Wrestling Rematch with Neosho Tonight, with “Wrestling for Dummies” Expo at 6:45

1/11/07

Ever wonder why the scoreboard suddenly changes in the middle of a wrestling match, when all you’re seeing is two people changing positions more often than a presidential debate. Well, tonight the PCC Wrestling team will help you make sense of those flailing arms and legs, and the cryptic referee signals that determine the victor. At 6:45, fifteen minutes prior to the start of the Neosho dual, Head Coach Chas Thompson will narrate what his wrestlers will demonstrate on the mat. You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions of the coaches and greatly enhance your ability to follow the action.

Tonight’s match will be Pratt’s last home dual of the season, and the second time they’ve faced Neosho this year. Pratt came out on top in their initial meeting on Nov. 11th. Pratt ended the match with a substantial 31-10 advantage.

On Tuesday night, the Beavers hosted their second dual of the season, taking on Labette Community College. After defeating Colby at home earlier in the season, it didn’t go as well for the Beavers this time around.

PCC, ranked sixth in the country in the latest NJCAA poll, dropped the dual to the second ranked LCC Cardinals 31-9, winning only three of 10 matches. The results from this match-up with Labette were very similar to the results from their dual in November, when the Cardinals won 31-10 and the Beavers again only managed three wins.

“I thought we wrestled okay tonight,” Head Coach Chas Thompson said. “We gave up some big points at the end of matches that we should not have. Give credit to LCC for coming in prepared, but we should have wrestled them a little closer.”

The wins for the Beavers came from Rylan England in the 149 pound division, Jason Nichols in the 157 match and Carl Wilkinson at 285 pounds. Nichols and Wilkinson both won matches over higher ranked opponents.

Nichols, who took first place in his weight class at the Colby Tournament of Champions this weekend, took down the third-ranked wrestler in the 157 pound division in NJCAA, Joe Yust. The freshman from Garden City defeated Yust for the second time in a four day span.

Wilkinson matched up with the third-ranked 285 pounder in the NJCAA, Willie Weber, who had pinned Wilkinson earlier in the year. The freshman from Duncan, Oklahoma, overcame a 2-1 deficit going into the third period, earning a two point takedown in the late in the third period to take the match 5-3.

“Carl showed a lot of heart tonight. He really wanted to see that kid again and avenge his earlier loss to him and he did,” Thompson said of Wilkinson.