Weekend Update #11                                                                                                3/1/10

Cougar Wrestling Fans,

What a tremendous weekend we had.  We went to State with the most state qualifiers in twenty years.  Having ten wrestlers increased our chances of scoring lots of team points.  We went in with a goal of cracking the top ten.  This is an accomplishment that NW has only done seven times in forty years.  Our highest finish since I have been head coach has been 16^th.  We walked out of Intrust Bank Arena with several career highs for our team with me as the head coach.  We were a career high 12^th in the final standings, we scored the most team points, and we had the most State Placers with three.  Chandler Gordon got us off to a much better start than last year.  Chandler pinned his first round opponent and scored the first 4 of our 55.5 points for the weekend.  Reed Bowker fought tough before dropping an 8-0 decision.  Colby Everett also battled hard only to come up short.  Ross Whitmore got us going again with a pin and another 4 points.  Tyler Deal Pinned his first opponent and gained another 4 points.  Dylan Swoyer had to wrestle the eventual State Champ in the first round, but just couldn’t get it going.  Will Greenhaw dominated his first round opponent and racked up 2 more points for us.  Nick Caldwell wrestled another intense edge of your seat match against a Derby kid and actually had him stuck in a cradle before eventually losing a close decision.  Bobby Urteaga had to wrestle the undefeated State Champion first round and actually met his goal of lasting the first period with him and most of the second.  Blake Covington also had a very tough match in the first round and lost.   The second round proved a little tougher.  A win in second round guarantees a place in the tournament.  Chandler and Ross again took care of business and made their way to the semifinals scoring good points for us.  Tyler got into a takedown and nearfall fest with his opponent from Dodge City and really had a chance when he hit him with a head and arm throw midway through the second period, but couldn’t finish it and lost a close decision.  Next up were the semis.  A win here and you have the whole day off on Saturday as you wait for the Championship match.  Chandler met his match against the number one ranked wrestler in the state all year and lost a close decision.  Ross took care of business against the number two ranked wrestler in the State and earned a rematch with the number one ranked wrestler in the State.  We had to sit for awhile until the first round of consolations started.  We had Reed, Colby, Dylan, Nick, Bobby, and Blake up in this round.  Unfortunately, Nick was the only one to make it out of the round.  There were some very close winnable matches, so the other guys were right there in position to get a win at State.  Whether it was first time jitters, or a referee not calling the stalling consistently, five guys went out of this round and ended their season.  The hardest loss was Dylan Swoyer not only because of his status as a senior, but he really didn’t get any breaks in the match and the Wichita NW opponent was able to stay right on his hips for almost 4:00.  It was ridiculous.  However, Nick pulled off a thrilling victory and moved to day two, and one step closer to a medal.  Everyone made weight Friday night and we went back to the hotel for pizza and fun.  The guys that were still wrestling got a good night’s sleep and got up ready to go.  Our first guy up was Tyler.  He wrestled tough and actually was in the match when he got caught in a scramble and pinned.  Again it was devastating as another senior fell.  Will Greenhaw made it through with a 6-4 decision and Nick Caldwell again defied the odds against a physically tough opponent, defeating him 1-0.  The next round was the money round or the heart break round depending on the outcome.  With a win you become a state placer.  A loss unfortunately, ends your season.  Our first wrestler in this round was Will.  He had a kid from Topeka that we had seen before at the Husky Invitational, but didn’t wrestle him.  In the one minute first period, they went back and forth in some nice scrambles, and Will’s opponent ended up with a takedown with one second on the clock.  In the end, Will battled hard against an opponent that was physically stronger and ended up losing by a 9-7 decision.  The first takedown ended up being the difference in the match and Will ended a fantastic career in the heartbreaker one match short of medaling for the second year in a row.  Nick was our final senior with a chance at medaling.  It didn’t really look like it was going to happen for Nick as he was down 5-0 right away after a bad scramble.  Fortunately, Nick never has been one to get down and stay down.  He battled back courageously and gained the advantage.  Then, in scramble after scramble and points piling up for both wrestlers, Nick got the leverage and a pin in the money round.  This guaranteed him two more career matches as a state placer.  Remember Chandler Gordon?  He waited most of the day to get a chance to advance to the finals of the consolation and a chance to finish 3^rd in this year’s tournament.  I went upstairs to grab some lunch with every intention of being back in time for the match.  I was 45 seconds away from getting back to the floor, and Chandler had already earned his opportunity to place third as he did away with his opponent in :43 seconds.  Wow, wait all day and it is done in less than a minute.  It was pretty cool to come out of the tunnel and see all of the fans in orange and black standing and cheering.  I don’t actually get to see that as I am usually shaking hands with a whimpering opponent.  The burrito was also very good J  Later in the round, Nick was up again, and again it was a very tough, exciting, and exhausting match for all of us.  Nick came up on the short side of a 6-2 decision, but still had a match for 5^th coming up.  Amazingly, he had the guy he wrestled in the first round from Derby.  A little tired from wrestling all day long, Nick couldn’t quite finish the way he wanted to, but still was going home with some hardware, and his name forever plastered to the walls of the Northwest wrestling room.  Now, Chandler had his opportunity to finish on a strong note.  He had a rematch with an opponent he defeated in the finals at Junction City tournament.  It was a blood fest as Chandler worked this guy over, they had to keep stopping the match to plug his nose.  He would eventually come away with a 6-1 victory and a 3^rd place medal.  Then there was only one.  Ross was wound up and ready for the rematch.  He wrestled tough and after the first period he was only down 2-1.  It was 4-3 part way through the second and Ross just couldn’t get anything going on his feet.  The match was much more respectable for Ross than the first time they wrestled as the final score ended up 11-4.  Runner-up is great, but it still leaves him hungry for the elusive State Championship.  I feel sorry for Ross throwing dummy, I mean work out partner next year.  It was a great season for Ross as he broke a long standing Cougar Wrestling record by accumulating 41 wins in a season, surpassing Chaz Hill’s 39 wins in a season.  He also has more than 100 wins and is set to break Mike Snider’s record for career wins that has stood since 1995.  These are great accomplishments and it is great to see a young man with so much drive, determination, and passion for the sport.  Ross lives and breathes wrestling and it has not gone unrewarded.  

