From the Capital-Journal:
HAYS — He was told he might not get the chance to wrestle again.
Forget that. Saturday night he’ll get the chance to defend his state championship.
Scoring a 12-10 sudden victory in Friday’s Class 3-2-1A 160-pound semifinals at Gross Memorial Coliseum, top-ranked Rossville senior Isaiah Luellen was extra emotional. Given the circumstances, who could blame him?
“I got told I wasn’t going to wrestle again,” Luellen said. “Just have to thank my lord and savior, Jesus Christ. I am so glad to be here.”
And he’s right back in a spot that is all-too-familiar, even after a serious leg injury nearly altered his plans.
Luellen scored two technical falls then the sudden victory against No. 2-ranked Scott City senior Jarrett Jurgens, and now will match up Saturday with No. 4-ranked Plainville sophomore Jordan Finnesy.
He knows he’ll have to do better than he did Friday, saying he never should have let the semifinal match end that way.
“Closer than I would have liked it to be,” Luellen said. “Just glad I got the win, and it’s time to finish business tomorrow.”
Luellen is the defending state champion at 160 and now is guaranteed to be a four-time state placer.
But he still couldn’t hold his emotions back following the thrilling win. Afterward, he rushed over to give a hug to former Rossville coach Cody Lambotte, who continues his battle with ALS and is limited to a wheel chair.
“I like to give a lot of this win to him, too,” Luellen said of Lambotte, who coached his junior title campaign. “Just special I can dedicate it to him. He’s helped me so much.”
Luellen carries a 22-0 mark into Saturday’s title match, while Finnesy is 37-2. The Plainville sophomore knocked off Doniphan West senior Zeb Speer, 7-2, to make his first title match after going 1-2 as a freshman.
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