|
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
WRESTLING NEWSCougar Stats | Go To: Wrestling home PageAll-Americans Austin Morehead and Martin Gonzalez CommitMay 16, 2012
OREGON CITY -- CCC wrestlers Martin Gonzalez (Gilroy, CA) and Austin Morehead (Sutter, CA) have both signed National Letters of Intent to continue their academics and athletics careers at 4-year universities.
Both wrestlers were recruited by numerous D1 and D2 programs! Each wrestler has the resume to be deserving of the attention that they were getting. Gonzalez was a 2x Region 18 Champion, as well as, 2x national semifinalist and 2x All-American. While Morehead was a 2x Region Champion and 2x National Runner Up.
“Our team and this college has really enjoyed having both of these young men here at Clackamas,” said 6th year coach Josh Rhoden.
Gonzalez has chosen to take his wrestling skill to Phoenix, Arizona where he will compete for Grand Canyon University, an NCAA Division 2 program that finished 3rd this year at the national championships.
Gonzalez will be joining former Cougars Bret Sanchez, Tyrell Fortune and Tarrence Williams at GCU, each of whom helped pace the Cougars to the 2011 NJCAA National Championship.
Gonzalez figures to make an immediate impact at 133 pound weight class for Coach Lahaye and the Lopes.
Morehead will be heading a short drive south on Interstate 5 to Corvallis, Oregon to compete for Coach Jim Zalesky and the Oregon State Beavers. OSU is the defending Pac 12 Champions and finished this year in 10th place at the NCAA Championships.
Morehead will figure to compete for a spot at the 184 pound weight class next season for the Beavers.
“Our coaching staff is really excited for both of these young men and we would like to wish them both the very best as they pursue their wrestling and career goals," said Rhoden. "We are very proud of both of these guys for the work they have done to get to this point and we look forward to seeing both of these guys on podiums in March."
Clackamas takes 4th place at NJCAA National Wrestling Championships
February 25, 2012
Labette took top honors with 161.5 points followed by Iowa Central (145.0) and Lincoln (111.0) to round out the top three placers. Region 18 rival North Idaho was sixth place behind CCC and Nassau.
The Cougars were on fire during the opening day, finding four of the team's qualifiers (133, 174, 184, 197) in the semifinals and two others (141, 285) having a strong showing in the consolation wrestle back for a shot at third place. At the end of the day six Cougars were guaranteed JC All-American status (top eight finish).
Saturday was an entirely different story for CCC as they encountered some bad luck in close finishes as well as crucial injuries to #4 ranked Martin Gonzalez and #4 ranked Rudi Burtschi.
"The guys wrestled hard but we all felt like we could have done more, commented head coach Josh Rhoden. "It was just such an empty feeling the way the losses came down. We could have been in the mix but dropped some tough matches Friday night in the do or die round and it sort of carried over to the semi's on Saturday where we lost heartbreakers at 133 (8-7); 174 (4-3) and 197 (4-3). It just felt like everything was against us and we just couldn't right the ship."
Top-ranked 2011 All-American Austin Morehead was the lone Cougar to advance to the championship round where he lost a heartbreaking 9-8 decision. Morehead also finished 2nd place in the 2011 championships.
Morehead's grace under defeat was recognized by tournament officials as he was awarded the Joseph Rockenbach Sportsmanship Award.
Although the CCC squad had higher expectations, the team continued Clackamas' tradition of excellence under the helm of head coach Josh Rhoden. Since Rhoden took the program in 2006 the Cougars have finished no lower than 8th place including a national title last season. The program has produced 30 All-Americans under Rhoden, an impressive average of five per year. CCC has also won back-to-back Region 18 titles dispatching North Idaho as the region's perennial powerhouse squad.
Rhoden added, "This I will say... I love our coaching staff, the young men in our program and their families so much. We are so proud of the way they have represented this program and our college. We had four wrestlers earn their second JC All-American honor and two freshman that placed fourth.
CCC RESULTS
133 #10 Anthony Abidin (Nassau) DEC #4 Martin Gonzalez 8-7
141 #2 Cody Randall MAJ DEC Tyler Lashbrook (Ellsworth ) 15-4
149
174 #1 Jahwon Akui (Iowa Central) DEC #3 Trent Noon 4-3
184
197 Ben Price (Northwest) Inj Def #4 Rudi Burtschi
285
NJCAA Wrestling Championships Preview By Mark Krug NJCAA
02/21/2012 The 2012 NJCAA Wrestling Championships takes place Friday, Feb. 24th and concludes on Saturday, Feb. 25th at the UCR Regional Sports Center in Rochester, Minn., with 268 wrestlers from 43 two-year colleges across the country competing for both team and individual honors. The tournament returns to Rochester after rotating to both Spokane, Wash., and Des Moines, Iowa the previous two years. This season marks the 13th time the Rochester Amateur Sports Commission has hosted the NJCAA Wrestling Championships. Action begins at 9:30 a.m. (Central) Friday with first round matches and concludes with 10 championship bouts on Saturday at 6:45 p.m. with the parade of champions. Saturday’s 10 championship matches will be broadcasted live on NJCAA TV (www.njcaatv.ihigh.com) thanks to the efforts of tournament host Rochester Amateur Sports Commission and iHigh.com – the online broadcasting partner of the NJCAA. Iowa Central Community College heads into Rochester ranked No. 1 in the latest and final team rankings of the regular season. The Tritons are looking to win the program’s eighth national title and sixth since 2006. ICC won the North Central District team title and has six district champions advancing to Rochester that will look to avenge last year’s fourth place finish in Spokane. The Tritons boast two returning All-Americans with Brandon Wright (133 pounds) and Michael Perez (157 pounds). Wright was third in his division last year while Perez took home fifth place in the 149 pound class a year ago when he competed for Labette (Kan.). Second-ranked Labette Community College (Kan.) also has six district champions that are expected to give the Cardinals a shot at a national title. LCC took home the team championship at the recent West Central District tournament and finished fifth at nationals a year ago. Also advancing six district champions to Rochester this week will be third-ranked Lincoln College (Ill.). The Lynx finished in a tie for sixth place a year ago with in-state rival Harper College (Ill.) and took second behind the Hawks at the Central District Championship two weeks ago. Defending national champion Clackamas Community College (Ore.) has a strong chance to repeat as five Cougar wrestlers won individual titles at the West District Championship tournament. Four of those wrestlers have finished in the top five at nationals in their respective weight classes, including Austin Morehead who took home second place in the 184-pound division last year wrestling for Rend Lake College (Ill.). Northwest College (Wyo.) looks to improve upon its eighth place finish from a year ago in Spokane with a solid lineup this year led by 174 pounder Keith Cast. The sophomore was runner-up a year ago and is the top returning All-American in the weight class. The Trappers were second to Labette at the West Central qualifier. Additional information on the 2012 NJCAA Wrestling Championships can be found at www.rochsports.org/2012njcaawrestling.php and official brackets for each weight class can be found on trackwrestling.com. Click here to view the final team and individual weight class rankings heading into Rochester. 