Wrestling Video

Tyson Giza upsets Roseburg's Jay Tovey 5-3 in quarter finals at the Coast Classic.

Reno ToC

Sprague placed 20th at the "Toughest Tournamnet in the USA", lead by Champion RJ Pena and 4th place finsiher Alex Kostenborder. Tyson Giza finsihed in the top 12, and Yulerik Sorensen, James Puerini, and bryce Whitehead finsihed in the top 16. Congrats!

Coast Classic

Coast ClassicTeam Scores

1..Roseburg 233.5
2..Canby 220
3..Newberg 145
4..Sprague 137
5..Crook County 135.5

Sprague Placers
103 Kostenborder 3rd
135 T. Giza 5th
152 Pena 1st
285 Puelen 6th

#4 Sprague vs. #3 Newberg

#3 Newberg 41 #4 Sprague 25
103 - Tazz Tinner (N) pinned Chris Cardenas (S)
112 - Alex Kostenborder (S) won by FFT
119 - Paul Reyes (S) dec. Kevin Wetmore (N) 9-6
125 - Yulerik Sorenson (S) pinned Austin Woods (N)
130 - Cody Cutz (N) dec. Jordan Giza (S) 8-6
135 - Jacob Kaufman (N) pinned James Puerini (S) 3rd round
140 - Colin Cornett (N) dec. Tyson Giza (S) 10-3
145 - Bryce Whitehead (S) pinned Cole Neuhaus (N)
152 - RJ Pena (S) Mdec. Joey Chandler (N) 12-3
160 - Clint Peebles (N) dec. Joe Lugo (S) 7-6
171 - Mitch Sturdevant (N) dec. Chance Newkirk (S) 5-3
189 - Alec Ortiz (N) pinned Thomas Church (S) 3rd round
215 - Kevin North (N) pinned Adam Peulen (S) 2nd
285 - Judd Brown (N) pinned Collin Mitchell (S) 2nd

Larry Owings Invitational

#1 Roseburg 41 #4 Sprague 28
103 Drew Van Anrooy, R, won by forfeit
112 Alex Kostenborder, S, maj. dec. Steven Evans, R, 10-2
119 Paul Rayas, S, dec. Harold Stephens, R, 6-1
125 Mitchell Lofstedt, R, won by forfeit
130 Jay Tovey, R, p. James Pevrini, S, 1:15
135 Tyler Lander, R, p. Yvlen Sorensen, S, 1:14
140 Sam Mecham, R, maj. dec. Tyson Giza, S, 14-3
145 Dylan Westwang, R, dec. Brice Whitehead, S, 9-4
152 R.J. Pena, S, p. Tony Castro, R, 1:41
160 Devan Fors, R, maj. dec. Kenny Rlax, S, 9-1
171 Chance Newkirk, S, p. Aaron Resco, R, 1:57
189 Tom Church, S, dec. Brandon Romano, R, 3-1
215 Adam Peulen, S, p. Joe Hennricks, R, 3:15
285 Brandon Galvez, R, p. Collin Mitchell, S, 5:38

#2 Canby 45 #4 Sprague 25
103 Colton Wright (Canby) WBFF
112 Alex Kostenborder (Sprague) WBD 3-1 OT over AJ Ballard (Canby)
119 James Roberts (Canby) WBF 3:03 over Paul Rayas (Sprague)
125 Kyle Richardson (Canby) WBFF
130 Yulerik Sorenson (Sprague) WBD 9-6 over Michael Wright (Canby)
135 Zach Lowry (Canby) WBF 1:35 over James Peurini (Sprague)
140 Tyson Giza (Sprague) WBF 0:58 over Dalton Justice (Canby)
145 Bryce Whitehead (Sprague) WBD 6-2 over Dane Justice (Canby)
152 RJ Pena (Sprague) WBMD 11-2 over Travis Newton (Canby)
160 Tate Koenig (Canby) WBF 3:14 over Kenny Rioux (Sprague)
171 Austin Rasch (Canby) WBF 1:24 over Chance Newkirk (Sprague)
189 Michael Doman (Canby) WBF 3:47 over Tom Church (Sprague)
215 Jeff Helbling (Canby) WBD 6-2 over Adam Peulen (Sprague)
285 Collin Mitchell (Sprague) WBFFT

