Banged up Huron squad takes eighth at New Lothrop
Injured, and entering a meat grinder of a tournament was not a good combination for the Huron wrestlers Saturday as they opened up the 2004 portion of their schedule. Coach Pat Lamb took eight varsity wrestlers to the 32nd annual New Lothrop meet and finished eighth. Sophomore Dylan Centala (125 pounds) placed the highest, earning a bid in the finals, but dropping his first match of the season to Jon Fulger of Montrose on a 8-3 decision. Junior Chris Rhode took a fourth at 189 pounds.
Montrose, which appears a Division IV state champion front-runner, had five first place finishers and easily took first place with 231.50 points. Caro, Corunna, Roseville, and Chippewa Valley followed. The host school, the reigning Division IV champs, earned sixth with 107 points.
?I?M A LITTLE disappointed, not only with the way we wrestled but also with myself that I didn?t do whatever it takes to motivate these guys to perform up to their competition (level),? said Lamb of the Hurons? first-ever appearance at the New Lothrop tournament. The coach said he didn?t hesitate to sign the contract when New Lothrop invited RCHS. ?As you know, we don?t shy away from competition in Rogers City,? said Lamb. ?We actually go out and seek the competition. It?s my job as a head coach to prepare those kids to do that.
?I believe that these are the type of events that we need to go to, to bring the program to the next level where we all want to be, which is going after the state championship.? Lamb hopes his athletes get healthy in a hurry for the Bill Barrett Memorial Invitational Saturday at home. It?s the team?s first appearance of the season in the RCHS gymnasium. The squad will be at Alpena tonight at 6 p.m.
CENTALA (18-1) started his day by pinning Kevin Dore of Bay City Western in 42 seconds. He then earned a 12-4 major decision over Justin Fowler of Caro. That set up the finals match. Rhode took 10-5 and 3-1 decisions into the semifinals. He missed making the finals after a two point loss to John McClure of Holland West Ottawa. In his bout for third place, the junior suffered a tough, 4-3 loss to Alex Gasper of New Lothrop. Among those trying to recuperate from injuries is junior Josh Christ, who is being plagued with a recurring hip injury. He could be back for Saturday?s meet in Rogers C
?It?s something we have to go week by week with, until it gets taken care of,? said Lamb. Sophomore Mark Grulke is recovering from a torn bicep muscle, while senior Justin Kelley has knee and shoulder injuries. Junior Matt Tomas suffered a minor knee injury last week in practice but is expected to return. ?I knew going into this season that we couldn?t afford to have any injuries and still be competitive, and quite frankly, we are not very competitive,? said Lamb. ?We need to get healthy, and we need to get everybody back on the mat. ?We?re hurting. All we can do is get better.?
Huron wrestling note:
? The Rogers City wrestling family will be having a bottle and can drive February 7 to benefit their travel expense account. The wrestlers are not going to canvas the town but if someone has cans or bottles they want to donate, they should contact any wrestling parent or coach Lamb at the high school for pickup. Drop-offs can be taken to the bus garage at RCHS from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m. January 24.