Clackamas places seven All-Americans
STORY BY DOUG FRY
pho to b y .
, GOPVeDITOR
Clackamas Community College is home to one of the
top junior college wrestling programs in the nation,
proven hy their record of five straight National Dual
Titles and their consistency of finishing near the top at
the National Junior College Athletic Association Wrestling
Championships each year.
The Cougars recorded another flawless dual season
and sent nine wrestlers to the NJCAA championships
in Council Bluffs^ Iowa. Clackamas began the season
w ith aspirations of claim ing another national title,
but ultimately came up short. Head coach Josh Rhoden
believed his team had the talent to win the title, but
something was missing. “ Everybody says it’s not luck;
it’s this and it’s that; it’s hard work and it’s effort, but
we had all those things. We needed luck,” Rhoden said.
Clackamas found themselves as runners-up for the
second straight year, despite encountering adversity
when 1971b Gage Harrah was forced to medically forfeit
dde to a concussion the second round of the tournament.
Rhoden addressed his team after learning they Would
be short a wrestler. “ I said you gotta be perfect for the
rest of the tournament and that night, we went y-:i and
only lost the one m atch,” Rhoden said. The next day
the team lost two in the semi’s and everyone got into
the top six, Rhoden said. “ No one found a way to lose.”
The matmenhad seven all-Americans and were able to
B H H
2 0 1 7 - 1 8 N J C A A W R E S T L IN G C H A M P IO N S H IP
T e a m S t a n d in g s
K
ses
N o r t h e a s t e r n O k l a h o m a A & m 147.5
C lackam as
124.5
I o w a C e n t r a l
121.0
|
W e s t e r n W y o m in g
99.5
I o w a W e s t e r n
86.5
|
& J b
1
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1
win the matches they needed to keep their lead over Iowa
Central and finish second. Clackamas had one champion
in 1741b Dylan Reel. The Cougars trailed champions
Northeastern Oklahoma A&M by 23 points and finished
ahead of Iowa Central by three and a half points.
The Cougars plan to revamp their roster next season
with all but one wrestler either graduating or moving
on, Rhoden said. The Cougars will be continuing their
38 dual winning streak, with their last loss coming back
in 2015 at Oregon State University to the Beavers.
Rhoden has built a culture around wrestling at CCC
that will surely have them in the hunt for a national
title next year.
• -W '
Sophomore Isaiah Diggs getting his hand raised
after winning his match at Western Regionals.
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Febfuary 28, 2018