2012 NJCAA Wrestling Championships weight by weight overview: 125 lbs. Steven Romero from Highline Community College (Wash.) is the favorite as he enters Rochester as the top-ranked wrestler in this class. Romero finished third last season, defeating Jeff Vesta from Neosho County Community College (Kan.), who will also be in this year’s tournament field, in the consolation finals. Garrett Jones from Labette is the other lone wrestler in this division that finished in the top eight a year ago. 133 lbs. Brandon Wright of Iowa Central finished third a year ago and has been the top ranked wrestler in this division all season. Martin Gonzales of Clackamas is also expected to go deep into the bracket. He was defeated by Wright a year ago in the third/fourth place match. Gonzalez is ranked second in this weight class. 141 lbs. Cody Randall of Clackamas has an edge in this division after taking home fifth place a year ago. He is also ranked second in this division heading into nationals. Iowa Central’s Terrel Wilbourn and Jordan Basks of Labette have both been ranked high within this weight class all year. Basks won the West Central title while Wilbourn slipped up at districts and enters Rochester as a wildcard selection. Wismit Moinius of North Iowa Area Community College (8th place in 133 lbs. last year) and Colby Community College’s (Kan.) Jace Campbell (8th place in 141 lbs. last year) should also compete well into the winner’s bracket. Yet Ethan Raley of Lincoln is ranked No.1 overall in this division and recently won the Central District crown. 149 lbs. Sean Turner of Muskegon Community College (Mich.) and Mark Marianovich of Lincoln are two of the top returners from last year in the 149-pound division. Turner took home fourth place at 141 pounds while Marianovich was fourth in the 149 weight class. Vinny DiGravio from Mercyhurst North East (Pa.), who was the national runner-up in the 141-pound class last year, also has a chance to go deep into this bracket. Iowa Central’s Edwin Cooper enters Rochester with the No. 1 ranking in this weight class and won the North Central District title. 157 lbs. Justin Pencook of Gloucester County College (N.J.), Eric Telford of Muskegon, and Michael Perez of Iowa Central are the lone returning wrestlers that had impressive showings in Spokane a year ago. Pencock took third place in the weight class while Telford finished sixth. Perez was fifth in the 149 pound class a year ago when he wrestled for Labette. Pencock is the top-ranked individual in this division, while Ryan Zumwalt of Northwest and Devin Aguirre of Labette are second and third. 165 lbs. The lone weight class not featuring a returning All-American, district champions Ethan Orr of Labette, Colin Hewett of Iowa Central and Bernie Dupuy of Northwest are the top three ranked wrestlers in the 165-pound class heading into Rochester. 174lbs. Northwest’s Keith Cast is one of many favorites in the 174-pound division after he finished second to Jesse Nielson of North Idaho last year in Spokane. Cast has been highly ranked in the weight class all season. However, Cast was defeated by Labette’s Ray Hall in the finals of the West Central District tournament. Hall finished fourth at nationals last year competing in the 184-pound class. Harper College’s (Ill.) Khari Washington is another returning All-American in this division after taking fourth place at Spokane a year ago. The latest individual rankings North Central District champ Jahwon Akui of Iowa Central as the top wrestler in this class. 184 lbs. Austin Morehead of Clackamas finished second nationally in this division last season when he competing for Rend Lake College (Ill.). Morehead has been the top-ranked wrestler in this class all season. Lincoln’s Matt Dwyer is ranked second and John McArdle of Middlesex County College (N.J.) is third. Both Dwyer and McArdle won district titles earlier this month. McArdle also finished eighth nationally in this weight class last season. 197 lbs. Lincoln’s Michael Johnson took home seventh place last year in this division and is the top-ranked individual heading into Rochester. Kolton Kersten of Iowa Central is ranked second and was the champion of the North Central District. Rudi Burtschi of Clackamas is also expected to make a good showing in Rochester. In 2009 he finished fourth in this weight class competing for North Idaho College. 285 – Hwt. Ryan Steverson of Muskegon is the lone wrestler in the heavyweight division that finished in the top eight in Spokane last year. Lance Moore of Niagara County Community College (N.Y.) and Curtus Blaydes of Harper are at the top of this division in the final individual rankings. Both won district titles two weeks ago. ABOUT the NJCAA The National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) is the governing body of two-year college athletics, offering athletic and academic opportunities to college students. It is the second largest national intercollegiate athletic organization in the United States with over 500 member schools in 43 states. Each year over 60,000 student-athletes compete in one of 28 different sports and the organization sponsors 48 national championship events and nine football bowl games. For more visit http://www.njcaa.org. __________________
2010-11 National Champion Cougar Wrestlers honored at Oregon Sports Awards
February 13, 2012
BEAVERTON, OR -- The 2010-11 Cougar wrestling team was honored by the Oregon Sports Awards by receiving the George Pasero* Team of the Year Award in the small college division.
Other outstanding Oregon teams that were recognized during the event included University of Oregon (Acrobatics & Tumbling, Women's Indoor Track & Field, Football), Oregon Tech Softball, Linfield College Softball and Concordia University Women's Outdoor Track + Field
Last season's Clackamas grapplers won the NJCAA National Championship in Spokane, WA. It was the program's first national title since 1971 - a span of 40 years. Six wrestlers earned All-American honors and head coach Josh Rhoden was selected NJCAA Coach of the Year.
“Last year’s team was very special and in this case special enough to gain the recognition of the sports writers in our state and region," said Rhoden.
View complete awards release
The awards show honors Oregon's best sports performers each year from high school to professional athletes and teams. This year's show will broadcast later in the month on Comcast Sportsnet.
* George Pasero was a sports writer, editor and columnist for The Oregon Journal and The Oregonian for nearly 45 years before his retirement in 1985.
Cougars claim second consecutive region crown
Yakima, WA~ The Clackamas Community College wrestling program continues to add pages to the history books of the 41 year old program as the team won its 2nd consecutive Region 18 Championship this weekend. The Cougars did so on the strength of 7 finalists out of 10 possible weight classes with 5 eventual champions. This is a continuation of a regular season that saw the team go a perfect 9-0 in conference matches against Region 18 foes.
The Cougars were in 2nd place following round one but regained the lead following the semi-final round and never looked back, as they cruised to a 50 point victory over runner up Highline. When the dust had settled Clackamas stood atop the region with 142 total team points to Highline’s 92, while North Idaho finished 3rd with 91.
With the Region 18 tournament also being a qualifier for the NJCAA Nationals the Cougar mat men earned tournament births at all 10 weight classes for this year’s championship in Rochester, MN on February 24th and 25th.
“We went in to this tournament knowing that all we wanted to do was qualify all 10 wrestlers for the Nationals as that gives these kids the opportunity to achieve their individual, as well as, team goals, said Coach Josh Rhoden. “This is simply a step in our process and our guys know that. We are very excited for them and at the same time realize we have work to do,” Rhoden concluded.
125- Sage Ornelas, Runner Up 133- Martin Gonzalez, Region Champion 141- Cody Randall, Region Champion 149- Clinton McAlester, 3rd 157- Nikko Veltri, 4th 165- Nick Sierra, 3rd 174- Trent Noon, Runner Up 184- Austin Morehead, Region Champion 197- Rudi Burtschi, Region Champion 285- Jake Laden, Region Champion
Next up: NJCAA National Championships in Rochester, MN
Cougars cap regular season with 44-5 win over Pacific University
February 2, 2012 OREGON CITY -- Clackamas won nine of ten matches and collected bonus points in seven matches including four pins, two major decisions and a forfeit as they routed Pacific University 44-5.