#4 Sprague 49 West Linn 24
103 Sam Ihrig (West Linn) WBFF
112 Alex Kostenborder (Sprague) WBD 2-1 over Donald Paulson (West Linn)
119 Andrew Kim (West Linn) WBF 5:20 over Paul Rayas (Sprague)
125 Brian Schiewe (West Linn) WBFF
130 Yulerik Sorensen (Sprague) WBF 3:25 over Peter Bonoff (West Linn)
135 James Peurini (Sprague) WBD 9-4 over Travis Schultzer (West Linn)
140 Tyson Giza (Sprague) WBD 5-0 over Logan Krellwitz (West Linn)
145 Bryce Whitehead (Sprague) WBTF 18-2 over Devon Schlewe (West Linn)
152 RJ Pena(Sprague) WBFF
160 Kenny Rioux (Sprague) WBFFT
171 Chance Newkirk (Sprague) WBF 4:56 over Michael MacClanathan (West Linn)
189 Tom Church (Sprague) WBTF 16-1 over Emerson Helbling (West Linn)
215 Adam Peulen (Sprague) WBF :59 over Ben Stoneking (West Linn)
285 Mitch Gualke (West Linn) WBF 4:50 over Colin Mitchell (Sprague)

Sprague vs. McKay

#4 Sprague 56 McKay 12
Sprague JV 48 McKay 19

103 Cardenas Spr. WBMD 14-5 William McK
112 Kostenborder Spr. WBF Foster McK
119 Rayas Spr. LBD 4-10 Guerrero McK
125 Sorensen Spr. WBF Neuman McK
130 J.Giza Spr. WBF Medena McK
135 Puerini Spr. WBD 8-3 Hillman McK
140 T.Giza Spr. WBMD 13-3 Aarp McK
145 Whithead Spr. WBF Everetts McK
152 Pena Spr. WBF Gomez McK
160 Rouix Spr. LBD 3-6 Cook McK
171 Newkirk Spr. LBF Thomas McK
189 Church Spr. WBD 8-2 Gonzales McK
215 Puelen Spr. WBF Hutchinson McK
285 Mitchell Spr. WBFFT McK

OWF RANKINGS

The OWF Rankings are out....

Alex Kostenborder #1 at 103
Bryce Whitehead #3 at 135
Tyson Giza #9 at 135
RJ Pena #1 at 140
Adam Puelen #3 at 215

Sprague Ranked #7 as a team

RJ verbally commits to OSU

Standout Sprague wrestler Peña will attend Oregon State
Junior commits early but cannot sign with Beavers until next year
BILL POEHLERStatesman Journal
November 27, 2007
R.J. Peña has always been ahead of the curve.
As a 10-year-old, Peña was a triple crown national champion wrestler.
In his first two years at Sprague High School, Peña won state championships.
As a junior he has verbally committed to wrestle at Oregon State starting with the 2009-2010 school year.
"I kind of wanted to get all that stuff off my mind," said Peña, who plans to study medicine at Oregon State. "I knew before I committed that I was going there."
Peña won't be allowed to sign with Oregon State until this time next year at the earliest.
If the NCAA changes the National Letter of Intent early signing period for wrestling as it did for some sports this year, Peña may not be able to sign until February 2009.
"No. 1, is that the coaching staff from Iowa is there," said Sprague coach Kary Hadden, an Oregon State alumni. "I think we have one of the best staffs on the west coast, if not in the country.
"I think it's a great fit. I think he's going to be able to go in there and be a big impact his first year. What's going to be exciting here for us is he's going to be here local."
Peña had interest from other prominent college wrestling programs from all over the country, but chose to stay within a 30-minute drive of his hometown.
"He could have just about gone anywhere," Hadden said. "This time next year would have been really hectic with people flying in, flying him out. With doing this, he's going to save people a lot of money."
Peña won the prestigious Reno Tournament of Champions last year as a sophomore and rocketed to the No. 1 national ranking.
The coaching staff of OSU's Jim Zalesky and Troy Steiner was impressed enough to offer the junior a scholarship to wrestle for them.
"I've known how good the coaches are," Peña said. "Zalesky's originally from Iowa. I know how good of coaches they are and I know that was the best program for me to be a national champion."
At Oregon State, Peña will join former Sprague teammate Keegan Davis, who is redshirting as a sophomore for the Beavers.
Unlike most wrestlers, though, Peña has committed early.
"It takes a lot of stress off of R.J.," Peña's father Roger said. "He's close to home, we can watch him wrestle, the coaches can watch him wrestle."
Another Sprague athlete has verbally committed to compete at Oregon State: Senior Tony Wilson to play football, who can't sign until February.

OTC Slide Show

Profile on Gabe Burak

Friend of Sprague Wrestling, Gabe Burak is wrestling at University of Penn. Check out his profile

http://www.pennathletics.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=8720&SPID=543&DB_OEM_ID=1700&ATCLID=1300550&Q_SEASON=2007

and a great article on his run as a 3x state champion in Colorado

http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_qn4191/is_20030223/ai_n10015216

Straight To The Top!

