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About The Clackamas print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1989-2019 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 16, 2011)
6 The Clackamas Print Wednesday, Feb. 16, 2011 Sport: Wrestling wins season, Region titl By Robert Morrison Sports Editor They might have been all over the rankings this year but they are always No. 1 in our hearts; the Clackamas Cougars have fought hard all year to stay atop the National Junior College Athletic Association rankings. This year the team saw some big wins in com petitive matches and some hard fought losses on the way. The team finished with a very stout 11-3 record that gave them the No. 2 rank, improv ing on their 7-4-1 record from last year, heading into Region 18 Championships. “Our biggest win this year I would have to say (was) National Duals in Iowa,” said Matt Melendrez, a freshman that wrestlers at 157 lbs. for the Cougars. “We all set goals at the tournament prior to that and we all met our goals.” it (I’ll miss) being with the team all the time. We have all become really good friends. Bill Goldsberry CCC wrestler The Cougars won three matches at nationals to bring home another National Duals title to Clackamas. The team went an impressive 3-0 during the duals, beating No. 8 Iowa Central, No. 5 Labette and then top ranked Harper. The team won in dominant fash ion, outscoring their oppo nents 81-32 in the duals. Both Iowa Central and Labette fin ished ahead of the Cougars in last year’s NJCAA champion ships. As a team, the Cougars only lost three times this year. The team started off rough, losing their first two matches to North Idaho College and Simon Fraser University, but then they pulled off seven straight wins before their third loss to a tough North Idaho team. “Our biggest loss had to have been this last time we lost to North Idaho because we didn’t have a full lineup, we had some forfeits,” said Kegan Handlovic. Handlovic is a freshman who wrestles in the 125 lb. weight class for the Cougars. Handlovic moved across the country from Easton, Perm, to wrestle at CCC. He said that he uses that and the distance away from his daughter as motivation for his own per sonal improvement. Many of the wrestlers hate to see the season come to an end soon and will miss the team. “(I’ll miss) being with the team all the time. We have all become really good friends,” said Billy Goldsberry, a fresh man in the 149 lb. weight class from Albany, Ore. The distance the wrestlers will spread will soon become even greater, with Goldsberry moving onto Southern Oregon University to continue wres All tling, Handlovic getting offers Clackamas ’ Tyrell Fortune tries to take down Montana State-Northern’s Rudy Schaffroth ii ij from many schools, as well as many other wrestlers receiv Randall gym oh Jan. 14. Clackamas won 22-20. ing offers to wrestle after ! CCC. Among the others is All- second best team out of junior vidual championships for their next year. After a great shol American Terrence Williams colleges in the nation. After weight classes while Billy who received an offer from years of being runners-up, the Goldsberry earned second Regionals the Cougars’] Cougars got some satisfac place in the 149 weight class. tling team looks to I Oregon State University. The team has improved tion by going head-to-head Matt Melendrez finished third on to the No. 1 spot I over the course of the season, with top ranked North Idaho and both Kegan Handlovic NJCAA rankings headinl and Brett Fredickson finished Nationals. losing to just one team in their College. last 11 matches. Many play Clackamas had seven fourth. Clackamas ended up ers have improved and a lot wrestlers representing them beating North Idaho by 12 of them agree that they have entering the finals of the team points. Catch the Clackamal OSU’s wrestling coach Jim a great coaching staff that championships with more wrestling team at I has helped the whole team do than half of them wrestling Zalesky led many four-year Nationals in Spokanl against North Idaho. Martin school coaches that were at better. The team showed this Gonzalez, Cody Randall, the championships. OSU has Wash, on Feb. 25-26] mindset as it entered their Derek Mestrovich, Terrence already received commit 10 a.m. I Region .18 Championships. Williams, Brett Sanchez and ments from both Williams and The Cougars entered as the Tyrell Fortune all won indi Fortune to wrestle for them Clackamas takes on Yakima Valley on Jan. 20 in the Randall Gym. Clackamas dominated 38-7. F'-