It is with much regret that I have to type up this last weekend update of the season.  We have had a tremendous year and I really hate to see it end, but it must.  I am sure there are some parents and wrestlers that are saying no way, because their son has been super crabby.  I can’t say enough how proud I am to have been able to coach this group of young men.  For the freshmen, I want you to talk to the seniors and ask them if they had enough time.  In the blink of an eye, you will be seniors someday and it will happen sooner than later.  Sophomores and Juniors, continue to strive for perfection in your training, Juniors prepare to be seniors.  We will have leadership meetings and discussions throughout the Spring.  Accept your responsibility for having another great year next season.  Know that I will expect a lot more out you than any others.  There may be lazy underclassmen, but you better not be the ones I’m hollering at to get to work.  Don’t be satisfied with what you did this year, there is always room for improvement.  To all of you, if you haven’t already started, get in the weight room and compete in other sports to win, not just stay in shape.  Leave here next season with no regrets.  Prepare Like a CHAMPION today and every day, because tomorrow will be here and gone before you know it.

I would like to publicly thank all of the seniors.  Starting with the managers, I will miss the ultra smart ladies that kept me in line throughout their stay here.  Amber and Michelle, you two did a terrific job and I am going to miss you very much.  Lindsey and Erin better step up their game next season.  Tyler, I will always wonder what could have been, but you had a tremendous year and helped our team each time you stepped on the mat.  A match really wasn’t over until the final buzzer with you.  I wish I would have gotten to coach you longer, but thank you for what you did for us.  Dylan, when you entered the halls of Northwest, you were so little.  You give Blake some hope and assurance that his time will come.  I have watched you grow into a great young man and you are destined for success, enjoy K-State.  Ed, you have been through so much this season.  Mr. emotionless, you have always been the quiet guy around us and did anything we asked.  I hope that you have a very successful journalism career.  By the way Coach Red Corn is still traumatized from being m----d.  Will, thanks for being a great vocal leader.  Your presence and work ethic in the room was important to our success.  As you continue your journey, stop in from time to time.  I know Stillwater is a long ways off, but when you get back into town, come see us.  Stay strong and enjoy Stillwater.  Brendan, you by far should be an inspiration to many kids.  You have a great work ethic and a great attitude.  You stuck with it even though I know you had times when you wondered why.  A true statement of your character was your willingness to wrestle any weight class we needed you at whether it was 140, or 152 you just said put me in coach.  I appreciate that and it helped make our team what it was.  Nick, I am so glad this became such a positive experience for you since you really had no clue what was in store for you when you stepped into the room.  I’m glad you kept coming back.  The old adage “when the going gets tough, the tough get going” applies to your accomplishments and the attitude you carried through your career.    Scott, the marines are going to be lucky to get you.  I have never seen anyone with such a can do attitude.  You have proven yourself to be a great Eagle Scout.  Good Luck with what you want to accomplish.  Grant, you are another one that wasn’t sure about what you were getting into as I dragged you off the football field and onto the wrestling mat.  You really were the comeback kid this year and although you did not reach one goal, a 20 win season is long way from 0-5 and only 2 escapes on varsity freshman year.  I admire you as a person and hope you also find a lot of success outside these walls.  To all seniors, you are welcome to come in any time you want.  Call me, or come see me if there is anything I can help you with.  Don’t think that because your wrestling career is over that you have to walk away from it.  Get involved with local clubs, or become a referee.  Man how we need good referees.  Each and every one of you can add something to a wrestling room.  People always talk about how coaching doesn’t pay well.  Coaching kids is so much more rewarding than you can imagine.  I got to see you laugh, cry, compete, win, lose, and more than anything grow up to be great leaders and awesome young men.  Keep your heads high as you go through life and don’t let anything hold you back.  You guys can truly conquer anything that gets in your way.  Even though you are going separate ways, stay in touch with one another and always REMEMBER the COUGARS of 2010. 

W-          NW         42            LAWRENCE FREE STATE                33

