Posted on Fri, Jan. 04, 2008
Carroll claims west-side battle
BY JON MCGILLIVRAY
Wichita Eagle correspondent
The good news for the Northwest wrestling team in its City League dual Thursday night at Bishop Carroll: Eagles freshman Dylan Penka didn't make weight at 103 pounds for Carroll.
That allowed the Grizzlies to take a 6-0 lead when Max Grant won by forfeit.
Penka, the top-ranked wrestler in Class 5A at 103, then began a streak of 10 victories in a row for the Eagles at 112 pounds with a pin of Vincent Gaulden 36 seconds into the match.
Seven of the 10 wins were by pin and Carroll, ranked No. 15 nationally by Amateur Wrestling News, rolled to a 52-17 victory over the Grizzlies. Carroll extended its unbeaten dual streak, dating back to 2001, to 93 matches.
Northwest took the final three matches of the night on points.
"I'm so proud of how our team wrestled tonight," Carroll coach Darian Eshelman said. "Northwest has a very good team and I was ready to have some very good matches.
"I was proud first and foremost of how we came out and were really aggressive."
The Eagles were definitely the aggressor as Jordan Keller (119), John Keller (125) and Jake Mainz (130) all followed Penka's match by also pinning their opponents.
Beau Hentzen then won a 6-0 decision over Nick Burden at 135 pounds, then Kyle Dugan pinned Gabe Zonker at 4:25 at 140 pounds.
The most exciting match of the night came at 145 pounds in a rematch of last season's city league tournament final between Carroll's Mitch Arnold and Northwest's Sean Gaither.
Arnold, admittedly caught up in the excitement of a high-intensity environment between the west-side rivals, was penalized one-point early in the match for unsportsmanlike conduct for an aggressive head slap.
Gaither then caught Arnold for a takedown and two back points to take a 5-1 lead after one period. The two battled through the second period with Gaither leading 7-6 to start the third period.
Gaither was leading 9-8 before Arnold took control, throwing Gaither for a takedown which led to a pin with 45 seconds remaining.
"I got caught at the beginning overexcited, with the atmosphere and had to comeback. But in the end it was good," Arnold said.
103--M. Grant, NW, by def.
112--Penka, BC, pinned Gaulden, :36.
119--Jor. Keller, BC, pinned Stephenson, 3:30.
125--John Keller, BC, pinned Ozaeta, 3:44.
130--Mainz, BC, pinned Johnson, 2:37.
135--Hentzen, BC, def.Burden, 6-0.
140--Dugan, BC, pinned Zonker, 4:25.
145--Arnold, BC, pinned Gaither, 5:15.
152--Detmer, BC, pinned Ringgold, 2:14.
160--Rosenhamer, BC, def. Powers, 12-1.
171--Tim Chadd, BC, def. Terrell, 7-5.
189--Page, NW, def. Tu. Chadd, 8-0.
215--Caylor, NW, def. Cole, 10-4.
285--Heithaus, NW, def. Marquez, 13-5.