Thursday, January 31, 2008 10:25 PM CST
Orr among wrestlers making sectional bids
CENTRALIA CLASS AA REGIONAL
Date: Saturday, 10 a.m.
Advancement: The top three in each weight class qualify for the Granite City Sectional Feb. 8-9.
By RICK DAWSON Staff Writer
rdawson@jg-tc.com
CENTRALIA – To make it one step beyond a state alternate, Tyler Orr probably won’t have the easiest road. The 112-pounder, one of Mattoon’s key contenders as the IHSA wrestling tournament begins, may find himself tangling with two of the state’s top wrestlers before he even gets out of the first weekend.
Mascoutah’s Kent Williams, the Mississippi Valley conference champion, and Highland’s Ryan Graminski are seeded above him at the Centralia Class AA Regional Saturday.
Two weeks ago at Chatham, Orr lost to Williams 1-0 because of a third-period escape.
“All of them are state-ranked,” Mattoon coach Dave McDowell said. “It’s unusual that you see that at regionals. Here he is, a two-time Big 12 champion, he’s already been to sectionals, was a match away from going to state last year. But nothing is guaranteed in wrestling. That’s what makes it so exciting.”
Three Green Wave wrestlers were given seeds – Orr (30-4), Devin Patterson (24-12), who is third at 130, and Jacob Fryman, fourth at 125. Others competing are David Plankey (103), Hayden Tinsman (119), Trey Williams (145), Cordaro Cavazos (22-14 at 160), Mitch Sawyer (12-11 at 171) and Clayton Kingery (17-13 at 189).
Kyle Drummond, a three-time sectional qualifier, is no longer with the team.
Standing in the way of Patterson are Mascoutah’s Kyle Williams, Kent’s brother, and Carbondale’s Jared Ragan, whose sister Alli Ragan is one of Illinois’ top sophomores at 119. Patterson was beaten by Williams at Chatham.
“He took fourth at Big 12,” McDowell said. “That shows that he’s been competitive, I think. If he wrestles well he’s going to be someone’s nightmare.
“He’s one of those who could provide a real change in the momentum for another wrestler in that he could surprise somebody – maybe not just in regionals but beyond. His record is deceptive.”
Other solid contenders at Centralia include Effingham’s unbeaten Scott Prause at 160, Mascoutah’s Tommy Knapp at 215 and Mount Vernon’s Jake Sledge at 189.
Alli Ragan is one of the chief roadblocks for Charleston’s Mick Wurtsbaugh, seeded third at 119. Wurtsbaugh is a two-time regional champion with strong aspirations.
“We’ve got our work cut out,” Charleston coach Leon Hall said. “It’s not a sure thing that Mick is going to sectionals. That’s the fun thing about wrestling. If somebody goes in on a good day, another goes in on a bad day, there’s upsets that can happen all the time.”
Still, Wurtsbaugh seems to be accelerating at the right time. His 2-1 loss to Monticello’s Noah Brown recently was encouraging, his coach said. He lost position late in the match after taking his second injury timeout, allowed an escape with half a minute to go but couldn’t execute a takedown.
“I was really impressed with the way he went out,” Hall said. “If he listens to his coach and wrestles the way he’s capable of then he’s going to do very well this week.”
The rest of Charleston’s regional squad consists of Zach Williams (125), Tommy Thomason (130), Aaron Laursen (135), Bernard Head (140) and Dakota Pottle (145). The Trojans are shorthanded after a pair of lightweights became ineligible for disciplinary reasons.
Contact Rick Dawson at rdawson@jg-tc.com or 238-6855.
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