W-          NW         50            OLATHE EAST                                    16

L-            NW         30            BLUE VALLEY WEST                        44

W-          NW         37            SM EAST                                              27

W-          NW         48            SM WEST                                             27

W-          NW         46            SM NORTH                                          32

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Weekend Update #10                                                                                                2/22/10

Cougar Wrestling Fans,

Chalk up some more hardware for the 2010 Cougar Wrestlers.  We were runner-up in our Regional this weekend with 144 points.  I can remember when I first took over as head coach, one of our season goals was to score 100 points in a tournament.  This year it has been championships.  I don’t think we scored less than 100 points in any tournament we have been in this year.  We were top five in every tournament.  Now, with the State tournament looming and the end of the season on the horizon, our guys battled to their best finish in Regionals since 1997.   We qualified ten wrestlers for the big show.  This is the most we have had since 1990.  Chandler Gordon at 103 got us off to a good start by making his second trip to the finals.  His 2^nd regional championship did not come easy as he had to come from behind and hold off a late charge to secure the victory.  At some point in the match, his teeth pierced his tongue and there was a lot of blood time.  Reed Bowker at 112 had a huge head to head semi-final match with SME and came up short.  However, he battled back through the consolations and pinned his opponent in the consolation finals for 3^rd.  Colby Everett at 119 made his first trip to the finals this season, but ran into the number one seed that took him to takedown school.  Ross Whitmore at 125 became a three time regional champion pinning the same kid that took him to the ultimate tie-breaker in the League Championship finals last week.  Tyler Deal at 130 had a tremendous day pinning his way to the finals.  He won his regional championship in impressive fashion by pinning the number one seed in 0:50 seconds.  Dylan Swoyer at 135 battled through a tough bracket to place 4^th and make his way back to State after not qualifying last year.  Our regular 140 Ed Spaunhorst tore a ligament in his elbow in practice Thursday night and didn’t get a chance to qualify.  Points we definitely missed since Ed would have been another qualifier.  His replacement Brandon Cunningham did his best, but came up short.  Will Greenhaw at 145 became a three time state qualifier by pinning his opponent and thorn in his side since the Husky Invitational in the consolation finals.  At 152, Brendan Vermeire had one of the toughest weight classes, but battled hard only to go down in the consolations.  Nick Caldwell at 160 pinned his way to the finals also and battled to a second place finish and another trip to State.  Bobby Urteaga at 171 probably got the best break of the season when his SMW foe was released from his team right after League.    This opened the door for a trip to the State tournament.  In the consolation semis, Bobby found himself in a tie match at the end of regulation.  In the first overtime and after several scrambles for position, Bobby was victorious and went on to a 4^th place finish.  Blake Covington at 189 lost in the first round and had to defeat a wrestler that beat him last week to become a qualifier.  Blake earned a 6-4 decision and a rematch with his first round loss.  He came up short once again, but he is headed to Wichita.  Scott Gdanski at 215 gave it his all winning a barn burner of an overtime match in the consolation quarters only to lose a 4-1 decision in the consolation semis ending his season in the heartbreaker round.  Grant Berning at 285 was one of the smallest heavyweights at the regional.  His first round 8-4 loss would prove to be devastating as he battled tough in the consolation semi-finals but ended up on the short side of a very tough 6-5 match in four overtimes.  I am so proud of this team and their accomplishments.  We as a team would not be at the top if it weren’t for the guys that may not be the best wrestler, but can score points when we need it.  Although their wrestling career is over at NW, I hope that Ed, Brendan, Scott, and Grant will look back on the experience as a positive one in their lives and build on the successes they shared.  I will always appreciate the level of commitment these guys gave me, this team, and this school, it was second to none.  You were willing to change weight classes and wrestle up and that is never an optimal thing to do, but you did it and you did it without complaint.  That kind of attitude and teamwork will take you a long way in the sport of life.  Thank you for everything guys. 