125 Sage Ornelas opened the meet with a 15-4 major while Martin Gonzalez rested with a win by forfeit at 133. CCC the reeled off two consecutive pins by 141 Cody Randall and 149 Clinton McAlester. Nikko Veltri took a decision at 157 while Eric Hensel scored the Cougs six with a fall at 165 to put CCC up 25-0. Pacific got their only match points in a major decision at 174.
Trent Noon and Austin Morehead both moved up a weight class and scored eleven points with a fall for Noon at 184 and a major for Morehead at 197. Jake Laden capped the evening with a decision at heavyweight.
The win caps off CCC's regular season with a 12-2 dual meet record, the best record CCC has posted since the 1989 Cougars went 15-0-1.
The Cougars will next be in action on February 11 for the Region 18 Championships at Yakima Valley CC. Opening match is set for a 10am start.
#3 Clackamas 44, Pacific 5 133 - #4 Martin Gonzalez (CCC) win by FORFEIT 141 - #2 Cody Randall (CCC) FALL Rickey Ridela, 1:23 149 - # 9 Clinton McAlester (CCC) FALL Ryan Baxter, 3;15 165 - #6 Eric Hensel FALL Bruce Balcita, 3:37 174 - Caleb Malychewshi MAJ DEC Josh Nelson (CCC), 17-0 184 - #3 (174) Trent Noon FALL Andrew Bolton 1:52 197 - #1(184) Austin Morehead MAJ DEC Wes Heredia, 17-5 285 - #9 Jake Laden DEC Will Ulrich, 5-3 Exhibition Match
Cougars split dual meets against 4yr programsJanuary 28, 2012 ASHLAND, OR -- Fresh off Friday's overwhelming win over SW Oregon, the NJCAA #2-ranked Cougars took to the road for back-to-back dual meets against the NAIA's #2-ranked Southern Oregon University Raiders and British Columbia's Simon Fraser University Clan.
CCC opened the double header with a 28-15 crushing of the Clan. SFU got a decision in the 125lbs match before CCC reeled off 28 unanswered points in the next six matches collecting bonus points on three pins by Randall, Nikko Veltri and Eric Hensel along with a major by Martin Gonzales.
The Raiders proved to be too much for the Cougars in the second dual as they won six of ten matches including a pair of pins and a major decision to cruise to a 25-12 victory. One of CCC's highlight of the match came when top-ranked Cody Randall won a decision over CCC alumni Kyle Wirkuty who is currently ranked fifth in the NAIA at 141 pounds. Wirkuty took third place at the NJCAA national finals as a freshman before transferring to SOU for his sophomore season.
Top-ranked Austin Morehead suffered his worse outing in his two years as a collegiate wrestler. Morehead lost his first ever back-to-back dual meet to a pair of NAIA All-Americans in #4-ranked Austin Vanderford and SFU's Clete Hanson. Vanderford edged Morehead 5-3 while Hanson managed to pin Morehead in double overtime to get six of SFU's 15 points.
Head coach Josh Rhoden was quite pleased with the effort of the squad, "This was a good weekend for us to get a good test before the nationals. Our guys were out wrestling juniors and seniors and getting big wins. It's these type of big matches that we need to get before the post season starts. I was very proud of our guys in the way that they competed this weekend." The Cougars are now 11-2 on the season with one dual meet left on the schedule before the Region 18 Championships on February 11th at Yakima Valley CC.
The Cougars close out the regular season against NCAA Div III Pacific University (4-7) at home on Thursday, February 2nd at 7pm in Randall Hall [schedule].
#2 Clackamas 28, Simon Fraser University 15
#2 Southern Oregon 25, #2 Clackamas 12 Cougars rout SW Oregon 42-6
January, 27, 2012 OREGON CITY, OR -- Second-ranked CCC collected four straight pins in the final four matches to cap off a 42-6 demolishing of the sixth-ranked Southwestern Oregon Lakers Friday evening at Clackamas CC.
The Cougars grabbed six fast points on a forfeit at 125 to start the dual meet then mounted a 18-0 lead on a decision at 133, a tech fall at 141 and a major decision at 149 by Clinton McAlester, who got his first start in place of seventh-ranked Eric Luna who was recently dismissed from the squad.
The Lakers picked up their only points on decisions at 157 and 165.
The win pushes the grapplers to 10-1 on the year and marks the second straight 10 plus win season. This is a feat was last accomplished by CCC wrestling squads in the 1988 & 1989 seasons.
CCC will be back in action tomorrow in Ashland, Oregon as they take on Simon Fraser University at 3pm followed by a dual with host Southern Oregon University at 7pm. the Cougars final home match will be against Pacific University on February 2 [schedule].
#2 CCC 42, #6 SW Oregon 6 (# - National Ranking) 125 - #8 Sage Ornelas win by Forfeit 133 - #2 Martin Gonzalez DEC Johnny Campbell 4-3 141 - #1 Cody Randall T-FALL Joe Gardner 20-5 149 - Clinton McAlester MAJ DEC #9 Nick Bendon 10-2 165 - #12 Saul Soto DEC #5 Eric Hensel 8-5 174 - #7 Trent Noon FALL Cole Skaffield 3:19 184 - #1 Austin Morehead FALL Trevor Davis 1:38 197 - #2 Rudi Burtschi FALL Louis Payne 2:15 285 - #11 Jake Laden FALL Trent Walker 4:05
Hard work (and some luck) turn Clackamas CC into national wrestling powerTuesday, January 17, 2012
OREGON CITY –- The Clackamas Community College wrestling team finished sprinting from one end of the basketball court to the other and back. The theory was that it was the third time down and back, and that the Cougars would do it twice more -– for a total of five trips.
2010-11 Cougars to be honored at 2011 Oregon Sports Awards on Feburary 12, 2012
January 17, 2012 BEAVERTON, OR -- The 2010-11 Cougar wrestling team has been selected by the Oregon Sports Awards committee to receive the George Pasero Team of the Year Award.
“This is an incredible honor for us and we are so excited to be recognized by Nike, Sports One and the Oregon Sports Awards,” said Coach Josh Rhoden.
Last season's Clackamas grapplers won the NJCAA National Championship in 2011, the program's first title in 40 years when they claimed the National title in 1971.
“Last year’s team was very special and in this case special enough to gain the recognition of the sports writers in our state and region," added Rhoden.
The awards show honors Oregon's best sports performers each year from high school to professional athletes and teams. The year's show will be held on Sunday, February 12, 2012 at the Tiger Woods Center on the Nike World Campus in Beaverton. The show will be from 7–9pm and will be broadcast later in the month on Comcast Sportsnet.
#2 CCC defeats #8 Highline 25-12January 13, 2012
Highline got on the board first with a decision by top-ranked Steven Romero over eighth-ranked Sage Ornelas to take a 3-0 lead. CCC countered with three straight decisions by second-ranked 133 Martin Gonzalez, top-ranked 141 Cody Randall and seventh-ranked Eric Luna to move ahead 9-3.
