
145 — Guillen, Sea, dec. Torres, Emp, 6-2;
152 — Kadous, Sea, dec. Fritz, SH, 7-4;
160 — Euring, JC, dec. Shipley, WR, 13-7;
171 — Meck, SH, dec. Ogden, Sea, 13-10;
189 — Lockhart, SH, dec. Suggs, Man, 6-3;
215 — DAngelo, Emp, dec. Flanagan, SH, 4-1;
285 — Geary, TH, dec. Holly, SH, 9-3.
Consolation finals
103 — Stone, Man, maj. dec. Detwiler, Emp, 11-0;
112 — Boucher, Sea, pinned Foster, Man;
119 — Pittman, Sea, dec. Munoz, Hay, 9-4;
125 — Vesta, Man, pinned Richards, SH;
130 — Mikoleit, WR, pinned Page, Emp;
135 — Fuller, Sea, dec. Wilson, WR, 11-9;
140 — Dyer, SH, dec. Garcia, Emp, 9-7;
145 — Posey, JC, pinned Matthews, Man;
152 — Wagner, JC, pinned Braun, TH;
160 — Willis, SH, dec. Sammuels, Emp, 3-2;
171 — Campbell, Man, pinned Dacus, JC;
189 — Freeze, WR, def. Stanley, inj. def.;
215 — Parker, Man, dec. McGinty, Sea, 6-3;
285 — Hall, Sea, dec. Rafalko, JC, 6-2.
