South picks up three wins in dual with Sheridan
Feb. 5—CHEYENNE — During wrestling practices, Cheyenne South wrestling coach Jojo Ojeda likes to put his wrestlers into tough situations that force them to fight through and not give up.
The message was on full display in junior 152-pounder Layne Warburton's bout with Sheridan's Kelten Crow on Saturday.
Warburton won a back-and-forth match over Crow to help South pick up one of its three wins during a 64-15 loss to top-ranked Sheridan.
"His confidence boosted throughout the course of that match," Ojeda said. "I think that is what allowed him to get the win."
The first two periods of the match started off relatively slow. Both Warburton and Crow jockeyed for position, with neither really able to gain the upper hand. Late in the second, Warburton scored on an escape to take a 3-2 lead into the third.
Immediately into the final period, Warburton scored a reversal to take a 5-2 lead. Crow responded with an escape and reversal of his own, tying the match back up at five. Neither was able to score again in the third round, so the match went to sudden death.
The pair continued to jockey for positioning during overtime. Crow managed to gain somewhat of an upper hand in the first sudden death round, but Warburton did a great job of not allowing Crow to score any points in the one-minute round.
"(I just wanted) keep my head in the game," Warburton said. "The last 30 seconds, you can't give up a takedown or an escape. (I just didn't want to) give up."
Entering the fifth period, both Warburton and Crow were running on fumes. With 14 seconds remaining in the second overtime, both Warburton and Crow went to the ground. Crow managed to maintain a semblance of control on the ground.
But Warburton had an ace in the hole, thanks to a move he had been working on with his dad and coach. Warburton managed to gain the upper hand and score a two-point reversal to win the match with a 7-5 decision.
"(We call it) the cartwheel, where you kind of just hip over, and grab the leg," Warburton said. "I tried it in the final seconds, and it worked out."
South picked up two other wins during the dual with Sheridan. One other win came from Dontae Dixson in the 285-pound weight class. The sophomore won a back-and-forth match against Sheridan's JonHenry Justice, eventually scoring a pin at 3 minutes, 6 seconds.
"He has been up and down this season, but I think having a couple coaches helped make him a more well-rounded wrestler," Ojeda said. "I think him teaming up with the other coaches in the room and practicing with them all week, it set him up for success."
South's final win on the day came from Tyler Bartow in the 138-pound weight class. Bartow's opponent, Cole Riesen, controlled a majority of the opening round. However, Bartow scored a reversal, and managed to gain the upper hand. Shortly after the reversal, Bartow managed to pick up a win by fall at 1:12 into the match.
In the end, though, South's team was not able to upend top-ranked Sheridan. The Broncs picked up five wins by fall and one by major decision. Due to a shorthanded lineup from the Bison, Sheridan also picked up five wins by forfeit, helping the Broncs grab a 64-15 team win.
"Overall, they (battled)," Ojeda said. "I was really impressed with the way the team continued to battle through each match."
SHERIDAN 64, SOUTH 15
106 pounds: Wood, Sheridan, pinned Gregory, 1:01; 113: Osborne, Sheridan, forfeit; 120: Dunham, Sheridan, major dec. S. Trujillo, 13-2; 126: Powers, Sheridan, pinned C. Trujillo, 1:54; 132: Wood, Sheridan, forfeit; 138: Bartow, South, pinned Riesen, 1:12; 145: Goss, Sheridan, forfeit; 152: Warburton, South, def. Crow, 7-5; 160: Steel, Sheridan, pinned Unavailable; 170; Grooms, Sheridan, pinned Molinar Meula, 0:49; 182: Custis, Sheridan forfeit; 195: Vela, Sheridan, forfeit; 220: Buchanan, Sheridan, pinned Fish, 1:30; 285: Dixson, South, pinned Justice, 3:06.
Matt Atencio covers Laramie County prep sports for WyoSports. He can be reached at matencio@wyosports.net. Follow him on Twitter at @MattAtencio5.
