Wallowa County flattens challenger

Published 4:00 pm Wednesday, January 26, 2011

What a team.

A unique combination of high school wrestlers representing Wallowa, Joseph and Enterprise teamed up for one night only, Jan. 20 in Enterprise, and won the County Challenge against a group from next door in Union. The rare dual meet, including a match for each of the 14 weight classes, ended in Wallowa Countys favor by a score of 58-18.

Our bigger guys had more strength, said Enterprise senior Alex Courtney, who moved up to a match in the 215-pound class and pinned his opponent. Its a little different with a heavier guy. The pace was a bit slower than what Im used to.

Wallowa County jumped on top with eight wins in a row. Freshman Matt Staigle, at 160 pounds, started the run. He claimed a forfeit. That was followed by senior Matayas Nagy, at 171, who pinned his challenger in the first period with 11 seconds left. Next, senior Trent Martin (189) worked three rounds and wound up scoring a technical fall at 16-0.

The next five wins featured pins. Courtney finished his opponent in the third period. Junior Erich Roepke took care of a heavyweight early in the second round. Then, Wallowa County continued adding more points via pins by the featherweights. They included freshman Caden Christman (103), freshman Luke Moore (112) and freshman Spencer Henninger (119).

The smaller guys did really good, too, Courtney said. We have some freshmen who are gonna be good for a while.

Before the night ended, Wallowa County boosted its score. Junior Josh Higginbotham (130) gained another win via forfeit. Senior Forrest Cox (135) earned a technical fall with a 16-1 decision.

Wallowa County overcame an early setback. Trevor McWaters, a junior in the 152-pound weight class, took the first match into overtime but lost a 13-11 decision. But after that, his team took eight in row. Firmly ahead on the scoreboard overall, this county let other youngsters gain experience on the mat. They included sophomore Austin Reimer (125), sophomore John Green (140) and Levi Fine (145). Their matches were opportunities to learn.

Ive faced some really good guys, McWaters said. Theyve helped me make progess. I realize some ways I can get better. I need to work on stamina. I have to prepare for that third round.

Next, Enterprise-Wallowa and Joseph will split up as they compete Jan. 28 in the Terry Crenshaw Memorial Tournament at Wallowa High. Action is scheduled to begin at 10 a.m.