Jan.
26, 2005: Vernal Express
Wrestlers Take Second at Top of the Rockies
Uintah’s wrestling team took second place
in the Top of the Rockies tournament last week in Fayette,
Colo.
The event, held north of Denver, attached
22 number one wrestlers and many number two wrestlers in
the area.
“We could have taken first place in the
tournament,” said Coach Greg Stensgard, “but we left four
varsity wrestlers home due to injuries and illness.”
“It is hard to win a war with only part of
platoon,” he said.
A 5A school in Ponderosa, Colo. beat the
Utes out of first place with 195 points. Uintah came in
second with 170 points.
First place champions for Uintah at the
tournament were Phillip Keddy, 171 and Jarod McCurdy, 189.
“Keddy had another great tournament,”
Stensgard said.
Keddy faced one of the top wrestlers in
the country in his final match, but he wrestled a
controlled match which he won.
At 189, McCurdy won his first tournament
of the season. He rolled though his matches with five
pins.
“He has won a couple of duals for us, but
this his first tournament championship for the team,”
Stensgard said.
Levi Mele came in third for Uintah. He was
defeated in the semifinals.
“I thought he got a takedown which he
didn’t get credit for,” Stensgard said.
In one of his matches, Mele banged heads
with his opponent and received a gash near his eye. He was
able to finish the tournament and took third. He later
received six stitches to close up his gash.
“He will be ready to wrestle on Friday,”
Stensgard said.
Jared Ruppe, who has been improving every
match, “had a difficult weight division,” Stensgard said.
The wrestler who beat him out of third place, took third
at the Iron Man tourney in Ohio. The Ohio tournament
attracts the best wrestlers in the nation.
Czyz Woody was upset early in the
tournament, but wrestled his way back into the tournament.
He had to forfeit his last match, because “Colorado rules
don’t allow a wrestler to compete in more than 7 matches a
day.” Woody ended up tied for third with a 6-1 record.
At 199 pounds, Dez Pett took fifth for
Uintah.
Eric Sharp took 6th place.
“Sharp had a good tournament, but he ran
into some very solid wrestlers,” Stensgard said.
Ryan Young got caught early in a match on
a move that put his opponent up 5-0 and cost him the
match.
Stensgard said the team wrestled a little
sloppy the first day, which made it hard to wrestle back
into the finals.
“Every team in the tournament had good
individuals,” Stensgard said. “No team had poor
wrestlers.”
“Our team did well in a hard fought
tournament,” he said.
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