By Pat Dailey (For OzarkSportsZone.com)
Lebanon dominated the Ozark Conference Tournament on Saturday in the same manner the Yellow Jackets have taken care of their opponents in duals this season.
Buoyed by nine individual championships, Lebanon captured the OC team title by more than 100 points over distant runner-up Camdenton.
“That’s about what we were picturing,” 132-pound champion Cole Patten said. “We haven’t had much competition. Our duals have been one-sided. We’re where we need to be, hunting down a state championship.”
“Eight (champions) is a great number and it led us to the team championship,” 195-pound champ Jake Henson said. “We’ve got good guys at the big weights and our little weights and middle weights are all studs, too. We’ve been pounding people.”
Colt Adkins, who took the 170-pound title, feels many more championships are forthcoming for Lebanon. Other than a split of duals with Neosho, the Yellow Jackets have whipped their opponents in duals.
“I 100 percent believe we’re going to win State,” Adkins said. “Also, our freshmen and sophomores are better than us seniors were then, so there’s a lot of hope for the future, too.”
In addition to Patton, Adkins and Henson, the Yellow Jackets’ list of champions included Andrew Bowling (106), Quentin Long (113), Canon Roark (120), Davis Joiner (126) and Cade Muscia (160).
Lesson serves Rolla’s Fane well
Rolla’s Hayden Fane had a good week of conditioning following his 6-4 loss to Carl Junction state champion Jesse Cassatt at the Branson Tournament last weekend.
Fane rebounded to take this 182 OC championship by pinning Camdenton’s Kaiden Davis in 1:57.
“(Cassatt) showed me what I need to work on when I get tired,” Fane said. “Going against a guy like him, he can expose a lot of weaknesses. I noticed after the first period that I was pretty gassed. I started to mess up a lot and he was able to capitalize. He gave me a lot to work on in these upcoming weeks leading to State, I don’t like losses, I don’t think anyone does. But I try to put them into work so it doesn’t happen again.”
Fane put Davis on his back, after having to go three periods versus him earlier in the year for a 7-0 in.
“Today showed me my improvement,” Fane said.
CLICK HERE FOR PHOTOS OF THE TOURNAMENT
Patten beats nerves and 132 foes
Patten may have three-peated as an OC champ, but admittedly battled the same nerves he’s dealt with since he was a freshman.
“My hardest thing to overcome is my nerves,” Patten said. “I try to stay calm and relaxed all day. I do a lot of chillin’ in the other room, trying to keep my mind off of my matches and not be stressed out.”
Turned out Patten (31-6) had nothing to worry about. He pinned Camdenton’s Aidan Neal in :57 in the 132 final.
Good fortune finally shines on Adkins
Adkins wasn’t quite at 100 percent, but pulled out an 11-5 triumph over Kickapoo’s Tai Koyama (26-4) in the 170 final.
“I went up 9-0 in the first period, but couldn’t pull together a pin against them,” said Adkins, a two-time OC champ. “But he’s a good kid. He’s beaten some of our kids before. I wasn’t 100 percent, but was good enough to go out there and win.”
Adkins has surely battled as much as adversity to this point as anyone with a 25-2 record. His health has been a lingering issue.
“I think I’ve wrestled healthy for one full week since December 15 because I’d had injuries here and there,” Adkins said. “It’s been rough. Breaking an arm is what I’m nervous about. Is my body going to hold up?”
Adkins’ health issues haven’t been ordinary injuries.
“I bit my tongue all the way through in early December. I couldn’t eat solid foods for two weeks,” he said. “I got strep (throat) immediately after that. The past couple weeks, I’ve had shoulder issues because of infections in my joints.
“I feel like I’ve had enough bad luck,” he added. “Good luck is the only thing left.”
Henson picks up pin in 195 final
Henson (33-3) put Waynesville’ Colton Justus on his back in 3:17 in the 195 championship match.
“It was a good confidence booster going into Districts,” Henson said. “I’m pumped up for a District championship, too.”
Sederburg bounces back
Rolla 145-pound senior Alexander Sederburg picked up his second conference title, after missing the OC Tournament last year due to a failed weight cut.
“I was struggling. I had quite a bit of a weight cut,” said Sederburg, a 120-pounder a year ago.
Sederburg went on to miss out on state due to the flu bug.
Things are going much smoother for him this winter, save for a loss in the Branson Tournament final round last weekend.
“It’s been pretty easy to make weight,” Sederburg said. “I felt good and feel more confident this year.”
Sederburg (37-2) pinned Lebanon’s Bo Rosen in 5:37 in the final.
Sederburg was anxious to get back on the mat. At Branson, he beat Neosho’s Eli Zar 7-2 in prelims, but lost 2-0 to Zar in the final.
“To be honest, he got a lucky takedown that the ref called that I didn’t think it was a takedown,” Sederburg said. “It was iffy.”
Rolla’s Pulliam completes sweep
Rolla two-time state champion Nate Pulliam won his fourth OC championship. The 152-pounder pinned Lebanon’s Elijah Arl at the 3:21 mark in the final round.
“I was moving a lot and felt good with my moves,” Pulliam said.
Pulliam is counting down the days to the post-season.
“I’m ready to see some better kids at Districts, Sectionals and State. I’m ready to see how I line up with those guys.”
Lakers’ Davis repeat champion
Camdenton’s Dakota Davis won his second straight conference title at 285 in dominant fashion.
Davis (40-1) pinned Rolla’s Broc Horton in 3:27 in the final.
“It was a work day, basically,” Davis said. “It was good for me to get three periods (in three matches) and get my cardio going. I got a good sweat.”
Davis has responded to his lone loss this season with him further motivation. Ozark’s Hunter Tennison beat Davis 3-2 in December.
“I went back and watched that match a couple times and went back to practice and have been working hard,” Davis said. “I’ve worked hard on what I needed to fix. He never should have been able to beat me. But (the loss) is making me better.”
Looking ahead, Davis has the rest of his season planned out.
“I’m looking to take first at Districts and Sectionals,” he said. “Then, I want to go on to the finals at State against (defending Class 4 285 state champ) Jacobi Jackson, from DeSmet.”
Camdenton also received a first-place finish from 138-pounder Grant Garrett (41-0). He was a 17-1 winner in his title match.
Lebanon underclassmen shine
As Henson mentioned, Lebanon’s youngsters have played a big part in the Yellow Jackets’ success.
Bowling, a freshman, improved to 34-2 by pinning Central’s Lucas Gideon in 3:34 in the 106 final.
Long, a two-time OC champ as a sophomore, upped his record to 22-7 beating Camdenton’s Kaden Stivers 6-0 in the 113 final.
Roark, a freshman, gained a 15-0 win versus Rolla’s Hunter Hoffman in the 120 title tilt.
Joiner, a sophomore, is 19-4 after downing Camdenton’s Cooper Rhodenizer 9-3 in the 126 final.
Muscia, a sophomore, moved his record to 34-6 by beating Camdenton’s Nathaniel Beeson for the 160 championship.
Jayden Hubler, a sophomore, improved to 31-6 by beating Kickapoo’s Corey Choates in the 220-pound final.