The issue for the Iowa wrestling program in recent seasons was never what the Hawkeyes said but rather what they sincerely believed.
Iowa rolls out its objectives each November and all fingers point straight toward finishing on top in March. It was a universal principle passed down through the glory days, and even though coaches, wrestlers and program stature have changed through the years for the Hawkeyes, the spoken goal never did.
It's always national championship or bust at Iowa. The talk is always about titles.
The Hawkeyes opened the page to another chapter of Iowa wrestling Wednesday when the team held its annual media day gathering, and title talk surfaced again. The quest to regain a championship that hasn't been in Hawkeye hands for seven years begins with Iowa ranked third in one preseason poll and fourth in two others.
"We need to be a lot better than where we're ranked right now," second-year coach Tom Brands said. "If we're third in one poll, we need to be two spots higher. If we're fourth in another poll, we need to be three spots higher."
The Hawkeyes haven't been on top of the national rankings since December of 2000. They haven't been on top at the end since the previous March. Instead, they've had a front-row seat while Minnesota and Oklahoma State have played tug-of-war with the NCAA title trophy during the past seven seasons.
The top-ranked Gophers have eight starters back from the team that won the national championship in March. The Hawkeyes have a room filled with guys with their sights set on finishing seven rungs higher than they were at the end of last season when Iowa finished eighth at the NCAA meet.
"It's a lot more attainable than people think," said Mark Perry Jr., the defending NCAA 165-pound champion. "I know the 40 guys in the room and the five coaches, we think we're going to win it. For the first time since I've been here -- and the credit has to go to Brands and his coaching staff -- we have multiple, multiple, multiple guys who honestly believe they are going to win the national tournament.
"That was not the case in the past. I think we had one or two guys who really thought they were going to win the tournament, and right now, I honestly believe we have nine, 10, 11, 12 guys. Some guys who might not even make the (starting lineup) believe they are going to win the nationals. That's something that's never been done and it might not ever be done. But the point is, Brands has everybody believing they're the best, and when you believe you're the best, you're going to produce a lot better results."
The Hawkeyes have always talked titles. Problem is, they haven't always believed their own talk.
"I don't know how it looks for other guys, but we've fallen short in that mindset since I've been here," Perry said. "Guys have been there, we've been in the national finals, we've been in the Big Ten finals, and everyone's kind of fallen short. Most likely, it was due to our preparation. I believe that's really what paid off for me at the end of the season.
"Brands told me I needed to do things a little different and prepare right, and I kind of got on a roll at the end of the season. I think, for my teammates, seeing me do that gave them a lot of faith that they are definitely capable. I plan on seeing a lot of them on top of that stage with me this year."
Brands sat Wednesday at the same table where he conducted his first media day news conference the previous November. One theme he stressed at this time a year ago was the need to take the 31 wrestlers in the room and get each believing he could win an individual national title.
"I know that last year (the number of those in the room who believed that) was the minority and this year it's starting to be the majority," Brands said. "I think people are excited. I think people are excited about what they see when they come in and watch their workout. You see a lot more scraps on the mat. When you see those scraps, you see guys who are trying to take something away from you, and when they're trying to take something away from their opponent, then they're walking with that I-own-the-mat mentality. And when they're walking with that I-own-the-mat mentality, then they feel pretty good about being the next national champion at their weight class."
The feel-good attitude was sparked in March when Perry won his national title by defeating Oklahoma State's Johny Hendricks for the first time in seven college tries. It was fueled during the spring when Ryan Morningstar and Matt Fields won freestyle titles at the University Nationals, freshman Jake Kerr qualified for FILA Junior World Championships and Iowa assistants Doug Schwab and Mike Zadick won spots on the U.S. Freestyle World Team.
"Anytime there are good things happening, it's easier to believe," Brands said. "That's a formula we've got written down."
Brands and company are banking on in-house competition as another component for success. Besides Perry, Iowa's roster features All-American 125-pounder Charlie Falck, 2006 All-American Alex Tsirtsis and highly acclaimed 149-pounder Brent Metcalf, who notched freestyle victories last year over a former Olympic champion, a one-time World University champion and three ex-NCAA finalists, while sitting out after transferring from Virginia Tech.
"We've got 40 guys on boat right now, not 10, not 12, not 15," Metcalf said. "We've got the entire team on boat right now working toward the same goals and approaching practice every day with the same mentality."
That boat is crowded with talent. NCAA qualifiers Morningstar, Fields, Phil Keddy and Dan Erekson, former Iowa high school stars Jay Borschel, Joey Slaton, Dan LeClere and Chad Beatty and a collection of others form what might be the most depth the Hawkeyes have assembled since the middle of their six-year title run that ended in 2000.
"If you don't come ready to compete hard in this room, you're going to get eaten up," Morningstar said. "You can't have a bad day. We want to raise our level so high that our worst day is still going to be a good day compared to other people in the country."
Those benefiting the most could be the wrestlers with the least job security. The three-most highly contested weights -- 133, 141 and 174 -- feature seven wrestlers who combined for 18 high school state championships.
"It's really motivating," sophomore 133-pounder Daniel Dennis said. "There's no time to slack, at all. You can't let a day go by where you're not worrying about getting better because you know if you don't, you're not going to be the guy that's starting."
Dennis doesn't just have a lineup spot in mind. He's a Hawkeye. He's talking titles.
"Truly, that's what every guy at their weight should be thinking," Dennis said. "That's what I'm thinking. To me, that's realistic. To some people, it may not be. To some, it just seems he's just saying that because the coach wants him to. But they've got you really believing that and when you're performing well you feel like you are (going to win a national title)."