CCC and the Thunderbirds traded pins at 157 and 165 to make it 15-9 before the Cougars reeled off another 7 points with a decision by seventh-ranked 174 Trent Noon and a major decision by top-ranked 184 Austin Morehead to seal the match for Clackamas.
The win improves CCC's dual match record to 9-1 on the season.
The Cougars will next be in action at home on January 20th against fourth-ranked North Idaho College. Opening match is scheduled for a 7pm start. CCC previously defeated the Cardinals 22-16 in Coeur d’Alene on Dec 10th [schedule].
CCC 25, Highline 12 125 #1Steven Romero (H) DEC #8 Sage Ornelas (CCC) 4-0
Cougars pin five Yaks in 41-8 home win
January 12, 2012
125 Sage Ornelas got the cats on the board with a 19-4 technical fall to put CCC up 5-0 early on. YVCC countered with their own TF at 133 before 141 Cody Randall and 149 Eric Luna gave CCC back-to-back pins over Yak opponents to give the Cougars they needed for the win.
The two squads traded decisions at 157 and 165 before CCC reeled off three straight pins including a fall for 197 Josh Nelson who was filling in for Burtschi.
Clackamas will again be in action tomorrow evening as they travel to Des Moines, WA to take on #8-ranked Highline CC. Match is set for a 7 pm start.
#2 CCC 41, Yakima Valley 8
Clackamas takes third place at NWCA-Cliff Keen National Duals
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 |
|
| Sophomore All-American Austin Morehead (184) was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler |
Springfield, Ill -- Second-ranked Clackamas took third place at the NWAC-Cliff Keen National Duals Sunday in Illinois.
The Cougars got off to a slow start in the semifinal against third-ranked Labette as the Cardinals racked up a 9-0 lead in the opening two matches before CCC got on the board with decisions by Cody Randall (141) and Eric Luna (149) to make it 9-6.
Labette then scored two consecutive major decisions to put CCC in a deep hole 17-6. The Cougars took three of the last four, including a six point disqualification, but came up short in a 18-19 loss.
The loss dropped CCC into the third place match against seventh-ranked Northwest College in the afternoon match. NW scored an opening decision at 125 before the Cougars pounced back with three straight wins including a pin by Luna to make it a 12-3 CCC lead.
NW countered with three consecutive decisions to rally back 12-12, but that's when the wheels fell off the bus for the Trappers. 184 Austin Morehead got the ball rolling with a pin while 197 Rudi Burtschi and 285 Jake Laden finished with decisions to give CCC a 24-12 victory.
Top-ranked Iowa Central went on to defeat Labette 31-10 to claim the 2012 tourney title.
With three consecutive wins, including two by fall, sophomore All-American Austin Morehead was named the tournament's Outstanding Wrestler, the second straight Cougar (Matt Melendrez in 2011) to receive the award.
"We competed very hard on day two and our guys came away with some great perspective from this weekend's competition, said head coach Josh Rhoden. "We know what we have to do to get ourselves in position for the National Championships in February."
Clackamas will be back in action against Yakima Valley at home on January 12th. Opening match is slated for a 7pm start.
#3 Labette 19, #2 CCC 18
# - National rank
125 - #5 Garrett Jones (L) FALL #8 Sage Ornelas (CCC) 2:47
133 - #5 Eric Hughes (L) DEC #2 Martin Gonzalez (CCC) 8-5
141 - #1 Cody Randall (CCC) DEC #3 Jordan Basks (L) 9-5
149 - #7 Eric Luna (CCC) DEC #6 Jeromy Davenport (L) OT 1-0
157 - #5 Devin Aguirre (L) M-DEC #9 Nikko Veltri (CCC) 11-3
165 - #2 Ethan Orr (L) M-DEC #5 Eric Hensel (CCC) 13-2
174 - #7Trent Noon (CCC) DQ #3 Ray Hall (L) (illegal punch)
184 - #1 Austin Morehead (CCC) DEC #7 John Hambleton (L) 6-0
197 - #5 Zach Anderson (L) DEC #2 Rudolf Burtschi (CCC) 6-2
285 - #11 Jacob Laden (CCC) DEC Jack Page (L) 3-2
CCC 24, Northwest College 12
125 - J. Day (NW) DEC #8 Sage Ornelas (CCC) 3-0
133 - #2 Martin Gonzalez (CCC) DEC #10 Justin Gardner (NW) 11-4
141 - #1 Cody Randall (CCC) DEC #10 Colton Thornton (NW) 10-7
149 - #7 Eric Luna (CCC) FALL #10 Nathaniel Garcia (NW) 3:48
157 - Jacksen Cotterell (NW) DEC #9 Nikko Veltri (CCC) 3-2
165 - #4 Bernie Dupuy (NW) DEC #5 Eric Hensel (CCC) 8-1
174 - #1 Keithen Cast (NW) DEC #7 Trent Noon (CCC) 5-2
184 - #1 Austin Morehead (CCC) FALL #9 Miles Nixon (NW) 3:38
197 - #2 Rudolf Burtschi (CCC) DEC #8 Ben Price (NW) 5-3
285 - #11 Jacob Laden (CCC) DEC Sean Sullivan (NW) OT 2-1
January 7, 2012
Springfield, Ill -- CCC split matches with Muskegon with each squad winning five of the ten matches. With all matches won either by decision or fall, the difference in the scoring came down to Clackamas' two pins to Muskegon's single fall.
125lbs Sage Ornelas opened the bout with a pin in 1:55. With CCC up 9-0 Muskegon rallied with four straight wins including a pin of Eric Luna at 149 to take a 16-9 lead.
165 Trent Noon, 184 Austin Morehead and 197 Rudi Burtschi brought CCC back into the lead with three straight wins including a pin by Morehead (1:31) to put the Cougars back in the lead 21-16.
Heavyweight Jake Laden lost the final match in a 6-2 heartbreaker in a two overtimes.
"Muskegon really came out to wrestle hard and we just sort of came out flat," said coach Josh Rhoden. "Our guys have to be better tomorrow morning against Labette in order to advance. I think that these guys will be ready to go and we will see a very different team."
CCC advances to take on third-ranked Labette Sunday at 11am. The Cougars will have to come out a much tougher team tomorrow as Labette destroyed Harper 33-5 in their quarterfinal match today. top-ranked Iowa Central and fifth-ranked Northwest College also advance to Sunday's semifinal. Iowa Central demolished Rend Lake 55-0 while Northwest upset Lincoln 35-9.
CCC 21, Muskegon 18
125 - Sage Ornelas (CCC) over Jarred Lilyhorn (M) Pin 1:55
133 - Martin Gonzalez (CCC) over michael Lackney (M) Dec 6-0
141 - Steven Ruppert (M) over Cody Randall (CCC) Dec 12-9
149 - Sean Turner (M) over Eric Luna (CCC) Pin 4:30
157 - Eric Telford (M) over Kevin Maelfeyt (CCC) Dec 10-9
165 - Calib Rought (M) over Eric Hensel (CCC) Dec 4-1
174 - Trent Noon (CCC) over Jacob Brown (M) Dec 4-2
184 - Austin Morehead (CCC) over Thomas Bolday (M) Pin 1:31
197 - Rudolf Burtschi (CCC) over Mathew Henry (M) Dec 6-3
285 - Ryan Steverson (M) over Jacob Laden (CCC) 2OT 6-2
January 5, 2012
Second-ranked Clackamas will head East to defend their 2011 NWCA/Cliff Keen National Dual Championship at the Prairie Capital Convention Center in Springfield, Illinois. The two day tournament runs January 7-8.
