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West Central Zone Championships Saturday
Nine Trappers will be Vying for National Tournament Berths
BY DAVID DICKEY
Tribune Sports Editor
The West Central Zone Championships, the qualifier for the NJCAA National Championships, will be conducted at Labette Community College in Parsons, Kan., Saturday. Overall, nine Trappers are scheduled to compete in the event with the goal of reaching the national tournament in Rochester, Minn., Feb. 27-28.
NWC's competitors will be vying for qualifying spots in Saturday's tournament along with wrestlers from Labette Community College, Neosho Community College, Pratt Community College, Colby Community College and Western Wyoming Community College.
According to Jim Zeigler, NWC head wrestling coach and athletics director, the top three in each weight class will automatically qualify for the national tournament. A limited number of wild-card spots also will be filled following Saturday's action. Wild-card slots are decided by the coaches of the teams at the West Central Zone Championships.
"You just never know how these things are going to play out," Zeigler said. "In practice, the overall attitude of the guys has been good, and they've been working hard. I know we have high hopes and expectations, but you just never can tell about these things until they get on the mats and compete."
Zeigler said the goal for his squad, which currently holds a No. 10 ranking, is to have at least six wrestlers qualify for the national tournament.
The nine Trappers slated to compete this weekend include Eddie Whiting (Fr., 125), Saul Guerrero (Fr., 133), McCade Ford (Fr., 141), Anthony Varnell (Soph., 149); Briston Brenton (Fr., 157 or 165); Corey Woodruff (Fr., 157 or 165); Tyrell Wright (Fr., 174), Mak Jones (Fr., 197) and Landon Harris (Fr., 285). Zeigler noted that the Trappers will not have a 184-pound entry in Saturday's tournament.
Of NWC's nine wrestlers, Harris is expected to carry the highest seed into the tournament. When tournament seeding is determined Friday, Zeigler expects Harris to be in the No. 1 slot.
"We're also expecting Anthony Varnell to get a No. 2 seed," Zeigler said. "The rest will likely be No. 3 and 4 seeds."
Harris, rated No. 3, is the highest-ranked wrestler for the Trappers. Varnell, who recently was named NWC's Apodaca Award winner, will carry a No. 4 ranking into Saturday. Both Harris and Varnell have been ranked throughout the season, and following NWC's Apodaca Dual Showdown, they were joined by two other Trappers - Woodruff and Jones.
Woodruff held the No. 8 spot at 157. However, Zeigler noted the freshman from Michigan may compete at 165 this weekend.
Jones, a freshman from Powell High School, checked in at No. 7 in his weight class.