Wrestlers earn 1st in nip-and-tuck tourney
Ever wonder just how long two minutes or six minutes really are? Wrestle!
Ever wonder how short seven seconds really are? Watch Marshal Thrasher wrestle with a tournament championship on the line.
Thrasher helped the Ramona varsity win the Mission Hills Tournament as the Dawgs came from behind in a nip and tuck tournament to beat Westview 193-191.
Thrasher spent a whole day at the Mission Hills Tournament. He won the 218-pound championship and in doing so was named the tournament’s Most Outstanding Heavyweight Wrestler. However, Thrasher only spent two minutes and fourteen seconds on the mat, just over one period. None of his matches went into the second period as he recorded four pins.
“My previous record was 40 seconds,” said Thrasher. “I have been working on a new move for two weeks and I knew that Charlie Rassel (Carlsbad High School) would try to throw me. He wasn’t expecting the move and it worked perfectly.”
“Seven seconds is amazing, but pinning a wrestler in seven seconds in a tournament final is really amazing,” said Colton Houlihan, Ramona’s 192-pound wrestler.
“We had four tournament champions and we didn’t know if we won or came in second until the championship bouts were tallied, said coach Steve Koch. “Winning four championship bouts gave us the tourney by 2 points.”
Spaso Ilich won the championship in the 133-pound class. It was Ilich’s second consecutive tournament championship. He went 4-0 in the tourney.
Brodie Chenowth won the 155-pound championship with four pins and in doing so recorded his 25th pin of the season.
“Brodie is going for the school record for pins,” said Koch.
Devon Rhodes won the 174-pound division.
“He is our most improved wrestler,’ said Koch. “He gets better and better every week. We could not have won without his great effort.”
Max Hughes took fourth place in the 122-pound class. Connor Koch won two matches and made it to the semifinals in the 128 pound division.
Kirk Kaliszewski (K-10) surprised the entire tournament when he took second place in his first varsity tournament at 138 pounds.
Jarod Widner took fourth place in the 148 division, and Jacob Kaliskis finished fifth in the heavyweight competition.
“It has been four years since we won a tournament,” said Koch. “We only have three seniors on this year’s team so we are very young. We work on getting better every week and we are peaking at the right time of the year. I am very proud of this team.”