Clackamas is scheduled to open against #15-ranked Muskegon on Saturday at 7pm.
Other NJCAA teams in the stacked tournament field include top-ranked Iowa Central, third-ranked Labette, fourth-ranked Lincoln, seventh-ranked Northwest College, eleventh-ranked Harper and Rend Lake.
Head coach Josh Rhoden is optimistic about CCC's chances to repeat, "We are healthy and are looking forward to get a chance to preview and wrestle some of the other top teams in the Nation. Our guys are here to prove they are the top team in the country and this is the tournament to do just that."
For the first time this season, CCC's roster will include top-ranked 141 lbs Cody Randall who had previously intented to redshirt the season.
A CCC win Saturday would pit the Cougars against the winner of Labette vs. Harper on Sunday at 11am. The title match is scheduled for Sunday at 3pm.
For more information see: Bracket | NWCA/Cliff Keen website
CCC NWCA-Cliff Keen Roster
# - National Rank
125 - #8 Sage Ornelas
133 - #2 Martin Gonzalez
141 - #1 Cody Randall
149 - #7 Eric Luna
157 - #9 Nikko Veltri & Kevin Maelfeyt
165 - #5 Eric Hensel
174 - #7 Trent Noon
184 - #1 Austin Morehead
197 - #2 Rudi Burtschi
285 - #11 Jake Laden & Jacob Mitchell
December 10, 2011
Coeur d’Alene, ID -- The defending National Champion Cougars opened with two decisions and a major to jump out to a 10-3 lead. North Idaho rallied back with a major and an upset pin against top-ranked 165lbs Eric Hensel to storm back to take a 13-10 lead. CCC collected decisions at 174 and 197 while top-ranked Austin Morehead pinned fifth-ranked Justin Korthuis in the 184 match to lead the Cougs to a 22-16 win.
Eighth-ranked Northwest College gave up 18 points on two forfeits and a fall as CCC cruised to a 33-6 win in the second dual of the day..
The pair of wins improves CCC dual meet record to 5-0 on the season.
Clackamas will next see action at the Reno Tournament of Champions on December 18 where the Cougs will battle it out against wrestlers from some of the top 4-yr programs in the Nation [schedule].
#1 CCC 22, #6 North Idaho 16
(# - NJCAA National Ranking)
125 - #12 Sage Ornelas (C) DEC #9 Joaquin Cauldron (N) 5-3
133 - #2 Martin Gonzalez (C) DEC Mike Rodriquez (N) 5-3
141 - #10 Jarrett Morrill (N) DEC Jordan O’Neil (C) 4-2
149 - #8 Eric Luna (C) MAJ DEC Conner Pelzel (N) 10-2
157 – #5 Ryan Zumwalt (N) MAJ DEC Kaleb Cook (C) 10-3
165 – W.V. Meyer (N) FALL #1 Eric Hensel (C)
174 – #9 Trent Noon (C) DEC #11 Kyle Sweedman (N) 3-2
184 - #1 Austin Morehead (C) FALL #5 Justin Korthuis (N)
197 - #2 Rudy Burtschi (C) DEC #10 Caleb Rivera (N) 9-4
HWT - #2 Matt Foxworthy #7 DEC Jake Laden (C) 3-2
#1 CCC 33, #8 Northwest College 6
125 - #12 Sage Ornelas (C) DEC Brandon Matlock (NW) 6-4
133 - #2 Martin Gonzalez (C) DEC #4 Justin Gardner (NW) 6-3
141 - Jordan O`Neal (C) won by forfeit
149 - #8 Eric Luna (C) DEC #10 Nathaniel Garcia (NW) 3-0
157 - #8 Nikko Veltri (C) DEC Jacksen Cotterell (NW) 6-3
165 - #11 Bernie Dupuy (NW) DEC #1 Eric Hensel (C) 10-9
174 - #1 Keithen Cast (NW) DEC #9 Trent Noon (C) 4-3
184 - #1Austin Morehead (C) won by forfeit
197 - #2 Rudolf Burtschi (C) FALL Ben Price (NW) 4:42
285 - #7 Jacob Laden (C) DEC Sean Sullivan (NW) 2-1
December 8, 2011
YAKIMA, WA -- Top-ranked Clackamas bulldozed their way to an easy win last night as they pinned their way to victory over Yakima Valley 51-0.
YVCC did manage to make some close matches as second-ranked Martin Gonzalez edged Nathan Brown 10-7 in the 133lbs match while Kaleb Cook and seventh-ranked Jacob Laden won by a single point in the 157 and HWT matches.
CCC will have a pair of dual matches Saturday in Coeur d’Alene, ID as they take on sixth-ranked North Idaho College at 11am followed by a match against eighth-ranked Northwest College at 1pm.
North Idaho plans to broadcast live stats against CCC at 11am [view]
#1 CCC 51 - Yakima 0
(# - NJCAA national Ranking)
125 #12 Sage Ornelas CCC FALL George Byrd YVCC
133 #2 Martin Gonzalez CCC decision Nathan Brown YVCC 10-7
141 Jordan O'Neal CCC FALL Austyn Bronzi YVCC
149 #8 Eric Luna CCC FALL Jimmy Wilson YVCC
157 Kaleb Cook CCC decision Kyle Brown 9-8
165 #1 Eric Hensel CCC FALL Ben Carter YVCC
174 #9 Trent Noon CCC FALL Jose Martinez YVCC
184 #1 Austin Morehead CCC FALL Chris Burnett YVCC
197 #2 Rudolf Burtschi CCC FALL Sean Hagerty YVCC
HWT #7 Jacob Laden CCC decision Ricky Carter YVCC 2-1
December 3, 2011
FOREST GROVE -- The Cougars had a strong showing at the Oregon Collegiate Open today at Pacific University in Forest Grove, OR.
A mixture of CCC starters and backups took to the mat to compete against
wrestlers from six universities, including PAC-12 teams Oregon State and Stanford, along with fellow Region 18 wrestlers from Highline, SW Oregon and Yakima Valley.
CCC claimed three first place finishes with Kaleb Cook (157), Trent Noon (174) and Jacob Mitchell (285) winning their title matches.
Nine Cougars placed overall in eight weight classes. CCC topped the field in pins with 9 coming from Jacob Mitchell, Eric Hensel and Terrence Joshua who each had two pins each. Gabe Goodrich, Fortino Sanchez and Trent Noon recorded the other three pins.
Complete results can be found on TrackWrestling.com.
CCC will next travel to Yakima to take on YVCC in a duel match on Dec 8th at 7pm.
