Post by Alumni on Feb 2, 2007 10:04:04 GMT -5
STEVE RANSON,
February 2, 2007
After winning 37 consecutive High Desert League meets and two Northern 4A regional titles, is there anything left for the Greenwave wrestlers?
As a matter of fact, there is.
Fallon, which has been a dominant force in Northern Nevada wrestling for the past six years, will be seeking its third Northern 4A Region Wrestling championship today at 4 p.m. at Hug High School. The tournament continues Saturday morning with the championship rounds slated for 6 p.m.
Fallon coach Mitch Overlie finds the Greenwave in an unique position for this year's tournament. Fallon is not an overwhelming favorite to win the title.
"It's wide open this year, and it should be really exciting," said Overlie, who guided Fallon to a 6-0 record in the HDL this season. "You can't count us out, but teams like Carson City, Douglas and Damonte Ranch have a shot, and teams like Galena could send four to five wrestlers on a good day."
Overlie's veteran wrestlers also sense a wide-open tournament.
Tyler Reibsamen finished league with a 5-1 record. He said Damonte Ranch is a strong team along with Carson and Douglas.
But until a team knocks out the Wave, Reibsamen is not surrendering Fallon's title.
For the past two seasons, Northern 4A coaches had conceded the regional championship to Fallon. The Wave walked away from the competition last and put themselves into a good position to win a state trophy.
"We had quite a few in the championships," Overlie said of last year's state qualifier.
Fallon wrestled strong for the first two rounds at the state meet but faltered in the later rounds to finish third overall.
The Wave graduated a solid nucleus of wrestlers including state champ Riley Orozco, now a freshman competing for Cal State Bakersfield.
Compounded with a more youthful, inexperienced team, Overlie lost two starting wrestlers two weeks ago because of an infraction of Church County School District and Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association rules.
"We're going to struggle without them," Overlie said. "But on the positive side, the (other) kids are wrestling much better. They feel looser. We (coaches) want them to wrestle aggressively."
Trevor de Braga, a regional champion last season, said hard work may be the difference.
"I feel the team has worked harder than last year," de Braga said.
Fallon also had two close calls in the High Desert League this season. The Wave fell behind both McQueen and Spanish Springs in dual meets, but Fallon managed to rally for a pair of wins.
Spanish Springs, though, tested the Greenwave's resolve and ability to comeback.
"Our team really came together, after Spanish Springs," Overlie said.
The Cougars held a one-point lead over Fallon on Jan. 20 with one bout remaining. The Greenwave's 189-pound wrestler, Clint Riggins, pulled out a decision in the third round to give Fallon a two-point win.
Overlie said many things have gone wrong this season, but that doesn't deter him from looking at the team's potential.
"They could pull it off and become regional champs. That could be a story," Overlie said.
February 2, 2007
After winning 37 consecutive High Desert League meets and two Northern 4A regional titles, is there anything left for the Greenwave wrestlers?
As a matter of fact, there is.
Fallon, which has been a dominant force in Northern Nevada wrestling for the past six years, will be seeking its third Northern 4A Region Wrestling championship today at 4 p.m. at Hug High School. The tournament continues Saturday morning with the championship rounds slated for 6 p.m.
Fallon coach Mitch Overlie finds the Greenwave in an unique position for this year's tournament. Fallon is not an overwhelming favorite to win the title.
"It's wide open this year, and it should be really exciting," said Overlie, who guided Fallon to a 6-0 record in the HDL this season. "You can't count us out, but teams like Carson City, Douglas and Damonte Ranch have a shot, and teams like Galena could send four to five wrestlers on a good day."
Overlie's veteran wrestlers also sense a wide-open tournament.
Tyler Reibsamen finished league with a 5-1 record. He said Damonte Ranch is a strong team along with Carson and Douglas.
But until a team knocks out the Wave, Reibsamen is not surrendering Fallon's title.
For the past two seasons, Northern 4A coaches had conceded the regional championship to Fallon. The Wave walked away from the competition last and put themselves into a good position to win a state trophy.
"We had quite a few in the championships," Overlie said of last year's state qualifier.
Fallon wrestled strong for the first two rounds at the state meet but faltered in the later rounds to finish third overall.
The Wave graduated a solid nucleus of wrestlers including state champ Riley Orozco, now a freshman competing for Cal State Bakersfield.
Compounded with a more youthful, inexperienced team, Overlie lost two starting wrestlers two weeks ago because of an infraction of Church County School District and Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association rules.
"We're going to struggle without them," Overlie said. "But on the positive side, the (other) kids are wrestling much better. They feel looser. We (coaches) want them to wrestle aggressively."
Trevor de Braga, a regional champion last season, said hard work may be the difference.
"I feel the team has worked harder than last year," de Braga said.
Fallon also had two close calls in the High Desert League this season. The Wave fell behind both McQueen and Spanish Springs in dual meets, but Fallon managed to rally for a pair of wins.
Spanish Springs, though, tested the Greenwave's resolve and ability to comeback.
"Our team really came together, after Spanish Springs," Overlie said.
The Cougars held a one-point lead over Fallon on Jan. 20 with one bout remaining. The Greenwave's 189-pound wrestler, Clint Riggins, pulled out a decision in the third round to give Fallon a two-point win.
Overlie said many things have gone wrong this season, but that doesn't deter him from looking at the team's potential.
"They could pull it off and become regional champs. That could be a story," Overlie said.