Hows your weight?

How’s Your Weight?

By Brandon Slay

http://www.brandonslay.com/default.asp

As Real Wrestlers, we hear this statement all the time from the people we meet during our journey, “Oh, you’re a wrestler. I knew this guy in high school who used to wrestle. He used to spit in a cup and wear trash bags to class. You wrestlers are a different breed and are crazy for doing things like that.”First of all, yes, wrestlers are a different breed, and wrestling is not a sport for the weak. However, those brave enough to step onto the mat will reap the benefits of the agony sewn. But, as far as wrestlers being crazy for losing weight, or as we call it, cutting weight, I disagree with that. It is difficult to maintain the exact same weight at all times, due to our workout and eating schedule, and sometimes, we might have to cut some weight. But, that doesn’t make us crazy. Actually, it makes us disciplined and proves we are willing to make a huge sacrifice to attain victory. Looking back on my career, I think having to make weight on a normal basis has made me a much tougher person mentally and physically. There are times when I have to do difficult things in my daily life that may frustrate me, but then I think. “Heck, I would much rather do this than have to cut weight.” So by comparing a task that seems initially difficult to weight cutting, that task becomes so much easier to accomplish. The truth is, if we always take the easy road, we rarely ever learn anything, and our confidence in our self and our abilities doesn’t grow. On the other hand, when we take the harder road or road less traveled, we develop perseverance and gain a new found confidence in our abilities. My Head Coach at The University of Pennsylvania, Roger Reina, makes the team run 12 miles at the beginning of the season. Every guy on the team has to run the 12 miler 2X throughout their career at Penn. Coach Reina’s plan with the 12 Mile run is not to necessarily get the guys in shape, even though it helps. His plan is to create a new level of confidence in each wrestler by doing something most of them have never done before. I personally had never ran over 5 miles before running 12 miler, but by finishing it, I earned a new level of confidence in my own physical and mental capabilities. Yes, having to make weight can be very difficult, but it gives wrestlers a level of discipline that goes unmatched when compared to most all other sports.I’m not condoning weight loss but am simply stating the realistic advantages of one of the most common ingredients of our sport. Weight cutting is not a necessary ingredient to win wrestling matches. There are many successful wrestlers who don’t cut weight because they don’t have to or don’t believe in it. But, if you do decide to cut weight, it needs to be done properly, in a healthy manner, under a coaches supervision, and shouldn’t be excessive. How do you cut weight properly without hurting your body and without wasting time? The rules over the years have changed. Currently, Middle/High School and College wrestlers have to make weight 1 hour before competition and are not allowed to use plastics or saunas; therefore, you can’t cut too much weight because you are going to need the energy to battle 1 hour later. Plus, you need to find a way to lose weight without breaking the rules. Before I tell you the ideal situation, let me make it clear on what not to do. Never take Ex-Lax or force yourself to puke. These are not natural and can hurt your body, not to mention, the debacle that could take place in a match if you lose control of your bowls. Yikes! Spitting in a cup is nasty for everyone around you, is a waste of time, and will give you cotton mouth. Never starve yourself all day to make weight! It will affect your energy level and performance. Plus, I challenge you to make the right decision and choose to follow the rules regarding plastics and saunas. At the Olympics, I did sit in the sauna and used plastics to make weight, but it’s not against the rules internationally. And, I had almost 20 hours to recover from my weight loss, which gave me ample time to rehydrate and reenergize before my early matches. If I would have had just 1 hour to recover in Sydney, I wouldn’t have been able to wrestle 167. 5 lbs and would have had to attempt to make the Olympic Team at 187.5 lbs. If you can’t make weight properly without hurting your body, you need to move up to the next weight class. You may say, “Brandon, I can’t beat the guy at the weight above me and don’t want to wrestle JV.” That is the nature of the beast in our sport, but if you try to beat the guy above you, lose, and have to wrestle JV, it is better than stunting your growth, potentially damaging your body, worrying your family, or letting some guy mop up the mat with your face in front of everyone because you had no energy to compete.If you choose to cut weight, the ideal situation is to pick a weight that allows you to eat and drink healthy throughout the week, which will keep your energy levels high. If you have plenty of energy and feel good in practice, you will be able to work out harder and longer which helps keep your weight under control. You have to eat and drink to lose weight! The night before you make weight it’s important to eat and drink, but you may need to cut back a tad bit on your portion size and not eat or drink after 8 PM. The key in cutting weight under the current rules is to not allow your body to know you are having to make weight. How is this possible? If I was back in High School and had to make 171 pounds under these rules, I would try to be about 4 pounds over before I went to sleep the night before weigh-ins. Why 4 lbs for me? The reason is I know my body, and you have to know your body. You need to know how much weight you drift during the night, how much weight you can lose by drilling for an hour with a thick sweatshirt and sweat pants on, and how much weight you can drift during the day. I usually drift about 1 lb at night. So I would go to bed 4 over and wake up 3 over. For breakfast at around 6:30 am, I would eat and drink about 2 lbs. For example, I would have a protein bar (or half of one) and could drink about 10 oz of orange juice. There are many choices here on what to eat and drink (Oatmeal, Cereal, fruit, and all the different kinds of juice), but the key is to be disciplined, choose your portions wisely, and know how much you normally gain after eating particular foods. After breakfast, I am approximately 5 over and need to get a good drill in. So I get my partner and drill for an hour from 7-8 am because I know that I can lose 3 pounds with sweats on during an hour drill. I view these drills as a practice and an opportunity to get better, not solely a weight-cutting workout. After the drill, I am only 2 lbs over and choose to eat about 2 lbs for lunch around noon. Now, I am 4 over and have approximately five hours until weigh-ins at 5 pm. By knowing my body, I know that I can drift about 1 lb before I have to start my next drill at 4 pm, one hour before weigh-ins. At 4 pm, I am right on target and am approximately 3 lbs over. From 4-5 pm, I put a clean pair of sweats on and get my hour drill in losing the last 3 lbs. After I make weight, I replenish my fluids, eat a good balanced meal, and don’t gorge myself so by the time I walk onto the mat, “It’s time to get it on cause we don’t get along,” a la Kevin Jackson. Under the current rules, that would have been my game plan to make weight properly, but it’s important to remember that all wrestlers are different sizes and will lose different amounts of weight while sleeping, working out, or day drifting. Therefore, every wrestler that cuts weight needs a game plan and needs to know their body. Don’t wait until the last minute, hurt yourself, and lose a match that you should have won if only you’d have planned ahead.Remember, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” a la Coach Johnny Cobb at Tascosa High School in Amarillo, TX.

