P R IN T : Sports
Wednesday, Feb.13,2013
# 7
Mitchell, Noon claim individual titles
at Region 18 wrestling championships
Andrew Millbrooke
Sports Editor
No. 4 ranked Clackamas
couldn’t snare a third straight
Region
18
championships
on Saturday at Randall gym,
but the Cougars did advance
eight wrestlers to the NJCAA
Championships on Feb. 22 and
23 in Des Moines, Iowa. No.
1 ranked North Idaho advanced
eight wrestlers to the finals in
convincingly winning the Region
18 title with 136.5 points.
“The kids did a pretty good
job,” said Clackamas head coach
Josh Rhoden. “We qualified eight
guys out of 10 weight classes for
nationals.” The Cougars finished
with 113.5 points.
No. 1 ranked Trent Noon,
a sophomore, and No, 2 Jacob
Mitchell, a freshman, both
secured individual titles for
Clackamas, as three Cougars
earned second place finishes and
three more placed fourth. The
top four finishers in each weight
class earned berths in the national
tournament.
“Me and Trent, the team cap­
tains, that is what we’re supposed
to do,” said Mitchell. Rhoden
knew what to expect from his two
team captains.
“Both wrestled really well,”
said Rhoden of Noon and
Mitchell. “That’s what we expect
from those guys, they’re our lead­
ers. They’ve been doing great all
year and had great seasons.”
Noon swept through the 174
pound class with two major deci­
sions, before an overtime vic­
tory over No. 2 ranked Kyle
Sweedman of North Idaho in the
finals. Noon secured a takedown
18 seconds into the overtime
period to claim a 3-1 victory and
solidify his No. 1 ranking.
“It feels good, just glad I got it
done,” said Noon. “To finally win
the region titfe, after not winning
last year, it feels good.' It’s good
to know I’m in shape enough to
go overtime and finish my shots.
I’m just gonna keep working hard
to get that national title.”
Rhoden told Sweedman that
he is tired of seeing him, but he
knows they will probably meet
again in Iowa. “Awesome for
Trent, great win for him,” said
Rhoden, “That’s probably going
to be a national finals match right
there.”
Sweedman
agreed
with
Rhoden. “I’m sure we’ll meet
up again,” said Sweedman. “I’m
guessing that will be the national
finals.”
Mitchell dominated No. 8
ranked Mike Williams of Western
Wyoming in the heavyweight
final match and is. confident
heading into the national touma-.
ment. Mitchell pinned his first
two opponents and almost had
Williams pinned in the final.
“All the work I put in, it’s easy
for me,” said Mitchell. Asked
about what to expect at nationals,
Mitchell said, “I expect to win,
but what I want is a team national
championship. A lot of people
came through arid placed where
they needed to place today.”
Rhoden likes what, he sees out
of his big and talented freshman.
“He’s only got three losses and
they are all Division I kids,” said
Rhoden. “He’s had an awesome
year.”
Clackamas’ No. 4 ranked
freshman Beau Roberts wrestled
a tremendous match in the .149
pound final against North Idaho’s
No. 1- Jeremy Golding, before
settling for an 8-6 loss. Golding
was awarded a controversial two
point takedown that ended up
being the difference in the match.
Freshman Jake Laden suf­
fered a defeat in the 197 pound
final to North Idaho’s V.J. Giulio,
but still earned a national berth
for the Cougars with his second
place finish. CCC Freshman C.J.
Palmer forfeited his final match
at 133 pounds to rest his hurt
shoulder for nationals.
Both Sage Ornelas and Steve
Conn earned a spot at nationals
by losing third place matches to
gain the Region 18 fourth seed.
Ornelas qualified in the very
tough ,125 pound class, while
Conn made it through in the 184
pound class.
Conn impressed his coach­
es, teammates and especially
Mitchell. “Steve Conn is on the
heat right now,” said Mitchell.
“We call him ‘The Heater.’”
Rhoden also was impressed the
way Conn came through.
“You couldn’t ask for a bet­
ter kid to do well,” said Rhoden.
“He’s been here for three years
and he works really hard. We
are excited for him as a staff.”
Making it through the ‘toughest
region in the nation’ to qualify
for nationals is a major accom­
plishment.
“Some of these weight classes,
in talking with the other coaches,
it’s like as tough as you are going
to see at nationals,” said Rhoden.
MITCHELL
NOON
Clackamas ’ Trent Noon, left, the No. 1 ranked returning All-American sophomore, faces o ff with North Idaho’s
No. 2 ranked Kyle Sweedman in the Region 18 finals at 174 pounds. Noon defeated Sweedman 3-1 in overtime.
