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Tiger wrestlers hit road
1/9/2008
By NICK McQUEEN
Hays Daily News
Two years ago when the Fort Hays State University wrestling team traveled to Adams State (Colo.) College, the Tigers came away with a big victory over one of the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference's perennial powerhouses.
It took a pair of wins over a pair of All-Americans to get the job done.
This season, the task will be no different for the No. 17 ranked Tigers, who left today for the Adams State/New Mexico Highlands RMAC dual swing. Action gets started Thursday in Alamosa, Colo., against the No. 4 ranked Grizzlies. Saturday, the Tigers will be in Las Vegas, N.M., for action against the Cowboys.
"It's going to be a great test," Tiger coach Cody Bickley said. "This is one of the better teams Adams State has had in a long time, and that's a tough place to go in and wrestle."
Coming off a long holiday layoff, the Tigers started the conference dual season over the weekend with a pair of convincing wins over Colorado School of Mines and Mesa State (Colo.) College, two "much improved teams," Bickley said.
The Tigers' performance was convincing, but less than impressive at the time, after a long break. Looking back, Bickley thought Mines and Mesa State were in a worse boat after the layover.
He said, though, the Tigers are back in form, and ready for the challenge against Adams State, which will put a full, healthy squad on the mat Thursday.
"We'll have to be ready to go," Bickley said. "They have a solid lineup from top to bottom, so every match is an important one if we hope to get a win."
The Grizzlies boast five returning All-Americans and had four individual champions in the Midwest Classic over the weekend. Adams State also had eight placers in the tourney, which took place in Indianapolis against wrestlers from all NCAA levels, including Division I. The Grizzlies have yet to wrestle in a dual this season. They own a 25-8 lead all-time against the Tigers in dual action, but Fort Hays has taken four out of the last five.
"Two years ago, we ended up clipping them out there and getting a great win," Bickley said. "We won some tight matches over some All-American kids for their squad. We'll have to do the same thing. We match up with them head to head very well."
The return of senior Kyle Patton at 125 pounds will solidify the Tigers' lineup and give them a full squad.
At 157 pounds, Tiger sophomore Danny Grater, the No. 8 ranked wrestlers in Div. II, will have his hands full. Grizzly sophomore Mike Gallegos came away with the championship in Indianpolis over the two-time Div. II national champion at the same weight. The Grizzlies are young in the upper weights, something Bickley hopes his team can take advantage of Thursday.
At 184 pounds, Adams State senior Jared Deaguero is the No. 1 ranked wrestlers in Div. II. At 125, Grizzly sophomore Arsenia Barksdale is ranked No. 2.
"This is a very tough dual season and it's very exciting to go through," he said. "This is just the tip of the iceberg."
In the latest rankings, five RMAC programs are ranked: Fort Hays (17th), Chadron State (Neb.) College (11th), Western State (Colo.) College (8th), Adams State (4th), and University of Nebraska-Kearney (1st).
Assistant sports editor Nick McQueen can be reached at (785) 628-1081, Ext. 128, or by e-mail at nmcqueen@dailynews.net.
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| BB | 5/11 | Central Missouri | L 4-2 |
| BB | 5/10 | Missouri Western | W 4-3 |
| BB | 5/09 | Emporia State | L 6-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | W 17-5 |
| BB | 5/04 | Pittsburg State | L 4-3 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 15-7 |
| BB | 5/03 | Pittsburg State | L 5-4 |
| SB | 5/02 | Central Missouri | L 3-1 |
| SB | 5/02 | Missouri Western | W 3-2 |
| SB | 5/01 | Pittsburg State | W 6-0 |
