Saturday, February 27, 2016

Four Dawgs Reach 3A Finals

Luellen brothers position Rossville for 3A team title

Posted: February 26, 2016 - 10:18pm



brent.maycock@cjonline.com

HAYS —For as long as Isaac and Isaiah Luellen have been wrestling together, only once have they had their hands raised as state champions in the same year.
That came at the 2013 Kids State Tournament and proved to be a special moment for the Rossville brothers.
What could top it? If they could duplicate the feat Saturday at the Class 3-2-1A state championships in Hays and help bring home a team title for the Bulldawgs in the process.
The duo set up both possibilities with dominating performances Friday. Isaiah had no trouble finding his way into Saturday’s 152-pound title match and Isaac had even less trouble returning to the 182-pound finals after winning last year’s state title at that weight.
“It’s what we wanted all season, so that’s accomplished,” Isaiah Luellen said. “But we’ve still got another step. We can’t be happy with just being in the finals. We have to win the whole thing. We’ve got some unfinished business to take care of.”
Overall, Rossville did some heavy lifting in its bid to capture its first team state title after posting top-three finishes the past two years. The Bulldawgs put four in the finals with Bryce Gfeller earning a shot at his third straight state title by reaching the 126-pound finals and Kole Davoren putting a dramatic and momentum-building finish on the day with a 3-2 sudden-death upset win in the 220-pound finals.
Rossville heads into Saturday’s action with a 10-point lead on three-time defending champion Norton (101-91).
“I really want to win this tournament,” Isaac Luellen said. “That’s been our goal all season long. If we both win, that could lead to a team title as well.”
Of all Rossville’s victories on Friday, Davoren provided the most dramatic moments. And they started even before the state meet with Davoren waking up Monday with a 101-degree temperature coupled with vomiting.
“I could not think of a worse time for a fever to come on and be throwing up,” Davoren said. “I wasn’t going to let it keep me from being here, though.”
If Davoren was weakened by the bout of fever, it hardly showed and he had plenty in the tank when he needed it the most. He got down early against Hoisington’s Austin McHenry in the quarterfinals, but rallied for a 5-3 overtime win to set up a No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown with top-ranked Chris Cox of Oakley in the semifinals.
The two traded escapes during regulation, and after a scoreless overtime Cox got an escape in the second overtime for a 2-1 lead. Davoren couldn’t manage an escape in his overtime period on bottom, but Cox couldn’t keep him on the mat and Davoren was awarded a stalling point to tie the match and force sudden death.
Needing an escape to win, Davoren got it with four seconds left in the match, earning a shot in the finals against Smith Center’s Dalton Kuhn (13-3).
“I probably gave my mom a heart attack,” said Davoren, who improved to 37-6. “I was confident and I could tell my shape was being important and that helped me in the end.”
Isaac Luellen was virtually untouchable in his three matches at 182, taking easy wins, including a 22-7 technical fall win over Riley County’s Chris Truesdale in the semifinals.
“I felt great today, relaxed and on point,” said Luellen, who improved to 45-0 and will face Lyons’ Cody Clarke (32-5) in the finals. “If I wrestle like that tomorrow, it’ll produce a state championship.”
Isaiah, meanwhile, posted pins in his first two matches and then handled Russell’s Chase Prester 8-3 in the semifinals. His challenge in the finals is a huge one, No. 1 Christopher Ball of Hoisington, who is 40-0 and the younger brother of Brandon Ball, who beat Luellen at state last year.
“I was just letting it fly today,” said Luellen, who is 39-6. “I just want to get that state title. I have to get to his legs early on and attack him and beat him on my feet.”
Rossville did have a handful of hiccups that could have put the Bulldawgs in firm control of the tourney.
Senior 120-pounder Alex Cavanaugh, ranked No. 1 all year, was upset in the semifinals in a match that had state championship written all over it. Facing standout freshman Dayton Porsch of Hoxie, Cavanaugh led 1-0 in the second period before Porsch caught him with an underhook and threw him for a takedown to lead 2-1 and went on to win 3-1.
Earlier in the day, 160-pound No. 1 Derek Gentry was knocked off in the quarterfinals, getting pinned by Russell’s Kelton Suchy in the first period of their match.
Both are still alive, however, as is freshman Phoenix Thomas, who bounced back from a first-round loss to pin his consolation first-round foe.

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