A pair of five year streaks were all but snapped Thursday night when the Clay Center High School wrestling team visited Abilene for a North Central Kansas League dual.
Five years in a row the Tigers have defeated Abilene in duals. The streak starting in 2006 was snapped Thursday when the Cowboys defeated Clay Center 51-24.
Five years ago, in 2006, the Tigers also began a streak of winning the NCKL wrestling title. There is still a chance the Tigers could share the 2011 NCKL crown, but those chances took a big hit Thursday with the loss to Abilene.
"It has been five years in a row that they beat us," Abilene coach James Stout said. "In 15 years we were 8-7 against them we are now 9-7 against them. Those five in a row were hard to take, a few of them were real close, a few of them were like this, pretty one-sided, I know how it feels, both ways. But it feels pretty good to beat somebody that has beaten you five straight."
With the win Abilene moves into a share atop the NCKL standings with Concordia and Marysville. Each team is currently 3-1 in NCKL dual action with one NCKL dual remaining.
Abilene, which gave Concordia’s its only NCKL loss, will close out the regular season next Thursday against Chapman. Concordia, which beat Marysville for the Bulldogs’ only NCKL loss this season, will finish its NCKL schedule against Clay Center while Marysville finishes its NCKL schedule this Tuesday when it wrestles against Wamego.
For Clay Center to share the title Abilene would have to lose to Chapman, Marysville would have to lose to Wamego and it would have to defeat Concordia.
If Abilene, Concordia and Marysville all finish their respective seasons with wins the NCKL crown will be shared three ways.
"It would feel better than losing it," Stout said of sharing the NCKL title.
Otherwise, the Tigers’ five-year reign as the NCKL wrestling team champion is over.
Thursday night the dual looked like it would be much the same as the NCKL season has been, going down t to the final wire before a winner is or was determined.
The dual started with the 145-pound weight class and the Tigers, who had two opening weight classes, raced out to a 6-0 lead after the Tigers’ Alex Macdaniel pinned Abilene’s Matt McClanahan in the third period.
The Cowboys, however, came back to win at 152, cutting the margin to 6-3, before the Tigers scored a second period pin at the 160-pound weight class for a 12-3 lead.
The Cowboys then scored back-to-back first-period pins from Nick Ward (170) and Kane Kelly (182) to go in front 15-12, but then gave the lead right back to Clay Center as the Cowboys were open at 195.
The Tigers scored three points at 220 when Zach Thurlow outlasted Andrew Henely for a 5-2 decision in triple overtime as Clay Center took a 21-15 lead. It was the last time in the dual the Tigers were in the lead.
"We expected we would win a majority of the matches," Stout said. "We took advantage of some weight classes where they had injuries, just like they would if we were in the same poisition."
Abilene picked up six more points at 285 for the first of Clay Center’s three open weights before the dual switched back to the lighter weights classes.
Abilene scored another pin at 106 when Zane Baugh pinned Marty Robinson in the second period for a 27-21 team lead.
Baugh’s win sealed the team victory for Abilene as Clay Center was open at both 113 and 120 and the Cowboys controlled a 39-21 lead with only three matches remaining in the dual.
Seth Strauss (126) and Slade Sare (135) both scored pins for Abilene, pushing the Cowboy lead to 51-21 with only one match remaining.
Clay Center won that final match when Thoms Rickley earned a 5-1 decision over Abilene’s Blake Anguiano, to make the 51-24 final score.
For the night, including junior varsity matches, Abilene won nine of the 14 matches wrestled.
The Cowboys won the two JV matches that preceeded the dual, which Stout points to as being key for his varsity wrestlers when they take the mat.
"I think that is our spark plug," Stout said of the junior varsity victories. "That is the fire and the fuel for the team to get motivated, kind of pumped up. It really helps to dominate in those matches."
Five years in a row the Tigers have defeated Abilene in duals. The streak starting in 2006 was snapped Thursday when the Cowboys defeated Clay Center 51-24.
Five years ago, in 2006, the Tigers also began a streak of winning the NCKL wrestling title. There is still a chance the Tigers could share the 2011 NCKL crown, but those chances took a big hit Thursday with the loss to Abilene.
"It has been five years in a row that they beat us," Abilene coach James Stout said. "In 15 years we were 8-7 against them we are now 9-7 against them. Those five in a row were hard to take, a few of them were real close, a few of them were like this, pretty one-sided, I know how it feels, both ways. But it feels pretty good to beat somebody that has beaten you five straight."
With the win Abilene moves into a share atop the NCKL standings with Concordia and Marysville. Each team is currently 3-1 in NCKL dual action with one NCKL dual remaining.
Abilene, which gave Concordia’s its only NCKL loss, will close out the regular season next Thursday against Chapman. Concordia, which beat Marysville for the Bulldogs’ only NCKL loss this season, will finish its NCKL schedule against Clay Center while Marysville finishes its NCKL schedule this Tuesday when it wrestles against Wamego.
For Clay Center to share the title Abilene would have to lose to Chapman, Marysville would have to lose to Wamego and it would have to defeat Concordia.
If Abilene, Concordia and Marysville all finish their respective seasons with wins the NCKL crown will be shared three ways.
"It would feel better than losing it," Stout said of sharing the NCKL title.
Otherwise, the Tigers’ five-year reign as the NCKL wrestling team champion is over.
Thursday night the dual looked like it would be much the same as the NCKL season has been, going down t to the final wire before a winner is or was determined.
The dual started with the 145-pound weight class and the Tigers, who had two opening weight classes, raced out to a 6-0 lead after the Tigers’ Alex Macdaniel pinned Abilene’s Matt McClanahan in the third period.
The Cowboys, however, came back to win at 152, cutting the margin to 6-3, before the Tigers scored a second period pin at the 160-pound weight class for a 12-3 lead.
The Cowboys then scored back-to-back first-period pins from Nick Ward (170) and Kane Kelly (182) to go in front 15-12, but then gave the lead right back to Clay Center as the Cowboys were open at 195.
The Tigers scored three points at 220 when Zach Thurlow outlasted Andrew Henely for a 5-2 decision in triple overtime as Clay Center took a 21-15 lead. It was the last time in the dual the Tigers were in the lead.
"We expected we would win a majority of the matches," Stout said. "We took advantage of some weight classes where they had injuries, just like they would if we were in the same poisition."
Abilene picked up six more points at 285 for the first of Clay Center’s three open weights before the dual switched back to the lighter weights classes.
Abilene scored another pin at 106 when Zane Baugh pinned Marty Robinson in the second period for a 27-21 team lead.
Baugh’s win sealed the team victory for Abilene as Clay Center was open at both 113 and 120 and the Cowboys controlled a 39-21 lead with only three matches remaining in the dual.
Seth Strauss (126) and Slade Sare (135) both scored pins for Abilene, pushing the Cowboy lead to 51-21 with only one match remaining.
Clay Center won that final match when Thoms Rickley earned a 5-1 decision over Abilene’s Blake Anguiano, to make the 51-24 final score.
For the night, including junior varsity matches, Abilene won nine of the 14 matches wrestled.
The Cowboys won the two JV matches that preceeded the dual, which Stout points to as being key for his varsity wrestlers when they take the mat.
"I think that is our spark plug," Stout said of the junior varsity victories. "That is the fire and the fuel for the team to get motivated, kind of pumped up. It really helps to dominate in those matches."
