PAGE A12, KEIZERTIMES, FEBRUARY 19, 2016
WRESTLE: Four advance to
state tournament
(Continued from Page A10)
Putnam, a sophomore, fi n-
“That’s one I wish I could ished third at 170 pounds after
have won, but it means I have narrowly missing a shot at going
to work harder and train harder to state as a freshman. He was
in the time between now and seeded third going into the re-
state,” said Phelps.
gional tournament this year.
He was grateful for a good
“I was pretty upset about
draw in the brack-
losing in the semis
ets, saying it was the
to the No. 2 seed
fi rst time in his four
this time, but I knew
years that it swung
I just had to wrestle
in his favor. He won
back and meet my
his third place match
seeding,”
Putnam
by pin in the second
said.
round.
He lost by pin in
“I was feeling a
the third round of
bit under the weath-
his semifi nal match,
er the fi rst day, but
but rebounded to
thankfully it cleared
win his next match
Jon Phelps
up and I got a boost
by fall and his third
of energy the second
place match in a 9-1
day,” Phelps said.
decision.
Phelps is hoping
“At the begin-
for a top three fi n-
ning of the sea-
ish at state, but was
son, my goal was
ready to appreciate
to qualify for state.
whatever he could
Now, I feel like I’ve
get from it.
got two weeks to set
“I’d be ecstatic
a new goal whether
just to place in the
it’s winning as many
state tournament,”
matches as I can or
Wyatt Kesler
he said.
trying to place,” Put-
Kesler’s
third
nam said. “Everyone
place match was his
on the team really
longest of the tour-
matters, but there
nament, and he won
are some wrestlers
by pin in 1:29.
who are valuable to
“He was an un-
the coaches and the
seeded kid coming
program. I think it
into it and did really
helps me become
well in the tourna-
more valuable to the
ment,” Kesler said.
program. If I’ve been
“The biggest thing
able to do this well
Isaiah Putnam
was keeping focus
as a sophomore, I
and staying confi -
get excited thinking
dent throughout the tourna- about what I’ll be able to do for
ment, and wrestling the way I the program and younger wres-
needed to wrestle.”
tlers as a senior.”
His goal is keeping that fo-
Other notable fi nishes for
cus, and not getting nervous in McNary were: Joey Kibbey and
a match, as he heads to the state Ricky Hernandez, fourth and
tourney.
fi fth, respectively, at 113 pounds;
“I hope to win it, but there Kyle Bonn, fourth at 220
are a couple of hammers in my pounds, Keifer Smith, fourth at
weight class and I’ll need to 285 pounds, and Nick Hernan-
overcome them,” he said.
dez, sixth at 120 pounds.
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Lady Celt wins girls
regional wrestling title
BOYS,
continued from Page A10
do,” Kirch said. “At this point
in the season, we are a well
tested and experienced team.
That allows our guys to play
with peace and confi dence in
any situation, knowing that
it is something that we have
faced before.”
Kirch said Ismay was the
difference in the game as the
Titans focused their defen-
sive strategies on Celts Harry
Cavell and Trent Van Cleave.
“That has allowed Mathew
to have some one-on-one op-
portunites that we think he
exploits well,” Kirch said.
McNary won its next con-
test, with McMinnville High
School Friday, Feb. 12, 54-33.
While the game looks like a
rout on paper, it unfolded
quite differently.
McMinnville turned up
the heat on defense in the fi rst
half, making the Celtics settle
for perimeter shots that were
less-than-successful.
It meant that the Grizzlies
were able to keep the score
close and even take a few
leads in the fi rst half. Kirch
said the team survived by
closing ranks on defense.
“That made it diffi cult
for McMinnville. We made
some adjustments offensively
in the second half which al-
lowed some better spacing
and countered their switching
zone defenses,” Kirch said.
Celt Adam Harvey said the
team got a second wind after
the fi rst whistle of the second
half.
“Even when it was tough,
we kept our edge in the fi rst
half, and came out explosive
KEIZERTIMES/Eric A. Howald
Celt Harry Cavell puts up a
shot in the West Salem game.
in the second half,” Harvey
said.
The game was also the fi rst
in several weeks when the
Celtics shot the ball well.
“If we can get back to
shooting well before the play-
offs, like we did at the start of
the season, then we are going
to be in a good place when
they arrive,” Ismay said.
Looking to what awaits
the Celts after their fi nal two
games, Harvey said the team
needs to be consistently start-
ing strong.
“It comes down to our
pre-game prep. We have had a
few games where we start out
fl ying around and that hap-
pens when we have a good
practice beforehand,” Harvey
said.
By ERIC A. HOWALD
and in the practice room. She’s
Of the Keizertimes
claimed her share of victories,
Brooke
Burrows,
a and more than a few moral
106-pound McNary High ones as she fl ummoxed op-
School freshman, won the girls ponents who were unable to
regional wrestling tournament keep her on the mat or in their
Saturday, Feb. 6.
grip.
The win sets
“When I’m
Burrows up to
with the girls it’s
compete in the
different because
state tournament
I’m used to the
later this month.
guys being way
For those giv-
stronger
than
en to thinking it
I am. The girls
must have been
seem like a better
a shallow pool,
competition, but
nothing could be
some of them
further from the
are still pretty
truth.
strong,” Burrows
“There were
said.
Brooke Burrows
17 girls in my
She’s hoping
bracket, it was
to place at the
so big they had to split it up,” state tournament, but is con-
Burrows said.
sidering even bigger prizes.
Burrows beat both the fi rst
“They have a girls national
and second seeds in her weight team and I’m thinking about
class to take the regional title. joining them and wrestling in
After getting a bye in the fi rst Fargo later this year,” she said.
round of the tournament, Bur-
rows defeated Harley Miner of
Grants Pass High School by
pin in the second round. From
there, she beat Zenaida Bresser
of Henley High School in a
7-3 decision and Gracie Olson
in a tight 2-1 decision in the
championship match.
“I kept my mind in it,
thought about what I’d been
learning in practice and tried
to wrestle my match,” Burrows
said.
Since the beginning of the
wrestling season, Burrows has
been matching up with male
wrestlers from other schools
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