NEOSHO COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
WRESTLING
By Aaron Sweazy
Conference action got underway on Thursday, when the Neosho wrestling team made the trek out to Pratt Community College for a 7pm dual. Following a random draw for starting weight classes, the action would begin at the 174 pound weight class. Little Rock, Arkansas sophomore Aaron Butler was tied up late in the match with Alex Feldkamp when the two wrestlers got into a scramble for position with time winding down, as the clock went backwards and time elapsed, Butler found himself behind Feldkamp with 2 seconds on the clock to score the 6-4 decision and propel Neosho to an early lead. Ralph Manous would follow suit with a win for Neosho by racking up several combinations of 2 point maneuvers, but when time was over he couldn’t seal the crucial bonus points for the Panthers and only won by a 7 point decision. The momentum would shift and Pratt would claim the next two weight classes with Trey Vicknair bumping up from 184 to lose a narrow 3-2 match to national qualifier Tyler Downs of Pratt. John Arnold gave up weight and went up against Austin Hamm and lost in the process, however Arnold was able to hit a late escape to only lose by 7 as well and narrowly avoiding bonus points from a potential major decision. At 125 Derek Steeley a freshman from Broken Arrow, Oklahoma would go to the mat and would find himself in a rare hole trailing 6-2 after the first period to Jesse Barber who put Steeley on his back with nearly 30 seconds or more on the clock with the Gumby-like Steeley finding a way to avoid a major setback. Steeley chose down in the 2nd and was being ridden tough again by Barber. Then Barber went for the turn and Steeley went with him, however this time as he was going to his back, Steeley high arched his body and picked Barber’s head and simultaneously the referee slapped the mat for the defensive pin giving Neosho a 12-6 lead. Stephen Kendrick of Skiatook, Ok would come up next at 133 and after battling for 2 periods found him-self all knotted up with Kevin Callahan of Pratt. It was then late in the 3rd when the conditioning of Kendrick would come into play by scoring an escape, followed by a 4 point move from feet to back to put away his opponent. The see-saw battle would continue when Neosho would drop a crucial 11-2 major decision as well as a 10-8 decision at 141 and 149 respectively; however the Panthers still lead 15-13. Josh Isam would give a cushion for the team to work with by picking up a 7-4 decision at 157, meaning only a pinfall would allow Pratt to win the dual outright in the final match contested. Neosho sent out true freshman Derrick Ageday from Hollis, NY to take on Pratt’s lone All American from a year ago Travis Budke. Ageday looked poised and confident, bouncing with enthusiasm around the circle and holding his own for a while, but then inexperience caught up with him, when the Pratt sophomore Budke hit his chin-whip to send Ageday to his back and shortly there after claim the pin and 6 points for the Pratt Beaver wrestling team. Although Neosho never trailed in the dual all night, at the end it was a one point setback for the Panther’s who now are 1-1 on the season and 0-1 in conference. Neosho is next at Baker Open on Sunday before hosting Labette here at 7pm on Thursday.
Neosho 18 Pratt 19
125 Steeley Neo. Won by fall over Baber Pratt
133 Kendrick Neo. Dec. Callahan Pratt 8-3
141 Willis Pratt Dec. Wolfe Neo.11-2
149 Wright Pratt Dec. Ringgold 10-8
157 Isam Neo. Dec. Wise Pratt 7-4
165 Budke Pratt Won by fall over Ageday Neo.
174 Butler Neo. dec. Feldkamp Pratt 6-4
184 Manous Neo. Dec. Griffin 13-6
197 Downs Pratt Dec. Trey Vicknair Neo. 3-2
285 Hamm Pratt Dec. Arnold Neo 12-5