As for the qualifiers, we have another task ahead of us, one that we cannot take lightly.  The State tournament is what you put in all of that hard work for.  Controlling your weight and making sacrifices that normal students walking the halls don’t have to make.  It is our time to focus, to train, to go after the hardware at the next level.  I will do everything I know how to have you well prepared physically as well as mentally.  You have taken all of the pop quizzes and the chapter tests of the season, now it is time to study and prepare for the final exam.  Do not let yourself or your team down by not putting forth the effort to study for this one last exam of the season.  Strive to get your name on the wall, where it will never be taken down and PREPARE LIKE the CHAMPIONS you are.

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Weekend Update #9                                                                                      2/15/10

Cougar Wrestling Fans,

Well, you thought last week’s was a long one.  This update is going to take awhile.  We had another tremendous week.  Our guys wrestled the best they have all season.  Wednesday the varsity and JV dominated Topeka Washburn Rural.  The JV won every match but one and the Varsity won by the score of 54-24.  Eight seniors competed in their last home dual of the season.  It was an awesome senior night celebration.  The theme was Jedi Wrestling, the pep band rocked the house and played star wars music as 40 Novice kids from the COUGAR Kids Club formed a tunnel with light sabers raised and our Jedi Knights entered into the circle to battle.  With the victory, we finished the season with a 7-1 dual record and our best record ever and rode the momentum into the weekend.  Saturday got off to a great start as everyone made weight and we were healthy.  Our guys battled through the tournament round after round.  Chandler Gordon, Reed Bowker, Colby Everett, Ross Whitmore, Ed Spaunhorst, Will Greenhaw, Nick Caldwell, and Blake Covington made it to the semi-finals and guaranteed to get a medal.  Chandler, Ross, and Nick qualified for the championship finals.  All eleven of the other wrestlers were still alive in the consolation rounds.  Round after round they continued to battle and three more wrestlers joined their comrades in the medal rounds.  Eleven Cougars total would be in the final round and as a bonus we had scored enough points to be in first place.  This was very exciting as you can imagine since it has been 18 years since Northwest won a league championship.  We had to have another strong round from our guys or SM East might pass us by.  Chandler Gordon picked us up and got us started with a pin and his 2^nd consecutive league championship.  Reed Bowker won a nail biter taking 3^rd and added to our lead.  Colby Everett came out and put the number three seed on his back in the first period only to watch his lead slip away and place 4^th.  Then Ross Whitmore won a thriller in four overtimes, riding out his opponent in the ultimate tie breaker for the win, and his first League Championship.  Tyler Deal avenged a first round loss by shutting out his opponent for 3^rd.  Ed Spaunhorst was matched up with the guy who hurt his knee in week two.  He battled tough, but came up short with a 4^th place finish.  Will Greenhaw lost in a hard fought rd/4^th place match.  Now, we were clinging to an eight point lead and SM East nipping at our heels.  East was going to get another win from their 171 and receive a 5 point default for 3^rd at 189 which would give them a one-point, we needed some more wins.  We were going to default and 160 with Nick Caldwell because of injury, and our 171 Bobby Urteaga was forced to settle for 6^th because of too many matches.  This was very unfortunate since Bobby had already beaten this guy earlier in the day.  East received their default in the 3^rd/4^th place match and took a one-point lead.  Our last hope was that Blake Covington at 189 could beat the kid he had split with this season and place 5^th.  If Blake wins, we win our first team championship since I have been head coach and our first league championship in 18 years.  If he pins, then we own the championship outright.  Blake did an awesome job winning the match and securing the Championship.  It has been an unbelievable journey.  A journey that started four years ago with these seniors as I pulled them out of the halls, off the football field, and convinced them they could do great things if they stay together and make an investment into learning the sport and having fun while they do.  Now, that investment is paying off, it is their moment.  They have a great supporting cast and depth in the room as a result of the investment the kids club is making, as well as other kids that have bought into learning the sport and having fun doing it.  I am so proud of all of you for your accomplishments so far.  As good as the accomplishments are, we are not done yet.  This weekend is one of the most important Saturday’s yet this year.  We have a goal to qualify 10 to the big show.  I am telling you now, if you continue to prepare the way you have all season, we will qualify all fourteen to the big show.  In the history of Northwest wrestling, we have never qualified the whole team.  Work hard this week and FINISH the job.  Great things await you. 

