Fort Hays State wrestler, Heights grad pulls upset win
Three graduates return to old stomping grounds for wrestling dual
By Rick Peterson
The Capital-Journal
Published Saturday, November 10, 2007
Blake Malloy figured his days wrestling in Shawnee Heights' gym were behind him after he graduated in 2005.

Ann Williamson / The Capital-Journal
Fort Hays State wrestler and Shawnee Heights graduate Blake Malloy, top, beat Stanford's Alex Muller 5-2 Friday at a wrestling dual at Heights. Stanford won the dual 26-9.
Friday's college dual gave the former T-Bird state champ a chance for an encore and Malloy, now a junior captain for Fort Hays State, made the most of it, posting a 5-2 decision against Stanford's Alex Muller in the 174-pound match.
Malloy was one of just three winners for Division II Hays in the 10-match dual, with Division I Stanford posting a 26-9 win in front of a crowd of about 1,800 fans at Heights.
"I thought my last dual here was my last dual," Malloy said, "and then coach (Cody Bickley) told me at the beginning of the year that we were going to come back and I was like, 'No way.'
"I was really excited for this.''
Malloy was even more pumped up about getting a chance go against a Division I opponent.
"They have a target on their back basically for us,'' he said. "We have nothing to lose and could just go out there and try to beat them up.''
Malloy jumped out in front 2-0 and also led 3-1 and 5-1 as he controlled most of the match.
In the third period, the hometown crowd shouted, "Blake, Blake," and the seconds ticked down.
"At end I could hear them and it was pretty cool,'' Malloy said.
Malloy was one of three former Heights state champs to wrestle Friday, along with Stanford two-time All-American 125-pound senior Tanner Gardner and Fort Hays 197-pound sophomore Tyler Gonzales.
Gardner, a two-time state champ for Heights, was the first Stanford wrestler to take the mat and opened up a 10-1 lead against Hays' Kyle Patton before pinning Patton in the third period.
"During the day I was a little nervous,'' Gardner said. "There was a lot of hype around the event and people were calling me and asking me this and asking me that, but my coach (Kerry McCoy) said to me this morning when were working out, 'Hey, you're not the event promoter, You're here to wrestle tonight.'
"Once he told me that I turned my cell phone off and just kind of focused on the event.''
Gonzales, ranked fourth in Division II, dropped a 5-1 decision to Stanford's Jake Johnson, but said it was still a thrill to be back home at Heights.
"It's pretty exciting to come back to the old high school and wrestle,'' he said. "You don't get that opportunity too often to come back home and compete in front of your friends. It's a rare opportunity.
"There's been some college programs dying off, but all we can really do is keep promoting the sport and I think things like this really help promote it.''
STANFORD 26, FORT HAYS STATE 9
125 — Gardner, S, pinned Patton, FH, 3rd;
133 — Paulsen, S, dec. Fisher, FH, 5-2;
141 — Annon, FH, def. Kim, S, 7-6;
149 — Espericueta, S, maj. dec. Pfannenstiel, FH, 13-3;
157 — Zupancic, S, dec. Johnson, FH, 3-0;
165 — Miller, S, dec. Grater, FH, 7-2;
174 — Malloy, FH, dec. Muller, S, 5-2;
184 — Gieson, S, maj. dec. Kuhlman, FH, 14-4;
197 — Johnson, S, def. Gonzales, FH, 5-1;
Hwt. — Martin, FH, dec. Doerner, S, 2-1.