How to warm up for a match

Great Article by Cary Kolat on how to warm-up before a match and the process he went thru when competing.

Here is a typical warm-up I used when competing in my later years and it really made a difference for me when I hit the mats. I tried to complete this warm-up 20 minutes before my first round.

Warm-up:

Jog high pace 5 minutes
6 to 10 - 40 yard sprints
1 min of stretching
4 minutes neutral drilling at a moderate pace
1 to 2 minutes stretch
40, 40, 40, (these are numbers I call at to my team that tells them 40 push-ups, 40 sit-ups, 40 deep squats)
8 minute hard neutral drill with partner defending 60%
3 minute hard jog
30, 30, 30,
8 minute hard drill top and bottom
15 lifts when bottom man stands lift him back to the mat
20, 20, 20
2 stretch
Hand fight
1:30 minute go
:45 sec rest
1:00 minute go
:30 sec rest
:45 sec go
:30 sec rest
:30 sec go
:30 sec rest
:30 sec go

2 minute stretch
3 minute live match
6 to 8 40 yard sprints
Stretch as needed

Cary Kolat

4 x PIAA State Champion

4 x Regional Champion

4 x Section ChampionHigh school record of 137-0

Two-Time NCAA Champion (1996-97)

Four Time NCAA All-American (1993,94,96,97)

Career NCAA Record: 111-7 (94.1) 53 Falls (45%)

Lets get ready to rumble......

SEASON STARTS TODAY! 2:50 in the mat room

Brands Style of Wrestling

Great article on the Brands/Iowa style of wrestling.

http://www.flocasts.org/flowrestling/articles.php?article_id=199

Black Tornado Wrestling

He may not be an Oly anymore, but Sprague alumni and assitant coach, Nolan Harris is set to lead North Medford. Medford Tribune article......

