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Tigers wrestle into the night
12/7/2008
By CONOR NICHOLL
cnicholl@dailynews.net
Junior Tommy Edgmon and redshirt freshman Dustin Dooley were supposed to have an exhibition match next Wednesday to determine the No. 1 spot at 125 pounds for the Fort Hays State University wrestling team.
That schedule was changed Saturday.
Edgmon and Dooley, seeded sixth and fourth respectively, each won four matches, including a match against a higher seed and moved into the 125-pound championship in the FHSU/Bob Smith Open at Gross Memorial Coliseum.
First-year head coach Chas Thompson decided to move the wrestle-off to Saturday's championship after Edgmon won his semifinal. Edgmon won 3-0 and claimed the Tigers' top spot in the weight class.
"I worked my basics, worked my moves, wrestled my match," Edgmon said. "I had good pace, good rhythm, didn't fall into his game plan."
"That was for a varsity spot," Dooley said. "I wrestled him differently than I have ever wrestled. I have never been that physical with him."
The two joined 141-pound senior James Annon, 157-pound senior Danny Grater, 165-pound redshirt junior Blake Malloy and 174-pounder junior Shawn Kuhlman as Tigers that reached the finals (see Monday's HDN).
Edgmon, a Goddard native, had transferred from Pratt Community College with Thompson. He competes with Dooley, a Concordia product, nearly every day in practice. The two are both considered possible national qualifiers by Thompson.
"It is kind of tough," Edgmon said. "I try not to show him too much. He tries not to show me too much. We knew we had to wrestle for the spot sometime. We just kind of go half speed in the (practice room). We don't show each other. This time, he got to see what I did and I got to see what he did."
Saturday marked the first tournament the two had met.
Edgmon didn't dual Dooley at the Tigers' annual season-opening Black and Gold Scrimmage because of a rib injury in practice that kept him out for three weeks. Saturday marked his first tournament back.
"To place (Saturday) was my expectation," he said. "To win it was in the back of my mind. I knew I could probably place. I had some good draws, had some good matches."
Dooley pinned his first two opponents in a combined six minutes and nine seconds and defeated University of Nebraska-Kearney's Jordan White 4-1 to move into the semis. Then, he knocked off No. 1 seed Billy Exline of Missouri Valley with a 4-0 win.
Dooley, at 5-foot-8, is taller than many of his opponents, leverage that helps against smaller wrestlers.
"That has always been my key," Dooley said. "There are is still a lot of things that I still need to work on, but using that leverage I get a lot more head locks and coach Thompson is really helping me out with that."
Edgmon won his first match 17-6 and then won his second on riding time. He defeated No. 3 Danny Luttrell of University of Nebraska-Kearney in the quarters before he won 3-2 against University of Central Missouri's Bryon Clark in the semis.
Edgmon was tied 1-1 before he made a late move with 52 seconds left and earned a two-point takedown.
"We were going to go into overtime if I didn't do something," he said. "I tried to put something together. I got a takedown and I was able to ride him out."
After Edgmon's match, Thompson talked with Dooley and Edgmon and made the scheduling change.
"Since we both made the finals, this would count for our exhibition match," Edgmon said. "Since we both made the finals, this will be the deciding factor."
At the end of the first period, Edgmon earned a two-point takedown.
"I definitely didn't feel it coming," Dooley said.
"He definitely caught me. That is Tommy's game. We wrestled every day and he knows that he is better on his feet."
He tacked on another escape point in the third period for the shutout victory - and the top spot at 125 pounds.
"I knew it would be a tough ride, so I would wait until the end of the period," Edgmon said.
"I get a takedown and hold him and then I could secure my two so he couldn't get an escape, so I waited until about 15 seconds left. I hit and I got it and he couldn't get away."
| Scoreboard | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Sport | Date | Opponent | Score |
| 2/18 | SW Baptist | L 66-53 | |
| 12/1 | Oklahoma - Panhandle | L 66-60 (OT) | |