Parents, you guys are awesome.  You run wicked hospitality, concessions, wrestlers’s food, you name, you guys are great.  I am the luckiest coach in the world to have the support that you give.  Thank you so much.  Thanks to everyone that helped set up Friday night.  Because of your efforts, I was able to attend a celebration of life for a friend of mine that will soon be gone from this earth.  It was very sad to say goodbye and know I will never see him again.  Please keep the Weaver family in your thoughts and prayers as they go through these difficult times.

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Weekend Update #8                                                                                      2/08/10

Cougar Wrestling Fans,

This is going to be one of my longest updates ever!  We had a tremendous week last week.  Our guys continue to get in better condition and get better in their technique.  Friday was the Shawnee Mission District Wrestling Championship Duals.  We started off with a bye in the first round as the other four SM’s beat up on each other.  In the second round we had SM South.  Will Greenhaw got us going early with a pin and a 6 point lead at 145.  We never really looked back as we got 6 points from Nick Caldwell, Caulin Pendleton, Blake Covington, Ross Whitmore, and Tyler Deal.  Reed Bowker added a major decision and Grant Berning a decision.  We defeated South 43-29.  The next round was against defending District Champs SM West.  This time we started at 152 and a 6 point deficit.  Nick Caldwell quickly tied the score with an 18 second pin.  We fell behind by 3 on the next weight class losing a hard fought decision.  Then, we got a major decision from Blake Covington, a decision by Josh Meigs, and a pin by Grant Berning to go up by 10.  West came battling back with a pin at 103.  Our light weights took over and with pins by Colby Everett, Ross Whitmore, Tyler Deal, and a tech fall by Reed Bowker, we put the match away defeating West 48-27.  The fourth round would be a little unnerving as we took on SM North.  Their upper weights are pretty tough and we would need a couple of wins there to defeat them.  Nick Caldwell got us off to a great start with yet another pin over the SM North tournament Champion last weekend.  Then, probably the biggest break we got was at 189 when Blake Covington down 7-0 and on his back, drove through a half and pinned his opponent 15 seconds into the second period.  North lost a team point when the wrestler launched his headgear so we had a 12-11 advantage.  We lost the next three matches and North took a 14 point lead.  Again, starting at 112 up through 135, Bowker, Everett, Whitmore, Deal, and Swoyer knocked off the North wrestlers one by one picking up 28 critical points before losing one.  Will Greenhaw finished off our scoring when his opponent could not continue and we defeated North 46-32.  The last and most critical dual of the night was against East.  If we lose it would be a three way tie as West defeated them earlier in the evening by 3 points.  If we prove victorious, then we will win our first trophy of the season by finishing what we started earlier in the evening.  We would be SM District Wrestling Champs.  We had to start at 171 this time and Bobby Urteaga surprised the Lancers with a 6-3 victory which put us up by 3.  It was tough, they scored 9 straight then we tied it up with an 8 second pin from Grant Berning.  They went up by 9 again with a pin 103 and a last second decision at 112.    Then Everett, Whitmore, Deal, and Swoyer went to work scoring 16 to put us up by 7.  We needed a big match from rookie 140 pounder Brandon Cunningham to either win, or not get pinned.  He fought hard and ended up losing a 10-4 decision.  East got another pin that put them up by 2 with two matches to go.  We just happened to have two seniors with State experience there and did they ever take care of business.  Will Greenhaw put us up by 4 with a pin in the first period, and Nick Caldwell put the icing in the cake with a pin also in the first period.  We defeated East 37-37 to win the 2^nd annual Shawnee Mission District Wrestling Duals.  As a team we went 4-0 on the night.  Ross Whitmore, Tyler Deal, Will Greenhaw, and Nick Caldwell went 4-0.  Reed Bowker, Blake Covington, and Grant Berning were 3-1.  There were some great victories Friday night and some disappointing losses, but as we continue down the road to State, we will build upon and learn from these and move on. 