OREGON COLLEGIATE OPEN
125
6th Place - Gabe Goodrich of Clackamas Community College
133
3rd Place - Fortino Sanchez of Clackamas Community College
141
4th Place - Wade Humphrey of Clackamas Community College
157
1st Place - Kaleb Cook of Clackamas Community College
165
3rd Place - Eric Hensel of Clackamas Community College
6th Place - Nate Dahl of Clackamas Community College
174
1st Place - Trent Noon of Clackamas Community College
184
4th Place - Tarrence Joshua of Clackamas Community College
285
1st Place - Jacob Mitchell of Clackamas Community College
December 2, 2011
OREGON CITY -- The defending National Champion Clackamas Cougars move into the #1 ranking in the NJCAA's second poll of the season announced today. With 113.5 points, CCC edges last weeks #1 squad Iowa Central who garnered 111.5 points this poll. Both clubs outdistance the #3 team Lincoln who collected 79 points.
Two other Region 18 rivals cracked the top ten with North Idaho at #6 (59 pts) followed by Highline at #7 (55.5 pts) . SW Oregon also made the poll at #11 (40.5 pts).
Individually, the Cougars have three wrestlers ranked #1 and two ranked #2. Cody Randal (141lbs), Eric Hensel (165lbs) and Austin Morehead (184lbs) top their weight classes while Martin Gonzalez (133lbs) and Rudy Burtschi (197lbs) are ranked second in their classes.
Clackamas' squad is the only NJCAA team to boast ranked wrestlers in all ten weight classes - also ranked are Sage Ornelas (125 - #12), Eric Luna (149 - #8), Nikko Veltri (157 - #8), Trent Noon ((174 - #9) and Jake Laden (285 - #7).
View NJCAA Rankings (Dec 2nd poll not currently online)
The top-ranked Cougars will be in action Saurday, Dec 3rd for the Oregon Collegiate Open at Pacific University in Forest Grove. Opening matches of the all-day event are scheduled for a 9am start.
.
November 18, 2011
COOS BAY, OR- The #2 NJCAA wrestling team in the country traveled south to Coos Bay Thursday night to take on the #10 Southwest Oregon Lakers. The Cougars (2-0) were behind early but rallied with 5 straight wins to bring home a solid victory from the in state rival Lakers.
There were several good contests on the night but the two most anticipated matches of the evening were at 184 and 197 lbs. In which, #1 Austin Morehead took on #7 Ryland Geiger at 184 and #1 Rudi Burtschi took on #2 Bo Younker at 197lbs. Both were incredibly close contests decided by 2 or less points in each. The Cougars claimed the victory at 184, while #Younker upset Burtschi at 197.
Clinic and Takedown Tournament:
The Cougars now host their 28th Annual CCC Takedown Tournament and Clinic tomorrow with registration starting at 8 a.m.
#2 Clackamas 26, #10 Southwest Oregon 12
# - national ranking
125- Coby Horner (SW) dec #10 Sage Ornelas (CCC) 5-4
133- Jordan O’Neil (CCC) MD Skyler Prislac (SW) 12-1
141- #5(133) Cartice Lloyd (SW) fall Clinton McAlester (CCC) 1:30
149- #8 Eric Luna (CCC) MD Paul Educate (SW) 12-0
157- Nikko Veltri (CCC) dec Nick Bendon (SW) 7-4
165- Eric Hensel (CCC) fall Saul Soto (SW) 1:45
174- #10 Trent Noon (CCC) dec #9 Kris Newport (SW) 10-4
184- #1 Austin Morehead (CCC) dec #7 Ryland Geiger (SW) 10-8 SV
197- #2 Bo Younker (SW) dec #1 Rudi Burtschi (CCC) 4-2
285- #7 Jake Laden (CCC) dec Jon Hatch (SW) 4-2 SV
 |
| Freshman 174 pounder Trent Noon collects six points with a fall over Highline's Lucas Huybar to help lead #2 CCC to a 33-6 win over #11 Highline Thursday. |
November 10, 2011
OREGON CITY -- Clackamas kicked off its 2011-12 dual meet season with a convincing win over 11th-ranked Highline CC Thunderbirds 33-6. CCC claimed the first three matches with decisions, building a 9-0 lead, before the Thunderbirds finally got on the board with three points of their own in the 165lbs match.
Clackamas then collected 12 more points to go up 21-3 when freshman 174 pounder Trent Noon pinned Highline's Lucas Huybar in 4:11 for six points and another six on a Highline forfeit at 184 lbs. CCC cruised the rest of the way with decisions at 197, 285 and six more points on another forfeit at 133.
The Cougars will hit the road for Southern Oregon Friday to take part in the Best of the West Open Tournament in Ashland, Oregon on Nov 12-13.
CCC 33, Highline 6 ((# - national ranking)
141 - Clinton McAlester (CCC) dec Kevin Ramp 5-2 (3-0)
149 - #8 Eric Luna (CCC) dec Josh Romero 6-5 (6-0)
157 - Nikko Veltri (CCC) dec Micah Morrill 6-3 (9-0)
165 - Tyler Story dec Kaleb Cook (CCC) 7-2 (9-3)
174 - #10 Trent Noon (CCC) fall Lucas Huybar 4:11 (15-3)
184 - #1 Austin Morehead (CCC) win by forfeit (21-3)
197 - #1 Rudi Burtschi (CCC) dec Anthony Whitmarsh 11-10 (24-3)
285 - #7 Jake Laden (CCC) dec
Michael Henry 2-1 (27-3)
125 - #1 Steven Romero dec #10 Sage Ornelas (CCC) 5-0 (27-6)
133 - Jordan O'Neal (CCC) win by forfeit (33-6)
November 6, 2011
FOREST GROVE, OR -- Clackamas Community College opened up the 2011-12 campaign on the road at Pacific University at the annual Pacific Open. The team, currently ranked #2 among NJCAA schools, ended the day with 12 wrestlers finishing in the top 6 of their respective weight class.
Additionally, the Cougars had three finalists - Martin Gonzalez, Austin Morehead and Trent Noon - with freshman Noon claiming the 174 championship on the day. Complete results available at www.trackwrestling.com and tournament results listed below (place winners only).
The #2 Cougars (0-0) open up conference action on Thursday night November 10 at 6:00 p.m. in Randall Hall against #11 Highline Community College (2-0). This looks to be a great match up as Highline is coming off of wins against Yakima Valley and #9 North Idaho College. The team will then travel south on I-5 to Ashland, Oregon for the Best of the West Open (Nov 12-13) hosted by Southern Oregon University. The two day event will span Saturday afternoon and Sunday.
