P R IN T : sports
Wednesday,Jan.23,2013
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Wrestlers struggle with North Idaho
and forth battle with us and them
and it makes both of us better.”
It was not the team result that
the Cougars were looking for,
but they have three more weeks
to prepare for the Region 18
Championships and over a month
until the NJCAA championships
in Des Moines, Iowa.
“There is still a lot of time
left in the season to get prepared
for the national tournament,” said
Lindland.
This Thursday, Clackamas flies
out to the Northwest Wyoming
duals in Powell, Wyo. The
Cougars will face national power
Iowa Central, Western Wyoming
and Northwest Wyoming during
the weekend tournament.
“This weekend is sort of a prac
tice for nationals,” said Rhoden.
“We try to do it once a year where
we fly somewhere, have to make
weight and a get in a tough com
petition.”
Andrew Millbrooke
Sports Editor
The No. 3 ranked Clackamas
Community College wrestling
team is working its way back from
injuries and illness as it looks
forward to hosting theiRegion 18
championships on Feb. 9.
In the most recent matches,
Clackamas defeated Highline CC
and Southwestern Oregon CC
before losing to national No. 1
ranked North Idaho College of
Coeur d’Alene last Saturday at
Randall gym.
The Cougars have had a rough
season as far as losing guys for one
reason or another. “It’s been spot
ty. We had over 20 guys with the
flu and six season ending injuries,”
said Clackamas head coach Josh
Rhoden. “It’s been a different year
for us as a staff. In the past we’ve
dealt with some sickness or injury
but nothing of this magnitude.”
The recent match with top-
ranked North Idaho did not come
at a good time for the Cougars.
The Cardinals won the first five
matches at the lower weight class
es to take a commanding 21-0 lead
on the Cougars.
“It’s important to get that
momentum going,” said North
Idaho head coach Pat Whitcomb,
talking about the lower weight
classes. “That is where we’re
strong right now. It’s good to get
those points going.” North Idaho
won seven of the 10 matches over
all for a final score of 27 to 13.
Rhoden said that losing those
early matches makes it tougher for
the wrestlers behind them. “The
rest of the team has to figure out
how to stop the bleeding, you
know, and they put more pressure
on themselves,” said Rhoden.
“It’s exciting to come in and get
the blood boiling towards them,”
added Whitcomb. “But, I’ve got
a lot of respect for Josh and his
program.”
Former Clackamas wrestler
Clackamas 45, SWOCC
4 — The Cougars exacted some
a 1-0 decision earlier this season. The 3-0 win solidified the Region 18 top seed and national No. 1 ranking fo r Noon.
and Olympic, silver medalist Matt
Lindland was on hand taking care
of the announcing duties during
the match. Lindland won the 158-
pound junior college national title
in 1991 for the Cougars and later
went on to take the Silver medal
in Greco-Roman wrestling at the
2000 summer Olympics.
“Every time I’m in town, if
they have a meet, I’m up here sup
porting the team,” said Lindland.
“Getting here and working with
my alma mater is always a plea
sure.”
Lindland talked about the great
respect and rivalry that CCC has
had with North Idaho that has
existed since before he attended
Clackamas.
“It’s hard to see them lose
that match to North Idaho,” said
Lindland. “It’s a long-standing
rivalry. They always put together
a phenomenal team.”
The Cougars did produce some
highlights against the perennially
tough Cardinals, winning three
matches in the evening. Third-
ranked Trent Noon, a sophomore
from Oakdale, Calif., defeated the
No. 1 ranked wrestler in the nation
at 174 pounds, Kyle Sweedman,
by virtue o f a 3-0 decision. v
Noon and Sweedman are very
familiar with each other. “Trent
beat that kid twice last year and
lost a match 1-0 earlier this year,”
said Rhoden. “They are both great
wrestlers that will have great
careers beyond junior college. It
was a good win for him.”
Niko Hughes, a sophomore
from Kelso, Wash., also continued
his tough wrestling at 165 pounds
with an 11-4 decision over Connor
Pelzel. “This is as impressive as he
has been wrestling,” said Rhoden
of Hughes.
In the final match of the eve
ning, heavyweight Jacob Mitchell,
a sophomore from Portland, used
an impressive display of brute
strength to drag Curtis Burger
back to the mat before pinning
him in die second round.
“He’s the kind of guy that
hates to lose and he goes out and
gives that effort every time,” said
Rhoden.
