State wrestling

The largest High School tournament in the United States, 896 wrestlers over three days.

Sorry it's taken me a week to post results but it's been a tough weekend to put in persective.

Cole came back for his first quarterfinal match on Friday and had a tough opponent and a tough break.

Midway through the first period his opponent shot for a takedown, Cole stuffed it and dropped to spin around. His jaw caught on his opponents hip as he was coming up and it ended up dislocated.

Naturally he had to forfeit the match. No saying how it would have ended. He was holding his own but the guy did end up taking 2nd eventually (after giving one of Cole's friends a concussion).

Here at 1:27

http://www.mlive.com/sports/flint/index.ssf/2011/03/hollys_shawn_scott_wins_quarte.html

The sports Docs got it to go back in eventually and cleared him to wrestle later.

We all left it to him, no one would expect him to continue or expect any more from him.

His reply? "I have to".

Unbeleivably he came back just 3hrs later and wrestled very hard and very smart. The guy had a good takedown shot but Cole had great defense and strategy. I don't say this much but I'm not too thrilled with the refereeing either. Twice or more Cole had a takedown all but done and he stopped them as out. Another time he was finishing a takedown and the guy called break and gave the other guy a takedown. Not really.

He tied it up right at the end of the third round by getting the guy called for stalling.

Watching the overtime round I don't think he was 100% recovered from the dislocation and the guy snuck in a takedown and just like that, the weekend's wrestling is over and the HS wrestling career is over.

Loosing your third match in overtime, I don't think you can be any closer to medaling and yet not place.

Pretty tough pill to swollow after working so hard and enduring so much during the season.

one broken nose (two last year)

level one shoulder separation

minicus slipped 3 times in practice (it feels like a dislocation)

dislocated jaw

cauliflower ear (which we got drained Tuesday)

and probably more he never mentioned.

Final record 44-10, ranked as high as 5th in the state.

March of Champions at the beginning of tournament

But some others who have put it in perspective had some wisdom to share.

No one makes it to the State finals in just their third year of wrestling

('cept world champion stickfighters one former teammate mentioned, he wrestles in college on a scholarship now btw).

It just isn't done.

The good friend he made during the season who he beat pretty well twice this year had been wrestling for 14 years. You just don't make it to State in such a short time.

And the only wrestlers who wouldn't want to trade places with him (at State) are those who placed 1st through 8th. All the other guys who have been wrestling for years that didn't make it would love to have the opportunity just to be there.

So yeah, a pretty good senior season. Setting a goal a year ago and making it come true through everything that happened. Doing what it took and staying true to the goal when others gave up or took an easier road.

State Wrestling championships

Just back from round one. Lasted from 2:15 to 8:30!!
Cole one his first match 3-2. Very tough match that ended with another broken nose.
But now he doesn't have to return until 11AM for the round 3 quarterfinals.

Teammate Brandt also won his first match in very dramatic overtime fashion.
Very well done.

'cause I've got a golden ticket!

State Qualifiers from Hamilton - Cole and Brandt

Preferred ticket order forms


Three good matches today. Winning the first and 2nd and narrowly loosing the final championship match.
A bit frustrating for Cole because he feels he was the better wrestler. The guy just rode him for the 2nd and third round and never got called for stalling. A winner never likes to loose anything, ever. That's what gets them to the point of winning. To Cole, if the guy is better than you, know shame in loosing. Hey, he was better. But if he knows in his head and heart he was better and for a different application of the rules, ect.......



In the end? Whatever.

Going to State!!

Regionals tomorrow

Tomorrow is the Wrestling Regional finals, actually at home this time.
I've agreed to run a clock so time should pass quickly until I get a break and watch Cole Wrestle.

Michigan Grappler now has him ranked #5 in the state and predicts him to take first place!!
Hope it's not a jinx.

171

#5 Cole Van Harm (Hamilton) vs Dan Dykstra (Middleville TK)
#9 Chance Gorby (Allegan) vs Chase Challender (Charlotte)
#6 David McCormick (Forest Hills Northern) vs Wade Schlosser (Lowell)
#10 Derek Nietering (Coopersville) vs Blake Marsh (Eaton Rapids)

Outlook: All four placers from the Coopersville district should have a good chance to advance at this weight. After advancing from their tough district last week Van Harm, McCormick, Gorby and Nietering are all currently ranked top ten at their weight class. However Marsh and Challender are tough as well and should make this a very competitive weight class.

Predicted Finish: Van Harm, McCormick, Gorby, Marsh



Weds was team regionals but he faced two of the guys from tomorrow. The first was one he beat Saturday and the other was a strong, bulky guy predicted to take 3rd tomorrow.

Oh, he beat them both.


So, here's some action from Wed.

Borrowed shoes - District Championship

Individual Wrestling District Championships were yesterday. Big day for wrestlers. It's the first cut to their quest to qualify and wrestle at the State level, every wrestler's dream.

Cole's started off rather bumpily. Someone stole his wrestling shoes Friday night.

I got stressed calls from him on the team bus ride to the meet asking if his shoes were at home, they weren't. So I did some running around trying to find them amidst dropping off food for them to have after the onsite weigh-in. No luck. So we brought his beat up shoes as back ups just in time by start time.

Fortunatley there's another wrestler on the team with size 12's as well. It was a little dicey time-wise as he was only two weights below Cole but it all worked out.

Huge thanks to him for being generous enough to lend them to Cole.

Cole started off the day seeded in second place due to his record of 36-7 and 1st through 4th seed get a bye in the first round.

Well, you can see things went pretty well.

All three matches wins, beating the #6 and #5 ranked guys in the state and he is now seeded first going into Regionals which will be held at home Saturday. There were only two Regional champions from his team yesterday and 4 others qualified as well (1st through 4th moves on).

Now at Regionals there will only be 8 per weight class and the top four move on to State. Needs to win at least two matches.

One step closer.....

these are the only vids I could upload as the rest were over 100mgs and blogger didn't like them

His second opponent had a rough day. Coming in he was seeded 4th but came in not feeling too well for the day. He and Cole have met before so it was anticipated to be a hot match.

But Cole said he himself was in the zone and really slicing time (thanks Mushtaq) and it was as if he could see everything in slowed motion.

Right after this one the opponent ran off to grab the garbage can (he did come back and wrestle well in his consolation 3rd place match so he recovered fine)

Quick feet, no?

He'd met his finals opponent earlier in the year and lost to 2-1. This time he came back very aggressivly and hooked up hard.

Cole was down 3-0 as a result when he stuck this reversal and wicked neck crank to go up 5-3.

Then kept that pace to end the match winning 8-6 - District Champion.

20sec pin

Team district action last night.

Hamilton defeated Holland soundly and then Zeeland East to become division 2 district team champions.

Cole had the fastest pin of the night, 20seconds.

Conference Champions

Saturday was the individual Conference championship. Points earned individually also add up to an overall team conference score. The hawkeyes have defeated every team in the conference dual meets but if one other team won the individual conference meet on individual points, it would be a co-championship. That's what happened last year.

But not this year.





The team pulled it out again and defeated the 2nd ranked team by one final team point, 241 to 240.

Cole also had no problem winning individual Conference at 171. He defeated all three of his oponents in the first round, by pin at an average elapsed time of one minute.

Record 34 and 7