2011 MIKE CLOCK OPEN RESULTS
Placers
125
1st Place Match - Mitchell Lofstedt (Southern Oregon University) won by decision over Sean Silva (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University) (Dec 3-2)
3rd Place Match - Alan Bartelli (Boise State University Unattached) won by decision over Chris Ornelas (Clackamas Community College) (Dec 2-1)
5th Place Match - Andrew Yu (San Francisco State University) won by decision over Gabe Goodrich (Clackamas Community College) (Dec 8-4)
133
1st Place Match - Luis Baltazar (Southern Oregon University) won by pin over Kenny Sanders (Unattached) (Pin 3:30)
3rd Place Match - Julian Perez (San Francisco State University) won by decision over Trace Gutknecht (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University) (Dec 5-3)
5th Place Match - Wade Humphrey (Clackamas Community College) won by pin over Joe Hutchison (Southern Oregon University) (Pin 4:51)
141
1st Place Match - Joshua Chang (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University) won by decision over Martin Gonzalez (Clackamas Community College) (Dec 3-2)
3rd Place Match - Casey George (Boise State University Unattached) won by decision over Shane Yacuta (Clackamas Community College) (Dec 4-1)
5th Place Match - Daniel Flores (San Francisco State University) won by decision over Oscar Frias (Unattached) (Dec 10-8)
149
1st Place Match - Jimmy Eggemeyer (Southern Oregon University) and Kyle Wirkuty (Southern Oregon University) (DFF)
3rd Place Match - Beau Roberts (Clackamas Community College) won by decision over Dylan Phillipy (San Francisco State University) (Dec 10-7)
5th Place Match - Kyle Lew (San Francisco State University) won by injury default over Eric Luna (Clackamas Community College) (Inj.)
157
1st Place Match - Jason Gray (Highline Community College) won by decision over Holden Packard (Boise State University Unattached) (Dec 5-4)
3rd Place Match - Jimmy Belleville (Unattached) won by decision over Alex Stemer (Simon Fraser University) (Dec 12-6)
5th Place Match - Taylor West (Boise State University Unattached) won by decision over David Snook (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University) (Dec 3-2)
165
1st Place Match - Isaiah Jimenez (San Francisco State University) won by decision over Bruce Balcita (Pacific University) (Dec 3-2)
3rd Place Match - Luke Riley (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University) won by decision over Zach Martin (Unattached) (Dec 9-5)
5th Place Match - Brock Lam (Simon Fraser University) won by major decision over Cody Jones (Southern Oregon University) (Maj 14-6)
174
1st Place Match - Trent Noon (Clackamas Community College) won by decision over Arman Ostadsharif (San Francisco State University) (Dec 2-0)
3rd Place Match - Jose Cruz, Iii (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University) won by decision over Brian Lemmon (Southern Oregon University) (Dec 13-8)
5th Place Match - Steve Conn (Clackamas Community College) won by pin over Matthew Negrete (San Francisco State University) (Pin 5:18)
184
1st Place Match - Austin Vanderford (Southern Oregon University) won by pin over Austin Morehead (Clackamas Community College) (Pin 5:45)
3rd Place Match - Caleb Malycheaski (Pacific University) won by decision over Ethan Hinton (Southern Oregon University) (Dec 13-6)
5th Place Match - Jonathan Castellow (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University) won by forfeit over Todd Bin Daar (Unattached) (FF)
197
1st Place Match - Trevor Hall (Unattached) won by major decision over Shawn Michalek (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University) (Maj 15-4)
3rd Place Match - Andrew Reggi (San Francisco State University) won by pin over Sanjay Rekhi (Douglas College) (Pin 4:49)
5th Place Match - Terrence Joshua (Clackamas Community College) won by injury default over Daniel Agao (Yakima Valley Community College) (Inj.)
285
1st Place Match - Otilio Gonzalez (San Francisco State University) won by pin over Ricky Carter (Yakima Valley Community College) (Pin 6:40)
3rd Place Match - Jared Bridgewater (Pacific University) won by major decision over Steven Taylor (Yakima Valley Community College) (Maj 13-2)
5th Place Match - Dennis Foster (Embry Riddle Aeronautical University) won by injury default over Alan Brown (Yakima Valley Community College) (Inj.)
October 24, 2011
Oregon City, OR.- The 2011 NJCAA National Wrestling Champions kickoff the 2011-12 campaign this Thursday Night, October 27, at 7:00 p.m. in Randall Hall gymnasium on the campus of Clackamas Community College.
The team will be hosting its annual Navy and Scarlet Intrasquad which will help determine the starters at several weight classes. The event will be free to students and the public.
“We are doing this to encourage people to attend and bring their friends and family out to watch these guys compete and share in last year’s successes,” said head coach Josh Rhoden.
On display will be the 2011 National Championship trophy, National Duals Trophy and other memorabilia as well as the Championship banner hung in the rafters of Randall Hall gym! This should be a great night of wrestling and celebration. See you Thursday night and GO COUGARS!
September 15, 2011
Cougar wrestling head coach Josh Rhoden was featured on Takedown Wrestling's radio program this week. Takedown Radio's Scott Casber conducted an 11 minute interview with Rhoden discussing his outlook on the season, the success from last season and Josh's commitment to academic success for his athletes.
Also discussed is the possibility of a hollywood film production of former Cougar Richard Jensen's amazing comeback from early adult drug addiction to return to wrestling at the age of 36.
 |
Austin Morehead |
OREGON CITY -- The NJCAA's defending National Champions have added three stand outs to an already deep recruiting class this past week. Cougar head coach Josh Rhoden announced the transfer of two NJCAA All-Americans in Austin Morehead (184) and Rudi Burtschi (197). Morehead was a National finalist last season for Rend Lake College in Illinois, while Burtschi was 4th for North Idaho College in 2009.
Both Morehead and Burtchi are from the state of California and each boast multiple medals won in the state championship with Burtschi winning two state championships for Oakdale and Morehead medaling twice for Sutter Union.
Clackamas also adds one of the top 285 lb prep prospects in the country with the late signing of Jake Laden of University High School in Spokane, WA. Laden was the State Champion at 215 lbs this year and was an All-American and semi finalist at the prestigious National High School Wrestling Coaches Association (NHSCA) Senior Nationals at the heavyweight division.
The three will join the squad as they begin fall camp next month in preparation for the upcoming 2011-12 season in which Clackamas will attempt to defend the National Dual Meet, Region 18, and National Championships.
 |
Rudi Burtschi against a SFU opponent in 2009 |
This Friday two time defending NJCAA Champion and University National Runner Up, Tyrell Fortune will compete against the United States best at the 96 kilogram (211.5 lb) weight class for an opportunity to represent the U.S. at the 2011 World Championships.
Fortune, who has signed a letter of intent to continue his wrestling and academics at Oregon State University, won the Junior World Team trials in 2009 and finish 7th that year at the Junior World Championships in Turkey.
"This is big for Tyrell and his being able to progress toward competing in the Olympic Games some day," said Clackamas Head Coach Josh Rhoden. "Tyrell is such an intense competitor who hates to lose so it would not surprise any of us if he does very well this weekend."
You can follow Tyrell's progress throughout the competition by going to www.trackwrestling.com and clicking on the world team trials link.
May 24, 2011
OREGON CITY , OR- Clackamas Community College Athletics Director Jim Martineau announced that the 2011 NJCAA National Champion Wrestling Team has been chosen as the CCC's "Team of the Year" and will be recognized at this year's Hall of Fame Banquet and Alumni Reunion.
"This is an awesome honor for our team especially considering the year that our athletics department had this year", said Coach Josh Rhoden. The wrestling team along with the 2010 NWAACC Men's Basketball Champions will be in attendance at this year's banquet.
For more information and to register for this year's banquet and reunion please visit the Hall of Fame page.
