By BRANDON SMITH
Barton Sports Info
Dawson Chavez will carry the Barton banner once again to the National Championships as the third-year sophomore placed 4th in the 157-division on Saturday helping the Cougar wrestling team to a 9th place finish at the NJCAA South Central District Championships held in Chanute, Kansas.
Making the most of the Covid-19 eligibility exemption, Chavez knocked off the nation's 3rd ranked wrestler in a key match punching his third straight ticket to the big stage at the Mid-America Center held March 3-4 in Council Bluffs, Iowa.
As a team the Cougars accumulated 41.5 points to finish tied with Neosho County Community College. In a district loaded with six of the nation's Top-17 teams, 4th ranked Pratt Community College had four individual district champions in winning the team title with 187 points to distance 5th ranked Northeastern Oklahoman A&M College's 154 points.
The Cougars also came away with a pair of 7th placers in back-pinning fashion as Avery Wolf won in the 125-division with Zane Hennessey capturing the 149-division.
After receiving a first round bye, Chavez dispatched Labette's Jonathan Vincent 9-2 but was sent to the backside on a narrow 10-9 loss to 8th ranked Richard Mack of NEO in the semifinals round. Needing a victory for an automatic qualifying spot, Chavez regrouped to knock off Pratt's 3rd ranked #3 Samajay Alboyd by a 13-10 decision to avenge a 10-7 loss two weeks prior at the Jayhawk Duals. Dawson's attempt to knock off his second straight ranked opponent was spoiled in the consolation finals as 7th ranked Noah Smith of Carl Albert State piled up a 17-8 major decision.
In addition to Chavez, five other Cougars received first round byes but were knocked to the consolation side of the bracket in taking quarterfinal losses to nationally ranked opponents.
Wolf was the lone exemption of the first round bye but made quick work of his first round opponent in pinning Ayden Montez of Cowley on a 1:08 Fall. Bounced to the bracket by the 2nd ranked Jett Strickenberger of Northwest Kansas Technical College, Wolf then registered his second back flattening with 1:54 mat slap over Caden Betz of Carl Albert State. Brady Foster of Cloud County then racked up a 13-3 major decision loss on Wolf in the Consolation Round 3 but Wolf again would regroup with another pinning over Dalton Kivett of Labette in the 7th place match. Not done with his day, Wolf had to wrestle a challenge match in ending his day with a 9-8 loss to Tyler FIelds of Colby.
Hennessey's first time on the mat following his bye was met by top ranked Dylan Brown of NEO. Sent to the consolation via a Fall, Hennessey won by an 8-4 decision over Chase Koehler of Cowley before getting pinned in the first period by Labette's Traylon Jackson. Wrestling in the 7th place match, Hennessey would be the lone Cougar to include the day's action with a victory in taking care of Cloud County's Salvador Barintas with a 1:35 Fall.
Three other Cougars reached the 7th place matches but came up short of the placings, Stephan Baldwin in the 133-Division, Cohen Suchy in the 141-Division, and Chance Unruh in the 165-Division. Keondre Bonner was the lone Cougar to come up empty in his matches, finishing the 174-Division with a pair of losses.