He's only 26 years old and has never been a head coach, but Nolan Harris made a favorable impression when he interviewed for the head wrestling coaching position at North Medford High last month.
On Monday, Harris officially landed the job,
"My concern was his lack of experience, but everyone we talked to who knew him said, 'You've got to hire this guy,'" North Medford Athletic Director Tim Sam said. "He's very knowledgeable, very enthusiastic and he's mature well beyond his years.
"There's no doubt in my mind that we hired the right guy," Sam added.
Harris also was hired as a full-time English teacher at North and will serve as an assistant coach in football next fall.
A graduate of Sprague High of Salem and Southern Oregon University, where he was a three-time All-American, Harris spent the past three years as an assistant coach at Sprague.
Harris, who spoke before North Medford wrestlers, fans and the media at a press conference Monday, said his formula for success will be to relentlessly recruit the halls for athletes and outwork his coaching peers in the mat room.
"I believe that hard work solves all problems," said Harris, who will pick up a master's degree in teaching from Western Oregon University later this month. "Wrestling is an honest sport. You basically get out of it what you put into it, and we're going to put a lot into it."
Harris plans to implement an aggressive, in-your-face style of wrestling.
"That's what the kids like, the fans like and it's what gets me out of my seat as a coach," Harris said. "We'll be coming at you non-stop and trying to score at all times. We're going to take pride in how hard we wrestle."
North Medford has never won a district wrestling title since Medford split into two high schools in 1986. The Tornado, which finished fourth at the Southwest Conference district tournament last winter, has been competitive at times but its numbers have vacillated. Last season, only 20 participants finished the season, Sam said.
"I'm going to do my very best to get kids out," Harris said. "I've got a lot of energy and hopefully some charisma, and we'll see if we can't get this thing rolling. Coaching football will help me get to know a lot of kids in the fall and hopefully I'll be able to recruit a good share of them for wrestling."
Harris said there's no reason why a school with an attendance of about 1,800 students and one that is rich in sports tradition can't excel in wrestling.
"I know there are athletes running around here who could be great wrestlers," he said. "It's a matter of getting them out and cultivating their skills."

Juniors getting it out of the way Oregon's R.J. Pena became the first high school junior to commit, which is becoming more and more frequent in the last two years. Pena, a two-time Oregon state champion will be one of the top recruits from the Class of 2009.

-Intermat-

Congrats RJ on wearing the Orange and Black for the next few years! We look foreward to watching you compete for the Beavers.

OSU CCC Previews

Sprague Alumni featured prominently in college previews....

Oregon State
http://www.theowf.net/osu_looks_to_build_on_last_seasons_success

Clackamas Community College
http://www.theowf.net/clackamas_cc_preview

Former Olympians take it to the mat in college!

Derick Bartlemay, All-American from Clackamas Community College ,and Keegan Davis, 5th Place in the Pac-10 for the Oregon State Beavers look to continue their success in college. Both of the boys are looking to improve on fantastic seasons last year. Click the links above to see schedules and results.

Mongolia

This summer I was approached with the oppurtunity to form a wrestling team from Salem Alliance Church to travel next summer to Mongolia to help a former wrestler and pastor in his community. We are really excited about this opportunity and I hope to include both people from the church as well as from Sprague! More to come on this soon.... We also have a small team from Mongolia coming for a week or so to stay with us and train with Sprague and Oregon State. The team consists of 3 wrestlers and 2 coaches.

AIA Wrestling

Thought I would include a link to the AIA website since we did so much with them over the last 3-4 months. It has been an amazing time where God has taught me so much. I have learned to lean on God in the tough times and have faith in His plan and His timing. He has revitalized me in the sport that I have loved so much and brought back many relationships that I had been neglecting. Thank you so much to the many, many people that have been such a huge influence in my life.

AIA Site: http://www.aia.com/wrestling/

Military World Games!

Phil Johnson OTC resident and member of the OTC Bible Study Places 5th at World Military Championships! The first day of competition in the 4th Military World Games in Hyderabad, India saw three U.S. competitors finish without a medal in Greco-Roman wrestling. Phillip Johnston of the U.S. Army lost in a bronze medal match at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. to Ezerskis Mindaugas of Lithuania to finish fifth in his division.Johnston won his opening match against Roman Meduna of Slovakia 1-1, 0-4 and 1-1. Johnston fought strong from the bottom position to win the first period. Johnston fell behind 0-2 in the second period before Meduna countered and took the period 4-0. In the third period, Johnston won the toss, and proved too strong from the bottom position to win the period and the match.In the following round, Johnston lost to Georgios Koutsioumpas of Greece, 0-2 and 1-1. In the first period, Koutsioumpas won the toss and lifted Johnston before throwing him for two points. Koutsioumpas also won the toss in the second period, and prevailed to win the period and the match as neither wrestler could turn the other for points. Johnston qualified for the wrestleback rounds when Koutsioumpas defeated Ezerskis Mindaugas of Lithuania in the next round. In his first repechage bout, Johnston took care of Hun Shin Dong of Korea with a high amplitude throw to end the match in the second period en route to a 2-1, 5-0 win setting up his bronze medal match. Wrestling against Ezerskis Mindaugas of Lithuania for the bronze, Johnston lost the coin toss in each period, and lost both periods 0-3 and 0-3. In the first period, Johnston was turned for the winning margin. In the second period, Mindaugas scored on a gut wrench to claim the bronze.Former World Champion Ozal Memet of Turkey won the gold medal at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. with his victory over Koutsioumpas.