Speaking of moving on, our JV team competed in the annual JV League tournament Saturday.  They were incredible as they had five guys in the Championship finals and one in the consolation finals.  Jordan Masingale, Bobby Urteaga, and Jacob Heindel earned Championships.  Colton Almos and Dylan Alexander lost real close decisions and finished runners-up.  Josh Meigs rounded out the medal count with a 3^rd place finish despite a hurt leg.  I hope these guys stay together and keep getting better so they can capture the accolades the varsity is getting now.   We have been very consistent in performance this year and maybe this will inspire these younger kids that placed thirteenth in a 20 team varsity tournament and 6^th in an eleven team varsity tournament this year.  The depth in the room will continue to make us better and better.  Someday, although it was not my mission to begin with, you may read about Shawnee Mission Northwest as State wrestling Champions.  Great job this year JV guys, you have had a tremendous season.  Wrap it up strong with a victory Wednesday night over Topeka Washburn Rural. 

Booster Club, thank you all you do.  This has been a tremendous year so far.  Alums, I have a T-shirt for you if you come to an event.  I owe some shirts to following guys that came back this year to watch us:  Tyler Hiburn, Glenn Schongar, Jordan Swoyer, Michael Moore, Jimmy Denton, and Zach Allen.  Come back when you can and claim your shirt. 

The varsity and JV wrap up their dual season Wednesday evening in the NW gymnasium starting with JV at 5:30pm, then some exciting senior night activities and then varsity wrestling.  Saturday at 9:00 come to the NW gym to watch the Varsity in action again as we try to capture a League championship.  As we continue on this year’s road always remember: Prepare Like Champions and let’s finish the job you seniors committed to four years ago.

Have a GREAT DAY!!!

Coach Newcomb

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Weekend update #7                                                                                         Feb. 1, 2010

I am so very proud of our teams last week.  On Wednesday, the varsity defeated Olathe East 50-16 with wins from Reed Bowker, Colby Everett, Colton Almos, Ross Whitmore, Dylan Swoyer, Will Greenhaw, Brendan Vermeire, Nick Caldwell, Mark Sample, and Dreu White.  The JV went 11-3 in all matches.  Saturday the varsity traveled to Junction City and the JV went to Atchison HS for some varsity mat time.  I would say we did very well in both venues. 

We placed 5^th in the Junction City tournament with 102 points.  This is once again our highest finish and the most points we have ever scored in this tournament. 

Chandler Gordon (103) got us off to a great start with a championship

Ross Whitmore (125) and Tyler Deal (130) Placed 2^nd

Will Greenhaw added some excitement with his first championship of the season

Grant Berning brought us up from 7^th to 5^th with his pin in the final match of the day to take 3^rd at HWT.    This was another good test with very encouraging results for us as there were six top ten ranked teams there.  There were three from 6A, two from 5A, and one from 3A. 

The JV team that battled in Atchison also had a good day with five placers.  This was a varsity tournament and they placed 6^th as a team with 60.5 points, outscoring five other varsity teams. 

Matt Vanausdall placed 2^nd

Colton Almos placed 3^rd

Dylan Alexander placed 4^th,

Blake Covington placed 4th

Dreu White placed 4^th