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About Wallowa County chieftain. (Enterprise, Wallowa County, Or.) 1943-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2018)
A13 WEDNESDAY January 10, 2018 40th Jo-Hi a success Photos by Steve Tool/Chieftain Shane Lund bulldozes into his opponent during the 120 pound championshp match at the Jo-HI Invitational tournament. Lund won the match with a 14-2 major decision. By Steve Tool Wallowa County Chieftain T hey came from as far away as Crane, Culver and the Oregon Coast. An even dozen teams and about 105 wrestlers made the trip to Joseph Charter School for the 40th annual Jo-Hi Invitational wrestling tourna- ment Jan. 5-6. Friday and Saturday saw the Joseph gym crowded with wrestlers and fans alike, with about the same crowd size as a varsity basketball game. Coaches guided their grapplers from the edge of the mat with wrestlers responding with renewed vigor or sheer helplessness. Fans walked around the edges of the mat taking video and photos of the epic struggles playing out before them. Despite the presence of larger schools such as Culver, both Enterprise and Joseph/ Wallowa held their own, nailing down four individual championships and a number of second and third-place finishes. Joseph/Wallowa placed fourth in the tournament with 103 points, just behind Neah-Kah-Nie’s 111 points. Enterprise fin- ished seventh with 83.5 points. Joseph landed two champions in 113-pounder Steven Beckman, who is also the reigning state champ in his weight class and plowed through all comers at the tournament. Sophomore Guylen Snyder topped off the 152 pound class, winning his championship match by fall. Both Zeb Ramsden and Austin Brockamp of Wal- lowa garnered strong third-place finishes. Ramsden’s final match featured more flip- Cole Farwell, left, drives into teammate and opponent Trace Evans during the cham- pionship round of the Jo-Hi Invitational wrestling meet Jan. 5-6. Farwell eventually won the match by fall and the 132 pound championship in the process. Joseph wrestler Steven Beckman shoots his opponent skyward during the championship round of the 113 lbs. weight class at the Jo-Hi Invitatioal last weekend. Beckman won the match and the championship with a 17-4 victory over his challenger. flops than a Washington politician on the campaign trail before the freshman won the match by fall. Enterprise’s two stalwarts, Shane Lund and Cole Farwell, both filed championship notches on their belts in the 120 pound and 132 pound categories, respectively. EHS up and comer Trace Evan won second at 132 pounds, wrestling against his state reigning champion teammate while Dylan Staigle wrestled his way to the third slot at 138 pounds. Drew Widener got the nod for fifth place at 220 pounds. while Klint Norton suffered a knee injury and had to settle for fourth place at 285 pounds. the Oregon coast and traveled the longest distance. “They told us they loved our tourna- ment, and they’d be back next year,” he said. Outlaws coach Troy Farwell said one of the tournament highlights was watching Evans get into the finals. “His semifinal match was the state run- ner up last year,” he said. “To go out with confidence and beat a kid who was sec- ond in state last year is a big deal for a freshman.” He added that Evans has a shot at going to state this year. Joseph coach Tim Kiesecker said he was happy with the performance and was pleased with the tournament overall, although there were about 80 wrestlers fewer than last year’s total. “After the long Christmas break, we wrestled pretty well, and I’m pretty happy with where we’re at,” he said. He also lauded the performance of Zeb Ramsden with his third-place finish. “He always gives 110 percent, and I think he might make it to state this year,” he said Kiesecker also told of the addition of a new team, Neah-Kah-Nie, that hails from SPORTS CALENDAR JOSEPH WALLOWA ENTERPRISE BOYS BASKETBALL BOYS BASKETBALL BOYS BAKSETBALL Jan. 12 –– Joseph vs. Pine Eagle at Pine Eagle, 7 p.m. Jan. 12 –– Wallowa vs. Cove at Wallowa, 7:30 p.m. Jan. 13 –– Enterprise vs. Elgin at Elgin, 5:30 p.m. Jan. 13 –– Joseph vs. Griswold at home, 5 p.m. Jan. 13 –– Wallowa vs. Echo at Echo, 5 p.m. GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL GIRLS BASKETBALL WRESTLING Jan. 12 –– Joseph vs. Pine Eagle at Pine Eagle, 6 p.m. Jan. 12 –– Wallowa vs. Cove at Wallowa, 6 p.m. Jan. 13 –– Joseph vs. Griswold at home, 4 p.m. Jan. 13 –– Wallowa vs. Echo at Echo, 4 p.m. Jan. 12 –– Enterprise participates in Oregon Classic at Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond, Ore. Continues Jan. 13. WRESTLING Jan. 12 –– Joseph participates in Oregon Classic at Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center in Redmond, Ore. Continues Jan. 13. joseph hardware 541-432-2271 101 S Main Street, Joseph www.johard.com Open 7 Days A Week Jan. 13 -– Enterprise vs. Elgin at Elgin, 4 p.m.