Carry the Torch AIA Banquet

Carry the Torch! Spent the weekend in Colorado with Tifani and it was amazing. We flew down to Denver and drove to the Springs. Hit Garden of the Gods and the OTC then off to Gene and Francis' house. Had barbque while we played with Hope and Lucas. Worked on the name tags for the banquet and headed to bed. Woke up saturday, ate breakfast, and then hard at work for banquet. Tifani was amazing using excell to help organize the seating chart. I worked some but was pretty nervous for the banquet. The banquet went really really well. AIA made their goal of raising $15,000 so they will recieve a $15,000 matching grant. John Peterson (Olympic silver 76 and gold 72) gave the opening prayer. Steve Barrett (NCAA Champ and 3x All American) spoke on the 16 years he spent living in Russia. I spoke next on my years with the AIA International team, Bill Zadick (NCAA Champ and World Champion) spoke on his involvement with the bible study at the OTC (see below for our experineces at the OTC this summer!). Terry Brands (2x NCAA Champ, 2x World Champ, Olympic Bronze medal 2000) finsihed the banquet with a stiring speech about how AIA has impacted wrestling and the OTC. We headed back to Gene's afterword for a short 3-4 hours of sleep and off to head home at 3:30 am! Our flight to Portland from Seattle was cancelled so Tifani and I spent a few hours downtown in Seattle and had some amazing Thai food at Thai Toms (in university district I highly recommend it!!). God blessed us with an awesome weekend. I am totally humbled by the people he has brought in my life!

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Joe Heskett, Ohio State wrestling volunteer assistant coach, was diagnosed with cardiomyopathy and ventricular tachycardia last Thursday and underwent surgery at Ohio State University Medical Center’s Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital Tuesday to have a cardiac defibrillator implanted.
Heskett, who had a heart rate in excess of 250 beats per minute at a practice session last Thursday, will continue to undergo medical treatment. His condition will no longer allow him to compete as a wrestler, ending his remarkable and successful career.
Just a week after finishing fifth for the U.S. Freestyle team at the 2007 World Wrestling Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, Heskett suffered life-threatening ventricular tachycardia at the Steelwood Athletic Training Facility, the practice site for the OSU wrestling team. The prompt action by Todd Miller, the facility’s head athletic trainer, as well as the Columbus Fire Department, resulted in life saving shock defibrillation.
“I want to first and foremost say thank you to my family and friends, and I am grateful for the support from the Ohio State Athletics Department and the professional first-class care at Ross Heart Hospital,” Heskett said. “Through all of this I just know how blessed I am with the love that has surrounded me. Nothing has been more fulfilling than seeing my daughters, although my youngest, Ava, keeps trying to pull on all my wires.”
Cardiomyopathy, a rare heart condition that can go unnoticed until an episode occurs and likely inherited in Heskett’s case, is a weakening and scarring of the heart muscle that reduces the ability of the heart to pump blood efficiently. One of the complications can be ventricular tachycardia, a rapid, uncontrolled heart rhythm that can lead to sudden cardiac death.
Several days of tests at the Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital demonstrated both conditions to be present, leading to aggressive treatment with medications and an implanted defibrillator to prevent a recurrent episode.
“I have no idea how Joe was able to compete at a world class level in such a demanding sport,” Dr. James Ryan, the cardiologist treating Heskett, said. “As I told him, he has a damaged V-6 engine, competing against a bunch of turbo-charged V-8 engines. Some combination of inner drive, technical superiority and intelligence must have allowed him to compensate for his cardiac limitations. The Russian (two-time world champion Makhach Murtazaliev), who defeated him in the world championships last month, certainly would have had his hands full if Joe had a normal heart.”
“God has blessed Joe with so many talents,” Tom Ryan, Ohio State wrestling head coach, said. “It has been a privilege to work with Joe and watch his passion to train and win Olympic gold. It is a difficult and surreal circumstance as all of us close to him stand beside him as he deals with the reality of the situation. Joe is one of the finest men I have met in the sport and looking at the big picture, I am just glad he is alive to share more laughs with. He has a wonderful wife and two beautiful daughters who bring perspective to the situation. Clearly, God has bigger plans for Joe.”
“We’re devastated by Joe’s condition and we will definitely miss him on the mat,” Kevin Jackson, U.S. Wrestling National Freestyle coach, said. “We’re very happy and thankful his health is good and nothing more serious did happen to him. I have a lot of love for Joe and so do his teammates. I’m happy they found out about his condition soon enough to be able to help him. I’m happy to know that Joe will be there for his wife and his children.”
Emergency action plans are posted outside of every training room, near a telephone, so others, in addition to athletic training staff will be prepared to handle any situation in a calm manner. In addition, Automatic External Defibrillators (AED) are placed throughout competition and practice facilities. The athletic training division at Ohio State evaluates the system annually, making changes if necessary.
“The plan worked because Joe knew something was wrong and he came to me seeking advice and soon after, I knew he needed a higher level of care than I could provide,” Miller said.
“I am remarkably blessed to be alive,” Heskett said. “This situation, although unfortunate, is the will of our great Lord and I turn over every fiber of faith to his plan. I don't have time to ask why and ponder. I will get healthy and I look forward to the next chapter of my life. I do not hang up my shoes easily, but the reality of the situation leaves me with one option and that is to stay optimistic and begin to excel in other areas of my life that I have been extremely blessed to possess.”
Joe Heskett ProfileNational and International competitionFive-time U.S. National Team MemberFinished fifth at 2007 World Wrestling Championships2007 and 2001 Pan American Silver medalist2004 Summer Olympic Games alternate2004 Dave Schultz International Champion, earning Outstanding Wrestler2002 New York Athletic Club Champion
Iowa State (1999-2002)Became the Cyclones eighth four-time All-American (1999-2002) with a career record of 143-9 2002 NCAA Champion at 165 poundsFinished third in 1999 at NCAA championships, second in 2000 and 2001Three-time Big 12 champion (1999, 2001, 2002)Three-time Midlands champion (1998, 2000, 2001)Third on ISU’s all-time wins list (143)1999 and 2000 University National Freestyle championFour-time Academic All-American, graduated from Iowa State in 2002 with a bachelor’s degree in speech communications and earned a masters degree with honors in educational leadership from Cal Poly in 2005
Walsh Jesuit High SchoolThree-time Ohio High School state champion

