Your future, our focus
By DAVID DICKEY
Powell Tribune Sports Editor
The Northwest College Trappers opened the second half of the season last Saturday at the Lone Star Duals in Arlington, Texas, and posted a 2-2 mark during their return to the mats following the holiday break.
According to NWC head coach Jim Zeigler, the Trappers started slowly and dropped their first two matches before rebounding for two straight victories.
During their first match, NWC suffered a 33-9 setback to Oklahoma City University. During that contest, Jeremy Ensley at 125 and Nathan Barzee at 197 were the only Trappers who were able to win their bouts. Ensley won via pin and Barzee posted a 6-2 decision.
"The turning point in that one was at 141," Zeigler said. "Anthony Varnell was winning when he hurt his knee. He finished the bout, but after he got hurt there was a fourpoint swing that cost him the win. That took some of the sting out of us."
Zeigler said Varnell, one of NWC's top performers this season, was pulled from the lineup following the bout. "I didn't want to take any chances," Zeigler said. "I didn't want him to wrestle again until we had a chance to take a good look at his injury."
As of early this week, Zeigler said the injury appeared to be a slight strain.
Following the opening loss, the Trappers suffered a 42-3 defeat at the hands of the University of Central Oklahoma. Though the match against Division II's top-ranked team was a disappointing one for the Trappers, Zeigler did note several highlights, including the performance of freshman Mason Peebles.
Peebles, wrestling at 165, posted NWC's lone victory during the match. He went on to finish the event with a 3-1 record, which was the best for the Trappers Saturday.
Ensley, who dropped a hard-fought 2-1 decision to top-ranked Tyler Zukerman, and Barzee also wrestled well, Zeigler said, but came out on the losing end of their bouts.
Against Newman University, the Trappers got on the winning track with a 25-20 victory. Ensley, Keenen Funk (157), Peebles, Corey Green (174) and Barzee all recorded victories. That momentum carried over into the Trappers fourth and final match of the day as NWC closed out with a 48-6 win over the University of Texas-Arlington.
During the final match, Ensley, Luis Carranza (133), Josh Wilhelm (141), Travis Lamborn (149), Funk, Peebles, Darren Lewis (174) and Josh Clark (184) posted victories. Lamborn, Funk and Clark all won via pins.
"It was a fun trip for us," Zeigler said. "It was a good way to come back from the holidays. Wins and losses weren't as important with this tournament. It was more of a chance for guys to get ready for the rest of the season. It also was a good cultural experience for our guys because most of them have never been to Texas before."
Up next: This week the Trappers will again compete in a major showcase of wrestling talent when they take part in the NWCA National Duals in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. That event is slated to begin Saturday and conclude Sunday.
NWC will be competing with St. Louis-Meramec, Ridgewater, Harper, Labette, Nassau, Triton and Iowa Central for the top spot in the NJCAA portion of the event.