The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
LONG TIME COMING
Dutchmen take league lead, beat Addison for first time since 1973
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: January 31, 2008
A three-and-a-half decade wait is over, and the Manchester varsity wrestling team sent a message that there's another contender in the league.
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The heavyweights kicked off a hot start, and Garrison scored the clinching decision for the Flying Dutchmen in a 38-30 victory over the Addison Panthers in the opening match of a Cascades Conference quad match at East Jackson High School Jan. 23.
The Dutchmen capped the event by storming to a 70-8 victory over the host Trojans.
Manchester (21-5, 4-0 Cascades) scored its first victory over Addison since 1973 and dislodged the reigning three-time Division 4 state champions from the top of the Cascades Conference standings. With a tri-match and quad remaining in the league schedule, the Dutchmen are in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed at the Cascades Tournament, which they will host Feb. 8.
Manchester coach Steve Vlcek, who graduated from the school in 1985, knew that his wrestlers were aware of how long it had been since the team toppled the Panthers.
"We knew it went back to the early 1970s," Vlcek said. "I have nothing but praise for (Addison coach) Rick Sherry and how they run their program. To sustain that success for 30-40 years says a lot about Addison's program."
The Dutchmen made an early statement, winning seven of the first eight matches to build a 35-3 lead. Consecutive pins brought Addison back into the match, but Garrison clinched the victory with a 5-0 decision over Zack Stoner in the 135-pound match.
The match started with the Panthers voiding the 160-pound match to Bill Cloke, then Will Rickert (171) pinned Addison's Brian Bean in 3:42. Jason Alber scored a 15-5 major decision over Frank Thomas in the 189-pound match and Kyler Ritter (215) added a 13-3 major decision over Wes Schroeder. Tyler King gave Manchester a 9-5 decision win over Mike Miller in the heavyweight match, which staked the Dutchmen to a 20-0 lead.
"Rickert had a big pin to get us started, and it was important for Jason and Kyler to score majors and win both matches," Vlcek said. "We knew we had to score points up top."
Andrew Scoby (103) got Addison on the board by edging Ryan Abrigo for a 12-8 decision, but Coyle Render and Austin Deacons answered with consecutive pins for the Dutchmen. Render beat the clock to pin Paul Gietek in 5:54 in the 112-pound match, while Deacons pinned Will Teague in 1:52 in the 119-pound bout, giving Manchester a 35-3 lead.
"We were feeling confident, but knew they had the meat of their lineup coming up," Vlcek said. "Addison's strength is from 125 to 152."
The Panthers took the next two matches to stay alive. Michael Sumner (125) pinned Cevin Walker in 3:49, then Nate Elston pinned Scott Conway in 5:45 to win the 130-pound match, setting the stage for Garrison's dual-clinching victory in the next bout.
"The nerves were starting to build up for the coaches because Addison had some state runners up next and they were going to be tough," Vlcek said. "It was nice to know Garrison's win sealed it."
Brandon Douglass (140) and Gage Marshall (152) scored pins for Addison while Nick Phillips outlasted Steve Sheler for a 5-2 decision in the 145-pound match, but it was too late for the Panthers.
Vlcek was especially happy for his seniors, who came close to toppling Addison last year only to fall short.
"I saw our seniors take over the leadership role, which was nice," Vlcek said. "They're not the most vocal group, but within their circle they knew this was the year."
Manchester picked up where it left off against East Jackson. Starting at 171-pounds, the Dutchmen won the first six matches. Alber kicked off the dual by pinning Mike McGee in 3:10, then Rickert (189) pinned Wes Burkholder in 1:38. Ritter scored a 10-9 decision over Nate Fuller in the 215-pound match and King pinned Josh Newland in 24 seconds to win the heavyweight bout. Ryan Abrigo (103) and Coyle Render (112) followed with first-period pins for the Dutchmen.
"We told the guys that our work wasn't done yet," Vlcek said. "East Jackson is one of the better teams in our league."
Josh Slabinske (119) answered with a major decision victory for the Trojans, but Manchester scored wins in the next six matches to pull away.
Drew Fischer beat Henry Hernandez 6-3 in the 125-pound match, then Johnny Wollams pinned Trevor Conley in 54 seconds to win the 135-pound match. Garrison (140), Steve Sheler (145) and Bill Cloke (152) all followed with victories for the Dutchmen.
"The kids are wrestling very well as a team," Vlcek said. "They have confidence and that's something I'm pleased with."
Manchester's junior varsity wrestlers also competed in nine exhibition matches during the quad, winning eight of them. Ryan Lannom and Nick Popkey each recorded their first victories of the season for the Dutchmen.
Manchester competed in a league tri-match at Napoleon after the newspaper's deadline Wednesday. The Dutchmen will take the weekend off, then return to Napoleon for a Cascades quad meet Feb. 6.
"We going to try to keep our focus and wrestle at the same level we've been," Vlcek said. "We don't want to have a letdown, but we have a veteran team that's been through this last year. The upperclassmen are showing the younger guys what they need to do."
Staff Writer Ed Patino can be reached at 428-8173 or epatino@heritage.com.
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