Buffs take care of business
Published 12/06/2006
By DOUG HANNA
dhanna@gctelegram.com
SCOTT CITY- For some of Garden City High School's wrestlers, it was business as usual Tuesday night at Scott City.
For others, it was a blown opportunity to step up into a bigger role.
And for senior Aaron Martinez, it was a stunning last-second loss that forced frustration to boil over.
Still, the Buffaloes held off the Scott City Beavers to claim a 46-27 decision.
Eric Servin, who finished sixth at state last year, had no trouble resuming his dominance. The senior needed a mere 38 seconds to pin Dakota Hays.
"I was trying to work setups, but I got frustrated with headlocks," Servin said. "I was practicing what our coaches tell us, to drive and take him down. I was just trying to do that."
That was after Servin needed to halt the match after 20 seconds to take care of a blood issue.
Servin is undefeated so far this season after six matches.
Martinez wasn't so fortunate.
Martinez, who finished fourth in state last season in the 135-pound weight class, wrestled up at 160 pounds against Chaston Hoeme. Martinez led 2-0 after a first-period takedown and held a 3-2 lead going into the final period.
"He's a tough kid," Hoeme said. "He's pretty strong. You just had to push yourself through it."
Martinez expanded the lead to 7-4 in the third period and appeared to be in control. But Hoeme put a reverse and a two-point near fall on Martinez to take the lead with six seconds left.
"He took me down, and I felt kind of beat," Hoerne said. "I was looking for the Peterson - it's a nice five-point move when you're behind - and I sat it under there and held him down for six seconds."
Martinez tried to escape in the final seconds, but Hoeme clung to his leg to secure the victory.
"He made one mistake with five seconds left," GCHS coach Martin Segovia said. "That cost him."
The victory was a big step for Hoeme, who was one match away from qualifying for state last season.
"I was pretty surprised," Hoeme said. "It was always good to win at home. It feels good, but I'm trying to focus on this year."
Another surprise for Scott City came from Cole Pearson, who defeated Mitchell Bean in the 189-pound class. Pearson used a takedown to take an early lead.
Bean appeared to be working his way back into the match in the second period when Pearson rolled and pinned him in one motion.
"It was difficult for me, because he's pretty strong," Pearson said. "I did one of my favorite moves and hip-heisted him over me. It worked out for me in the end.
Segovia was encouraged by the performance of some of his heavier weights. Martin Juarez and Cody Wilson, who won by fall in the 215-pound and 275-pound classes, respectively.
Wilson, in particular, dominated his match against Juan Gardea, running up a 7-1 lead before pinning Gardea with 42 seconds left in the second period.
"It was my first year, and I knew he was a freshman, so I had to beat him," Wilson said. "He was getting tired, so I was like, 'I have to pin him.'"
Garden City struggled to fill the hole left by Tyler Kemp. Kemp, who finished fifth in state at 145 pounds, is no longer on the team. His replacement, Moses Padilla, was pinned in 58 seconds.
"It's a moot point," Segovia said. "Until we get our whole lineup healthy, we won't know how good we can be."
Still, Segovia had plenty to build on after Tuesday night as his team heads to the Colby Invitational this weekend.
"We head into Colby with a good feeling," Segovia said. "Each individual counts, and we're going to use each individual every time out."
