Sunday, Feb. 05, 2012

Scares, but no slip-up for West

Wildcats take dual title outright

David Prendergast and the West Johnston wresting team had a couple of scares Wednesday night.

One scare came from the clock - the other came from visiting East Wake before the Wildcats wrapped up the Greater Neuse River 4A Conference dual meet championship with a 47-28 victory over the Warriors.

Needing a win to avoid a three-way share of the conference championship with the Warriors and Clayton, the Wildcats won the final three bouts to break open the white-knuckler in front of a frenzied Senior Night crowd.

West, which completed a perfect 7-0 GNRC worksheet, will open the 4A dual playoffs against Fayetteville Jack Britt, with the date and site to be determined.

East Wake did everything in its power to earn the split title, despite surrendering a pair of forfeits, to throw the scare into the 'Cats, pulling within 31-28 with only 132, 138 and 145 pounds to be contested.

The other scare, as far as Prendergast was concerned, was the clock, which left Prendergast and Warriors' coach Brian Staples holding their breaths until the horn sounded at the end of first and second periods of the matches.

Six different times the horn sounded with a wrestler on his back fighting off a pin, five times with Warriors on their backs, while the Wildcats found themselves fighting to hold off a pin once.

Two other periods found East Wake picking up late points - one a near fall that was stopped with 2.3 seconds left, a clear indication of how tight the entire meet would be.

"It was scary at the beginning," Prendergast said. "The clock was not our friend.

"Periods were ending with our people and theirs on their backs. It was driving me nuts."

Staples, obviously disappointed in losing the meet, took the outcome in stride.

"I'm happy with the way we wrestled," he said. "There were a lot of close matches that could have gone either way, but we will have a chance to get some of them back in the conference individual championships."

Leading 31-28, West picked up a little breathing room at 132 pounds when Raheem Simmons rolled to a methodical, 18-6 major decision over Crystal Clark.

Clark never allowed Simmons to put her on her back, preventing a pin that would have given West a 37-28 lead.

Instead, Simmons, who seemed more interested in taking down Clark and letting her up, managed only four points, leaving the overall outcome in doubt.

But all doubt was erased when Grant Walker stopped Rupert Perez in 2:51 in their match at 138 pounds, giving West an insurmountable 41-28 lead and the dual team title for the fifth consecutive year.

Walker scored an early first-period takedown but could not turn Perez onto his back for additional points, holding a 2-0 lead after two minutes. The wrestlers opened the second period in the standing, or neutral, position, with Walker again scoring the takedown, this time 42 second into the period.

This time, however, Walker wasted little time in putting Perez in a predicament, securing the fall 27 seconds later.

George Nathaniel overcame an early takedown at the hands of Dade Lampkins, rolling to a dominating 9-2 lead before closing the meet with a fall at the 4:59 mark.

West received its forfeits at 152 and 120 pounds, by Jacob Baudoux and Taylor Williams, respectively.

West looked as if it was going to run away with the meet, building a 16-6 lead on the strength of a pin by county champion Keith Neal at 170 pounds, and a 16-2 major victory by Zack Lychalk at 182.

Lychalk was frustrated three times, having Tyrone Frazier on his back at the end of all three periods, but had to settle for the major decision and four team points.

East, which tied the meet at 6-6 on a pin by Cullen Casper, battled back to tie the meet at 16-16 on a pin at 195 pounds by Sterling Wilder and an 11-0 major decision by Austin Smith at 220.

Wilder almost found himself pinned by Zack Morrison, as Morrison reversed a pinning situation by Wilder, putting Wilder on his back for the final 41 seconds of the first period, but could not secure a fall, settling for a 5-4 lead entering the second stanza.

No. 2-state-ranked Storm Stevens needed only 12 seconds to flatten Cody Staricha in the 285-pound tussle, giving West the lead for good, 22-16, and Tony Jiminez's 6-2 triumph over Cody Staples provided the Wildcats with a 25-16 lead.