McDonald, Sullivan go undefeated in SEK

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Sports

February 14, 2011 - 12:00 AM

PITTSBURG — With a slap of a referee’s hand Saturday afternoon, Iola High wrestling history was made.
Iola High sophomore Stephen McDonald pinned Columbus High senior Brandon Alberty with 1:20 left in their six-minute match. McDonald became the first Mustang wrestler to go 8-0 in Southeast Kansas League competition.
McDonald, wrestling at 189 pounds, pinned Matt Martinez of Parsons in the second period of their match Saturday. McDonald finished the regular season at 29-13 overall.
Iola is in its third season of competitive wrestling and only its second in varsity action.
Pittsburg High hosted a “makeup” Saturday for SEK schools with league duals to finish up the league and regular season.
Pittsburg won its first-ever SEK wrestling title, going 8-0 in dual action. Columbus, which could not make up one dual because of time and match restrains, had to wrestle five duals Saturday and finished 6-1.
Chanute, which was four-time defending team champion, ended up 6-2 losing to Columbus on Saturday. Fort Scott was fourth at 5-3 and Independence went 2-6.
Iola ended up 2-6, despite tying 21-21 with Parsons Saturday. Parsons took the tiebreaker to win 22-21 because the Vikings won four of the seven matches contested with the Mustangs. Parsons is 2-5 in SEK duals without a go against Columbus.
The Mustangs lost to Columbus 48-20 Saturday. Labette County was 2-6 in league duals and Coffeyville was 1-7.
Iola High senior Marcus Sullivan also went undefeated in league action at 160 pounds. Sullivan missed two league duals because of illness and was 6-0.
Sullivan won by forfeit in the Parsons dual Saturday. He posted a major decision, 17-3, over Seth Sullivan of Columbus.
Freshman Mike Armstrong went into Saturday’s action at 6-0 in 119-pound SEK matches. Armstrong lost 8-6 in overtime to Parsons’ Andrew Fix. The two were tied 6-6 after the six-minute regulation match. Fix got a takedown in overtime.
Armstrong finished strong with a pin of Columbus’s Zach Mullere in 5 minute, 52 seconds. Armstrong went 7-1 in the league.
“We had some big wins,” said Ron Schomaker, IHS head wrestling coach. “We’ve got to get everyone wrestling their best for the upcoming regional tournament.”
This Friday and Saturday is the Kansas Class 4A Regional Wrestling Tournament at Chanute. The seeding meeting for the tournament is Wednesday.
The regional tournament begins at 2 p.m. Friday at Chanute High School. Wrestling on Saturday starts at 11 a.m.
The top four in each weight class qualify for the 2011 Kansas Class 4A State Wrestling Tournament Feb. 25-26 in Salina.
Sullivan (25-2) placed fourth in the 160-pound bracket at last year’s regional. He was one of two state qualifiers for Iola a year ago.
Senior Lee Berg ended up 4-4 in SEK action and 13-13 overall wrestling at 130 pounds. He was pinned by Dalton Murdock of Parsons in 3:27 and by Class 4A top-ranked Kyle Johnson of Columbus in 2:54.
Junior Brent Clark posted a 3-5 SEK mark and was 15-19 overall at 135 pounds. On Saturday, Parsons’ Thatcher Murdock beat Clark 7-0 and Columbus’ Zack Conway pinned Clark in 1:15.
At 140, Iola sophomore Zeph Larney pinned Parsons’ Michael Harness 1:23, then he was pinned by Columbus’ Justin Powell in 52 seconds. Larney finished at 2-6 in league matches and 10-16 overall.
Devin Culler, Iola junior, defeated Parsons’ Jackson Fuhrman 12-6 in a 152-pound match. Culler was pinned by B.T. O’Hara of Columbus in 3:58. O’Hara is ranked third in Class 4A at 145 pounds.
Culler had a 2-5 SEK mark at 152 pounds. He also wrestled one match at 160 and lost. Culler is 20-14 overall.
Junior Zack Vaughn lost a heartbreaker to Parsons’ Christian Morelein, 7-5, at 171 pounds. Vaughn defeated Aaron Napier of Columbus 8-0 to go 2-6 in SEK and 12-17 overall.
Iola had three other wrestlers, all freshmen, with one SEK varsity match this season. Travis Rieske got a forfeit win at 152 pounds. Bryce Misenhelter lost at 160 and Quinton Morrison lost a 215-pound match.
McDonald, who went 5-3 in SEK action as a freshman, won his first three league matches by decisions then pinned his next five SEK opponents. Armstrong recorded four pins in SEK action and one decision plus two wins by forfeits.
Sullivan, who didn’t wrestle against Fort Scott and Pittsburg because of illness, had three decisions, two pins and one forfeit win in SEK action.

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