“Josh always has a good team
and he’s got them ready to wres
tle,” said Whitcomb. “It’s a back
revenge on Southwestern Oregon
on Jan. 12 at Randall gym, win
ning nine of 10 matches to ham
mer the team that beat Clackamas,
28-26 in early December. The
highlight of the match came when
Hughes defeated No. 5 ranked
Payton Moore, with a 2 to 1 deci
sion. Raymond Evans, a freshman
from New Plymouth, Idaho got
a win in his first action for the
Cougars by pinning the Lakers
KyleTohnston in the third round at
133 pounds.
Clackamas 24, Highline
CC 18 - It came down to the
last match of the night against
Highline as A.J. Ballard, a fresh
man from Canby, got the decision
over Max Welsh at 141 pounds to
clinch the victory for the Cougars.
Freshmen Joshua Christianson,
from Dallas, Oregon, and Bruno
Becerra, from Hillsboro, got wins
to highlight their first action. “I
love the direction these guys are
taking this program,” said Rhoden.
“It will be exciting to see how we
continue to improve.”
Jui Jitsu tournament
coming to Randall Gym
David Beasley
Associate Sports Editor
Coming soon to Randall Hall;
the Pacific Northwest Regional
Championships will roll out the
wrestling mats for a different type
of grappling competition. On Feb.
2, Clackamas Community College
will be the proving grounds for
Jiu Jitsu grappling competitors
around the Northwest.
“We have people signed up from
Idaho, Washington, California,
British Columbia and Oregon,”
said event coordinator Fabiano
Schemer. “Northwest Brazilian
Jui Jitsu uses International BJJ
Federation rules. We have refs
from different igyms. Jeff Borgeois
is an IBJJF ref and coordinator for
the competition.”
“There are currently 55 people
signed up,” said Schemer. “We
expect around 150.”
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The divisions include kids,
adults, masters, male and female.
If not ranked, (belt) division
assignment goes by experience.
No-Gi Rules are the same for
Gi and No-Gi without grabbing
clothes for No-Gi.
To score points, competitors
must get takedowns, pass guard
and gain crucial position for 3
seconds. A match is over if one
competitor forces another to con
cede verbally or by tapping the
mat twice with an open hand.
Certain holds and attacks are
prohibited under the rules for
safety, but basic locks and chokes
are permitted methods of securing
a victory.
“Medals and Herbalife supple
ments will be awarded to win
ners as prizes,” said Schemer.
“Herbalife is sponsoring the
event.”
“Another two competitions
will take place this year,” said
Schemer. “The second competi
WEDNESDAY-1/23
• CCC Women’s
Ba s k e t b a ll :
at PCC at 5:30 p.m.
• CCC
Men’s
B a s k e tb a ll:
at PCC at 7:30 p.m.
THURSDAY1/Z4
B Intramural
Volleyball:
Noon-i p.m.
In Randall Gym
• Randall Fitness
Center:
Noon-8 p.m.
tion will follow the same format,
but the third will be a differ
ent format, winners from the first
two competitions compete in final
matches.”
On scoring Schemer said,
“Nine points for win, six for 2nd
place and three for third,” The
competition will also serve as a
futidraiser for the CCC Wrestling
team as some team members will
be working at the competition.
The competition starts at 9:30
a.m. Saturday, Feb. 2. It is sched
uled to run past 4:30 p.m. and
may go all day depending on the
number of matches. It will be an
interesting day to be at CCC, with
such a (Efferent type of sports
event.
The competition is open to
enter and costs $45 for entering
one division, $65 for two. The
complete (projected) schedule of
events and rules can be found at
the event’s homepage: NWBJJ.
com.
FRIBAY-I/25
• CCC Wrestling:
at NW Wyoming
Duals in Powell,
Wyo.
• Hockey: Portland
Winterhawks at
Spokane, 7 p.m.
SATURBAY1/26
• CCC Women’s
Basketball:
vs. Umpqua CC
at 2 p.m. in Randall
• CCC Men’s
Basketball:
vs. Umpqua CC
at 4 p.m. in Randall
E w n à ’W
*
• NBA: Portland at
L.A. Clippers
6:30 p.m., KEX, CSN
MONDAY-1/28
• Randall Fitness
Center: 8:30-10
a.m. and 1-6 p.m.
TUESDAY-1/29
• Intramural
Volleyball:
Noon-1 p.m. in
Randall Gym
• Randall Fitness
Center:
Noon- 8 p.m.