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Prep Roundup
Columnists Brian Meadows Brad NormanMembersLocal Connection› Iredell County Young Athletes Association› South Iredell Athletics Association › SHS athletics › WIHS athletics › NIHS athletics › SIHS athletics › LNHS athletics Syndicate RSSAP NASCAR NASCAR Features A look at this year's schedule A look at this year's drivers Differences between stock car and open-wheel racing NASCAR Research & Development Petty Enterprises splitter testing Aerodynamic testing in Concord's wind tunnel Top 10 moments in Daytona history Site StatisticsThis page has been viewed 800910 timesPage rendered in 0.2184 seconds Total Stories: 2136 Total Comments: 34 Most Recent Entry: 08/15/2008 01:53 pm Most Recent Comment on: 04/17/2008 11:54 pm Most Recent Visitor on: 05/22/2012 11:11 am |
• Public Schools • Lake Norman High School • Mooresville High School • North Iredell High School • top story
2008 Feb-24
Esselman endured the pain to support Devils at state tournamentBy BRAD NORMAN Esselman finished the year with a 35-5 record, and was widely expected to make the tournament at 152 pounds. But what was disappointing for the Blue Devils was that Esselman was a spectator. A major knee injury suffered during a Feb. 11 practice, four days before the 3A Western Regional tournament, derailed Esselman’s bid for a state playoff berth. “I tore my meniscus, and it also folded over,” Esselman said. “I couldn’t extend my leg out. I asked the doctor if I could wrestle and we even wanted to bump up the surgery … but he said no.” So Esselman went under the knife at 8 a.m. Friday, and was at the regionals to support his squad later that day. “It’s so disheartening,” Mooresville coach Ben Watson said. “I’ve only been at Mooresville one year, but I’ve gotten to know Jesse pretty well. He put his heart and soul into the program. He’s got great character. He was there supporting us (at regionals) right after his surgery.” There’s never a guarantee anybody will qualify for the state tournament, but Esselman was a pretty safe bet. Esselman pinned East Rowan’s Coleton Boone (the No. 3 seed from the West) in the second period when the two schools faced during the North Piedmont 3A slate of matches. “It was my senior year, and I was looking forward to wrestling in states all year,” Esselman said. “Heartbreaking is what it is.” A WEIGHTY ISSUE Lake Norman freshman Nick Rodrigues and North Iredell sophomore Jacob Tutterrow, both wrestling at 103 pounds, each went through a brutal slate of matches — and that was just in the regular season. Rodrigues and Tutterrow joined West Rowan’s Austin Perrell and South Rowan’s Jake Freeman as the four seeds from the Western region. All four are from the North Piedmont 3A. “There were some really good wrestlers in the conference,” Tutterrow said. “So I was a little more experienced after wrestling (in the NPC).” Both Rodrigues, a freshman, and Tutterrow, a sophomore, should make a few more tournament appearances before they graduate. It just may not be at 103 pounds. Just three of the 16 wrestlers in the 3A 103-pound bracket were seniors, the lowest number among all 14 weight classes. It’s tough for wrestlers to stay that weight their entire high school career. “I think the determining factor at staying at 103 pounds for four years is genetics,” Lake Norman coach Tom Pavia said. “That plays a huge factor. I don’t see Nick being at 103 for four years.” MAKING QUICK WORK Lake Norman senior Jacob McNeill experienced a tough Saturday, going 0-3 while finishing sixth, but may have had the match of the tournament for the Wildcats. In the 215-pound quarterfinals, McNeill stunned Parkland star Eric Sims with a pin just 44 seconds into the match. Sims ended up finishing third after winning the consolation championship 17-1. “I told him to keep it close,” Pavia said. “If it was 0-0 going into the second period, that would be favorable. Jacob hit a duck around, and when he turned the corner … Jacob kept the momentum, rolled through and got him on his back. It felt like 10 or 15 seconds.” CONTINUED SUCCESS The talk of the tournament from other wrestlers and coaches was Parkland’s dominance. “They’re bad news,” Mooresville’s Prath Bruton said after losing in the third-place match at 189 pounds to Parkland’s Larry Barron. The Mustangs had eight wrestlers in a championship match, five of whom won state championships, and set a new record by scoring 269.5 points. It was the first time in state history a team finished with more than 200 points. “Parkland will be the team to beat once again next year, and we are chasing that standard and looking to surpass it,” Pavia said. “I expect to have greater success next year on all levels.” Bookmarkz |
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