Pioneers’ Standage big at Big 4+4
01/27/2008
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Originally Posted on the Stillwater NewsPress Website
Austin Standage had trouble seeing all weekend thanks to a black and swollen right eye suffered during the week.
But he saw Ponca City’s Kenny Wheeler just fine when the Wildcat senior fell into a third-period headlock in the 140-pound finals of the Big 4+4 Tournament on Saturday afternoon.
Standage finished the job, scoring the fall at the 5:10 mark. It was his 27th victory of the season and perhaps his biggest.
"I didn’t know what to do after I won," admitted the Pioneer senior who lost to the second-ranked Wheeler (29-7) earlier this season. "Chris and (Coach) Mark Perry told me some things to do against (Wheeler) and it worked.
"He kind of turned into (the headlock) and I felt it more than I saw it."
Standage dodged a bullet in the form of Perry’s Caleb Hayes in the semifinals, winning 4-2.
"(Hayes) is tough. I knew it would be a tough match," Standage said. "I got taken down and knew I had to go get me one to win it. It was a good weekend for me."
Ponca City made sure there was no team race, running away with their sixth Big 4 title in seven seasons. The Wildcats totaled 218 points, 33 better than runner-up Perry. Union (160) was third with Muskogee (159) and Stillwater (136) rounding out the top five in the nine-team field.
"(Austin’s) win might be the biggest anybody has had all year for us," said SHS coach Doug Chesbro, whose squad returns to action Monday night at Bartlesville. "It’s well-deserved because Austin just does what he is supposed to do.
"He had a tough one in the semifinals, having to come back. He’s already a state qualifier and I don’t think that is going to be enough this year."
Joining Standage in the winner’s circle was freshman 103-pounder Jared Elmore, who improved to 22-4 with an easy 13-1 major decision in his finals. The freshman had three pins in his march to the title bout.
Junior Chris Perry’s 29th win came by injury default in the finals at 189. Ponca City’s Mikey Keating was injured in his semifinal victory and did not wrestle in the finals.
Down but not out
Stillwater senior 130-pounder Ky Corley, who improved to 27-0 with three wins on Friday, did not wrestle on Saturday. The three-time state medalist and two-time Big 4 champ was not 100-percent on Day 1 due to sickness and sat out the second day.
Chesbro’s squad was also without senior 135-pounder Ben Marks (19-7) this weekend, also out due to sickness.
Battling back
SHS juniors Earl Sparrow and T. Mike Walker and sophomore Reed Clanahan came back after dropping championship bracket matches, Walker (22-8) getting an escape and takedown in the final :08 in the third-place bout at 285 pounds.
Clanahan had a pin in the quarterfinals, got pinned in the semis, but rebounded with a 56-second fall in the 145-pound third place match.
Sparrow went 2-2 on Saturday, getting pinned by Bristow’s Stanley Plum in the third place bout at 215.
Click here for the full results from the Big 4+4 Tournament