Heskett, volunteer assistant coach for the Buckeyes, is being treated at the Ohio State University Medical Center's Richard M. Ross Heart Hospital.

How the US did...

Little update on how the US did at worlds so far.

http://www.wcsn.com/article/news.jsp?ymd=20070920&content_id=43003&vkey=wrestling_news&id=34026&dpre=

Pretty amazing to see how the guys we worked out next to did at world's this year. Rooting hard for the American guys as they are in Azerbjan. Some upcoming exciting things in the Sprague Wrestling world are AIA Banquet in October, Mongolian National Team coming to train, and a mission's trip thru Salem Alliance Church this summer!

Carry on my wayward son

Woke up, packed up the room, and went to the OTC. We lifted pretty hard and then showered, grabbed some lunch, visited the Air Force Academy, and are heading up to Denver pretty quick. Posting some of the photos of the wrestling room and weight room.

Zadick Wins

Exciting day today, let the the boys sleep in, we grabbed some lunch and headed to watch the Zadick wrestle off. There were about 200 people their to watch the best of 3 series. Tom and Terry Brands, Dan Gable, Randy Lewis, Zeke Jones, Bobby Douglas, Nolan Harris (Actually Cael Sanderson but dang they look alike), Mike MacArthur, Ben Askren, many of the OTC guys, and 15 of the current Iowa Hawkeyes. The match started with a huge cheer, followed by the ref blowing the whistle. You could have heard a pin drop during the first few moments of the match. It was a wild and controversial 2 matches with Mike Zadick coming out on top 2 matches to zero! We hung out a little and then did an open workout down with the senior level guys. The boys were the only high school guys in the room, they were also the last ones wrestling which brought a tear to this proud fathers eye(well I feel like their 2nd dad after 9 days with em!). Drove back home (Drury Inn, we have been here so long we are calling it home haha), had a quick shower, and then back to OTC for dinner and bible study. Had a great conversation with Gene during dinner and then a good time going over Philippians chp. 3. Went home (Drury) watched the AIA Wrestling DVD that the Buraks gave the boys, listened to the boys argue (again), and then bed.

Im so good at bowling call me Pete Sampress- RJ Pena

Slept in this morning and then headed to Manitou Springs to do see the Cliff Dwellings and run the Incline. The Cliff Dwellings were pretty cool, but not quite worth the $9.00. Some of the pottery and weapons were pretty cool. We ran the Incline for the 3rd time, some of us were more excited to do it than the others :) Headed back to the Hotel showered then met the Burak's and their foreign exchange student Steve (Hungarian National Freestyle Champion at 211). We bowled, with team Oregon winning the Gold (RJ), Silver (Bryce), and Bronze (Rob). The 2nd game was Oregon again dominating with Gold (Bryce), Silver (Rob) and Bronze (Micah Burak), we had to let Colorado win something. The boys got free passes and raced Go-Karts and Laser Tag. We finished with Mini-Golf with scores of 1 over par(Rob), 5 over par (RJ), and 9 over par (Bryce).

QUOTE OF THE DAY- "I'm so good at bowling call me Pete Sampress" - RJ Pena (Dont worry we explained to him the Pete Sampress was a Tennis Player)

mmmmm Cheesecake

Went to dinner at the Davus Ranch, Gene, Francis, Shashta, Hope, Lucas, and us. We had a great dinner of hamburgers, hotdogs, fruit salad, green beans (Hope and I ate them even!), and cheesecake for dessert. We played ping pong and pool. RJ and Gene got lucky when Rob triple scratched on the last shop.