“All four guys in some weight
classes here are going to place at
nationals.”
Clackamas freshman A.J.
Ballard lost his spot at 141 pounds
late in the season, but moved up
two weight classes and fought
his way through five matches to
qualify fourth at 157 pounds. A
“true fourth” place match must
be wrestled if the fourth and fifth
place finishers have not wrestled
already in the day.
“Five matches was rough,”
said Ballard. Although Ballard
was the fifth place finisher, he
earned a chance in a “true fourth”
match and he took advantage.
“I told him this is the oppor­
tunity you wanted,” said Rhoden.
“You just have to go get it.”
Ballard said he wasn’t affected
by moving up two weight class­
es as he is a more natural 157
pounder. “I’m pretty stoked,” said
Ballard. “It’s land of been a weird
year. Losing my spot at the end
of the year and then moving up
two weight classes and winning
the spot at 157. In high school I
wrestled not cutting weight and
now I’m not cutting weight again
and it feels right. It’s where I feel
more comfortable.”
Rhoden was impressed with
Ballard’s performance. “It wasn’t
easy,” said Rhoden. “He took the
hard way for sure. I think the 157
pound class is a better fit for him.
He looks like a good full-size
157-pounder.”
Rhoden and the Cougars have
a little less than two weeks to pre­
pare for the national tournament.
“We’ll give them tomorrow off
and get back to work Monday,”
said Rhoden. “We’ll start condi­
tioning, and just getting every­
body refocused. We’ll give them
a little bit of down time, just
to get the bodies healed up a
little bit. We take off a week from
Wednesday to Des Moines. We’ll
fly out there, get some practices
in and get ready to roll.”
In a voting o f the Region
18 coaches, Highline’s Lucas
Huyber at 184 pounds earned
Outstanding Wrestler and North
Idaho’s Pat Whitcomb was named
Coach of the Year.
The rest of the team scoring
for the region was Northwest
Wyoming 98, SWOCC 95.5, W.
Wyoming 88.5, Highline 82.
BaskM baflmBàtigarw oiw eii
roll to 15th straight victo ry
The Clackamas women’s
basketball team continued its
recent success with two vic­
tories over division opponents
to stretch their winning streak
to 15 games. The Cougars
(20-3, 10-0} are undefeated
in Southern Division play as
they come down the home­
stretch of the regular season.
The Cougars face Mt. Hood
tonight at 5:30 p.m. at home.
I’he Cougar men spin two
games hist week to stay alne
in the Southern D immoii play­
off u c e Aftei blowing a Use
point lead to Chemeketa last
Wednesday at home to lose
87-82, C laskamas earned a nar­
row one-pomt victory at I inn
Benton on Saturday, 77-76.
Clackamas (12-12.4-6) is just
one game behind Portland CC
(5-5) and Mt. Hood CC (5-5) for
...Get ALA-PIM
the fourth and final N WAACC
layoff spot. The Cougars
avc a chance to gain ¡»oinc
ground as they face Mt Hood
tonight at home and PCC next
Wednesday in Randall gym at
7:30 p.m.
Get out and support your
CO M
Cougars while you can.
I or full game recaps and
basketball photos please visit
promo Code: CCCSTUDENT
TheClackamasPrint.com.
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W ED N E S D A Y 2/13
• Cougar
Basketball:
Mt. Hood @CCC
Women - 5:30 p.m.
Men - 7:30 p.m.
• NBA: Portland
at New Orleans
5 p.m , CSN
TH U R SD A Y-2/14
• CBB: So. Utah
at Portland. State
7:30 p.m.
• Randall Fitness
Center:
Noon - 8 p.m.
downstairs
in Randall Hall
FRIDAY-2/1S
• Hockey: Tri-City
at Portland, 7 p.m.
Root, (860 AM)
• Randall Fitness
Center: 8:30-10
a.m. and 1-5 p.m.
SÀTURDAY-2/16
• Cougar
Basketball:
At Lane, Eugene
Women - 2 p.m.
Meh - 4 p.m.
• Hockey:
Vancouver at
Portland, 3 p.m.
(1550 AM)
SÖ H B AY-2/17
M O H D A Y -2/18
• MLS: San Jose
• Randall Fitness
Centér: 8:30-10
at Portland, 5 p.m.
(750 AM)
a.m. and 1-6 p.m.
■ ■ * - Randalf Fitness ■
C enters
Noon - 8 p.m.
downstairs in
Randall Hall
• Intramural
Basketball:
Noon -1 p.m.
in Randall gym