Dec.
6, 2005: Uintah Basin Standard
Nine Pin Falls: 3-A Union Cougars
conquer 1-A Altamont team, 42 to 30
by Aldon Rachele
Union High School made up for its dismal
showing in a 60-24 loss at Altamont last year by toppling
the Mat Longhorns, 42-30, Wednesday, which made Cougar
fans in Roosevelt a bit happier this time around. Altamont
has an excellent team that won the 1-A state title in 2004
and placed second in 2005. The Cats’ last and only state
championship was back in the 1980's.
Mat meets don’t start at the first weight
at 103 any more as now a random draw picks the starting
spot with the winner being the 130 pound class where
Altamont’s Braden Perry won on a forfeit to give the
Longhorns an early 6-0 lead.
Next up was the 135 pound match where
Union’s Rene O’Driscoll knocked off Jordan Thacker of
Altamont, 21-6. O’Driscoll had a more than an “OK first
round” as he had a super time of a takedown and two near
falls for an 8-2 lead. He scored two takedowns and a
reversal in the second for a 15-4 lead and then coasted to
a 15-point win.
Altamont was up 6-5, but the advantage
didn’t last long as seven straight Cougar triumphs had
Union in command at 42-6.
Union’s Garrett Cloward pinned Josh Meyers
of Altamont in the second round to take the win at 140
pounds and put Union ahead 11-5. Cloward led 11-2 after
one round behind two near falls and a takedown.
“It was just a power half. I took the legs
in and then I rode him out. Then I got the half in and it
was over,” Cloward stated.
Keeton Hoover and Randy Bird, 145, turned
in a high flying match up that finally ended when Union’s
Hoover caged Bird on a pin with 53 seconds to go in the
third round. AHS’ Bird took a 6-2 first round edge, and
then a reversal plus several near falls in the final
seconds had Hoover cleaning up with a 9-8 edge.
Union’s Anthony Carter, 152, and Cale
Cook, 160, took charge from the start. Carter pressed Levi
Miles on a pin with 1:28 to go in the second round after
taking an 11-2 lead on takedowns and near falls. Cook
sizzled with a pin over Altamont’s Clansy Winn in 61
seconds.
“It was a cross body half for the pin. I
put the legs in and did the cross body,” Cook stated.
Union’s Todd Thomas nipped Altamont’s 171
pounder, LaDell Brinkerhoff, 9-6 in one of the closer
battles of the evening. After a 2-2 tie, Thomas took an
8-2 second round edge behind several near falls.
Brinkerhoff outscored Thomas, 3-1 in the final round, but
Thomas took a three-point win.
Blind wrestler, Lewis Burdette, Union,
189, conquered Altamont’s Kyle Pugh, 11-2 even though he
gave up a first round takedown. However, after an escape
and takedown, Burdette was ahead 3-2. He added a reversal
in the second for a 5-2 lead and added four more points in
the third, which saw a near fall to complete the 11-0 run.
Chris Carter, Union, didn’t break into a
sweat. He used just 29 seconds to score a pin fall on the
mat over Altamont’s Matthew Kofford at 215 pounds. Carter
netted a takedown and near fall earlier.
“I used the three-quarter stack for the
pin. I just grabbed him and put him down,” Carter
remarked.
Altamont won the final four matches with
two featuring 1-A state champions. Colton Miles, two-time
state champ, pinned Union’s 112 pounder, Dennis Farnsworth
in only 1:02 and 2004 title winner, Nick Samuels,119,
turned to the back page on Union’s Greg Page for a pin
with 1:14 left in the third round. Samuels dominated from
start to finish with near falls, a takedown and reversal.
Union’s 103 pounder, Tino Cesspooch lost
on a first round pin to Altamont’s Chet Goodrich with 24
seconds left, and Alex Eddington, Union, 125, was planted
on the mat by Jake Farnsworth with 1:26 left in the second
round.
Altamont’s 24-0 run at the end wasn’t
enough with 3-A Union winning the meet by 12 points.
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