May 24, 2011
 |
Patrick Downey |
OREGON CITY, OR ~ Clackamas Community College head wrestling coach Josh Rhoden announced today that the wrestling team has added three recruits to the 2011-12 list in Patrick Downey (North County HS, MD), Nick Sierra (Lemoore HS, CA) and Sage Ornelas (Safford HS, AZ). “All three of these kids are big time additions to the program, said Rhoden. We are very excited about their ability to have an immediate impact on our program."
Downey projects at 184 lbs and will fill the shoes of graduating sophomore and 2x All-American Brett Sanchez. Patrick was a 2x undefeated state champion in Maryland and won the
 |
Nick Sierra |
NHSCA Senior National Championship this year at 189 lbs. Currently he is the 4th ranked 184 lb prospect by the open mat and #80 overall recruit in the country. “Pat is a great addition to our program and we look forward to helping him further his wrestling career during his time with us here at Clackamas,” said Rhoden.
Sierra was the 2010 California State Champion and Dave Schultz Champion of Champions at 152 lbs. He will fill in at 157 lbs for the Cougars as he transfers from Division II Grand Canyon University. “Nick has a ton of wrestling experience and is really tough. He is a proven winner and will continue to help us reach the levels that we hope
to here.”
 |
Sage Ornelas |
Ornelas finished his prep career as a 4x Arizona State Finalist and 3x Champion. He was a 2x FILA Cadet All-American in 2009 and 2010. Sage has a lot of wrestling under his belt and will compete at the 125 lbs weight class with 2011 starter Kegan Handlovic. “We are looking forward to the depth we are adding at 125 and are excited to add a kid of Sage’s caliber to the roster,” concluded Rhoden.
This year’s recruiting class figures to be one of the very best in recent years for the NJCAA National Champion Cougars as they have added numerous nationally ranked wrestlers to the 2011-12 roster. The team looks to be well on their way to making a run a repeat performance in 2012.
VIDEOS: Downey
NWCA Scorebook: Sierra | Ornelas
 |
Cougars celebrate following the trophy presentation |
SPOKANE, WA -- The Clackamas wrestling team celebrated the 40th anniversary of the program's first national title in 1971 with its second Saturday night in Spokane. In the end, CCC easily outpaced runner-up North Idaho College by 10.5 points, 109 - 98.5. Heavyweight Tyrell Fortune capped off the event by winning his second National title at 285 with a 4-3 decision over Iowa Central's Seth McGregor.
The Cougars didn't sit on the laurels of their region championship two weeks ago and came to Eastern Washington ready to prove to the country that their number one ranking wasn't a fluke.
 |
|
| Tyrell Fortune throws Iowa Central's Seth McGregor in the 285lbs title match. |
Friday's action saw North Idaho College hold the top spot most of the day, until the championship quarter finals when CCC climbed from fifth to claim first place in the field of 36 teams at day's end. The Cougars held a slim 1.5 point lead over region rival North Idaho and five points over third place Iowa Central.
After the dust settled Friday evening six of CCC's ten wrestlers were still in action heading into Saturday with five still in the championship round (semifinals) and one in the consolation wrestle-back for third place.
CCC should have been stunned when the team lost 2010 returning All-American and top-ranked 174 pounder Terrence Williams to injury in Friday's quarterfinals, but the squad appeared unfazed as they went on with business as usual - a sign of solid coaching from head coach Josh Rhoden and his assistants Bret Born and Rich Vigorito.
At the tournament's end, the Cougars compiled six NJCAA All-Americans with six top five placings - 133 Martin Gonzalez (4th), 141 Cody Randall (5th), 157 Matt Melendrez (4th), 165 Derek Mestrovich (2nd), 184 Brett Sanchez (3rd) and Fortune with the 285 title.
Of the six day two qualifiers, returning 2009 All-American Sanchez had perhaps the most grueling road to follow. After losing his opener in a 7-0 upset, Sanchez dropped to the consolation side of the bracket where he systematically eliminated six opponents, including third and fifth ranked 184 pounders to stake claim to third place.
Fortune probably faced the strongest field the NJCAA has seen in the heavyweight division in years. In his four matches to the title, he had to face three opponents ranked in the top five in the country. Fortune earned victories on a pair of falls, a major and a 4-3 decision in the final. Not nearly as easy as in 2009 when he pinned all five opponents on his way to his first championship.
A strong third round comeback attempt in the 165lbs championship was not enough for top-ranked Mestrovich as he fell to Rend Lake's second-ranked Issiah Williams in a 10-4 decision. Mestrovich had cruised into the final with a decision and two convincing wins including a 17-4 major decision over #4-ranked Dan McGillivary of Iowa Lakes.
 |
|
| Fortune and Tim Williams pictured together. Prior to Fortune, Williams was the last CCC wrestler to win back-to-back individual titles in '71 & '72. |
Fifth-ranked Gonzalez fell in the 133 pound semifinals in a close 3-2 decision to the eventual 133 champion, but bounced back with a win in the consolations to get to the third place match. Gonzalez had to settle for fourth place, however, as he made a critical mistake early in the match resulting in a pin to second-ranked Brandon Wright of Iowa Central.
Randall, who entered the tournament with a #7 ranking at 141, came out of the doors flying on Friday with a tech fall, a pin and a 9-2 decision before falling to the 141 pound runner-up in the semis in a narrow 5-4 double overtime loss. Randall picked up the pieces of the tough loss and eventually took fifth.
Melendrez also had a strong opening day with a 9-4 decision and a pin before losing a 6-1 semifinal decision to second-ranked PJ Starnes of Harper who went on to win the 157 title. Melendrez won his next match with a fall to get to the third place match where he got majored by Gloucester's ninth-ranked Justin Pencock.
Williams along with Kegan Handlovic (125), Billy Goldsberry (149) and Brett Fredrickson (197) all added to the CCC team scores with wins on day one. Unranked Fredrickson also collected team bonus points with another stunning pin of fifth-ranked Bo Younker of SW Oregon. Fredrickson also pinned Younker last month in a match at Clackamas.
 |
|
| Head coach Josh Rhoden is presented the Coach of the Year award from Tournament Director Al Williams. |
Rhoden, in only his fifth year as head coach, was selected NJCAA National Coach of the Year and at age 30 is one of the youngest coaches ever to win a national team wrestling title. In his previous four years, Rhoden has guided the Cougars to 3rd, 5th, 7th and 8th place finishes and has produced 24 All-Americans in his tenure with the program.
CCC had a strong contingent of fans in the stands along with Tim Williams, the last Cougar to win back-to-back national titles. Williams won 142 pound titles in 1971, when CCC won its last title, and again in '72.
Rhoden and staff will be bidding goodbye at the end of the year to Williams and Fortune who are headed to Oregon State next season and to Mestrovich, Fredrickson, Sanchez and Goldsberry who are undecided on their school of choice.
View: Team Scores | Brackets
Photos: Link (free photo downloads will be available Monday)
VIEW: 2010-11 News
COUGAR NEWS
SCHEDULES-RESULTS
NWAACC SCORES
Follow the Cougars on Facebook and Twitter
 |
|
|
|
© 2005- 2012 Clackamas Community College - 19600 Molalla Ave - Oregon City, Oregon 97045 Design & Maintenance: Swisher Web Solutions |
