sportsed@clackamas.edu
Wednesday, Nov. 23, 2011
The Clackamas P rint5
Clackamas Community College held its 28th annual
Takedown Tournament and Clinic
different rules and w eight classes.
E lem entary and high school divi
sions are m ade up o f kids still in
those levels o f school while the open
O n Nov. 19, wrestlers m et for division was open to anyone who
Clackam as C o m m u n ity C ollege’s w anted to wrestle. For the elem en
2 8 th annual Clackamas Takedown tary division, each single elim ina
T ournam ent and C linic, sponsored tion m atch was m ade up o f three
by the C C C w restling team and 30 second rounds w ith 30 second
bleaks in between each round. In
athletics departrhent.
T he event, packed w ith wrestlers the open and high school divisions,
o f a lt ages, was very busy, ^starting there were three one-m inute rounds
bright and early at 9 a.m . w ith the w ith 30 second breaks. Both o f the
w restling clinic th a t focused m ainly upper divisions were double elim i
on techniques th at w ould help w ith nation.
» T h e C C C wrestling, team was
in the Takedown T ournam ent.
“It was im p o rta n t, to have the there to help set up, tear down,
clinic so th at these wrestlers g et keep tim e and even wrestle. O ne o f
to know the program , our coaches the C ougar w restlers th at entered
[and] the wrestlers and to get our in the open division was C lin to n
faces o u t there in the com m unity. M cAlester (141).
“T h e to u g h est challenge today
1 th in k also these kids look up to
these guys so it helps the kids and was tying up and getting to the legs
o
f
m uch older, stronger guys,” said
[shows] them th a t th eir coaches
are saying the same thing we are,” McAlester.?“It’s p retty fun. It helps
said Bret Born, assistant coach for get everyone back in to w restling
C ougars w restling, who ran th is and gets us ready for the long hall.w
T he event was also a great way
years hour long clinic before the
start o f the tournam ent. “Overall for the C C C w restling coaches to
thè tu rn o u t was great this year. get a good look at those players
If we keep the kids around this about to come o u t o f high school
type o f program we will have more arid make the connection w ith the
Clackamas w restlers.”
co m m u n ity
“I th in k my favorite p art was th at
T h e to u rn am en t consisted o f
three divisions: elem entary, high we get to do the clinic. We get to
.schpoj. and: open^ isa^h .diyisviou cost ; iye.our guys.a. chance to; coach the
ids and help try to give back to the
$20 to enter and each o f the had
* By Robert Morrison
The Clackamas Print
w restling com m unity. T h a t’s the big
im pact in this event. N o t like it’s a
high stakes tournam ent. Everybody
loves it because they get to see our
guys w restle and get to learn some
good w restling,” said H ead Coach
Josh R hoden. “T here were several
uys we talked to th at have either
een in our camp or at this event
th a t we will be recruiting and talk
ing to. We talked to a couple guys
today. It’s a nice way to talk to kids
th at we w ant to have at Clackam as.”
T he to u rnam ent w ent o ff w ithout
a h itch , crowds gathered around
each m at and cheered for the wres
tlers. G ood sportsm anship showed
w ith each w restler shaking hands
before and after th eir m atches, as
well as w ith the opposite coaches.
T he event showed the high level o f
eom iriunity support and C C C looks
forward to hosting the 29 th annual
to u rn am en t next year.
CC C students Clinton McAlester a n d Andrew Isensce wrestle each p ffo r ittfhp.Qpen
division, dùrtììg'the TakedownPournarrient last-Saturday, Novr
™
i
VOLLEYBALL: Cougars upset No. 2 Spokane, take fifth in tournament
Continued from Page 1
K ristin Best looks to score last Friday, Nov. 18 against the Sasquatch o f Spokane
C om m unity College. Clackamas won in fiv e games f o r the huge upset.
The second set began where the first
set left: off Spokane’s lead grew and grew
despite several time-outs called by Head
Coach Kathie Woods in attempts to
regroup. About half way into the second set
with Spokane leading 22-12, Clackamas
made a run. In a matter o f minutes it was
Spokane that was frustrated. The Cougars
had climbed to within four points and
were threatening to tie up the match.
The rally fell1 just short and Spokane won
the second set 25-18. However Clackamas
carried their newfound momentum in
to the third set despite being down 2-0
and facing a crushing loss. Their hitting
percentage was still steadily climbing as
Spokane’s fell and Clackamas raced out
to win the third set 25-21, holding the
Sasquatch to their lowest number o f kills
and lowest hitting percentage of the match.
By the time the fourth set had ended
Clackamas had finally out hit Spokane, a
team with one of the highest hitting per
centage differentials in the league, normal
ly out hitting opponents .222 to .109. Not
only had the Cougars out-hit Spokane,
but they had also tied up the match and
pushed Spokane to the brink with a 25-22
win.
The fifth and final set began with a
bang. The crowded bleachers were flanked
by idle teams, come to support their
respective regions. Walla Walla, Yakima
Valley and Linn-Benton CC’s had filled
the sidelines and shouted at one another,
adding to the growing din as the upset
grew nearer.
Clackamas stunned Spokane early,
building an 8-3 lead before the break all
the while hitting the best they had the
entire match. The Sasquatch would mount
a comeback but in the end Clackamas’ 12
kills in the final frame were too much and
it was Clackamas that rq§hgd thejcourt to
celebrate their biggest win o fth e season.
“It feels amazing. It’s indescribable to
be foe underdog and come back and win
from two games down,” said sophomore
Taylor Richardson, who tore up the net
with 27 kills, tied for the second highest
all weekend. “This is the final step. Were
peaking at the exact right time and our six
freshmen are now six sophomores.”
Clackamas handed Spokane their sev
enth overall loss of the season and moved
on to take on region heavyweight and host
No. 1 Mt. Hood later that evening.
The M t.;Hood game didn’t end as,pret
ty as Clackamas might have hoped. The
teams were tied with one set apiece before
the Cougars dropped the third set 25-10.
Things seemed to have turned for the
better in the fourth set .when Clackamas
looked as though they were headed to a
fifth set, leading 18-12. Then the wheels
came off. In a flash Clackamas found
themselves caught, tied and then trailing
22-19. The Cougars gave the crowd a slim
hope but fell 25-21 for their first loss of the
tournament.
Clackamas would return the next day to
fall to No. 5 Linn-Benton two sets to one
to end their season for good but finished
tied for fifth overall, something that hardly
anybody but Woods saw coming.
“I knew that was the level this team
could really play [at] if they put their
minds to it. It didn’t surprise me at all. I
was just waiting for them to decide and
they did,” stated Woods via email. “I have
had numerous compliments from coaches,
officials and fans around the league with
how hard this team worked to get to where
they needed to be. They improved a lot
and I couldn’t be more proud. It really sets
the tone for the future. I believe Cougar
volleyball is back in the race for the future,
as it should be.”