Jones and Thiessen qualify for the Trojans

Written by Don Ratzlaff Tuesday, 21 February 2012 14:57

Hillsboro’s Tyrell Thiessen looks for the signal from the official that he has pinned Quade McCoy of Eureka in the 285-pound consolation semifinal Saturday. Thiessen then defeated Mika Kaylor 7-0 to place third in his class and earn a berth in the state tournament Thursday and Friday.

Two Hillsboro wrestlers earned berths in the Class 3-2-1A state tournament this weekend by securing a top-four performance in their respective weight classes at the Eureka regional Friday and Saturday.

Tanner Jones, wrestling at 160 pounds, and Tyrell Thiessen, competing at 285, each overcame a defeat to place third in their respective weight class.

“Obviously, I am very happy getting Tanner and Tyrell qualified for state, but more importantly, I was proud of their performances in getting there,” coach Scott O’Hare said of the two juniors.

Jones, entering as the No. 3 seed in his weight class, pinned Josh Forbes of Erie in his first match, then lost 6-2 to Kaden Housel of Cherryvale in the second round.

From the backside of the bracket, Jones pinned Cody Easterday of Erie, scored a 12-2 major decision versus Tyler Atwood of Remington, defeated Ethan Pykiet of Douglass 3-2, then took revenge on Housel with a 5-1 decision in the third-place match.

“He came out in dominating fashion in his first match winning by fall,” O’Hare said of Jones. “But he suffered a tough 6-2 loss in the quarter-finals on Friday evening to the No. 6 seed. This set him up for a tough task on Saturday to get through to state. He had to win three straight matches to qualify.”

Thiessen, meanwhile, faced a similar challenge. Coming in as the No. 5 seed, he pinned Mika Kaylor of Douglass in his first match, then was pinned by Clay Wilcox of Chaparral, the No. 1 seed and eventual champion, in the second round.

Thiessen then stepped in against Quade McCoy of Eureka for the chance to qualify for state. He pinned McCoy, then came back to defeat his first-round opponent, Kaylor, 7-0 to nail down the bronze medal.

O’Hare praised Thiessen’s effort against Wilcox, who is ranked No. 2 in the state.

“Tyrell took an early lead with a takedown in the first period and held that lead half­way through the second period, before getting pinned in a headlock following a scramble,” he said.

“This match was a good measuring stick to see where Tyrell stands with some of the best 285-pounders in the state,” O’Hare added. “Tyrell then came back Saturday afternoon, winning his consolation semifinal and consolation finals matches in dominating fashion.”

On the disappointment side, Hillsboro’s third primary candidate for state, senior Bret Mueller, came up just short at 138 pounds with a record of 3-2.

Mueller started well, pinning Charley Willhite of Bluestem and Dax Stephens of Central in his first two matches, then lost an 8-6 decision to Trae Gillespie of West Elk.

In the consolation bracket, Mueller pinned Chandler Cald­eron of Chaparral before ending his season one victory short of state with a 13-7 loss to Zach Dipman of Caney Valley.

“I am not disappointed at all in (Mueller), just in the fact that he didn't reach his goals and get to Hays to compete for a state medal in his senior season,” O’Hare said.

“Bret has worked very hard, has been incredibly committed to wrestling and our program for a number of years, and has been an outstanding leader for us this year,” he added.

“The frustrating thing is that three of the four that qualified out of his bracket this weekend were wrestlers he had defeated within the last month. This just wasn’t his weekend.”

Also competing at Eureka this weekend were: Jon Carey, 0-2 at 120; River Cecil, 0-2, at 132; Cody Delk, 2-2 at 145; Jesse Meier, 0-2 at 152; and Cody Craney, 0-2 at 170.

As a team, Hillsboro placed 11th among 24 schools with 49 points. Douglass claimed the regional title with 165 points.

“Overall, I was proud of the progress our young wrestlers made throughout the year and the effort they gave at every practice and every match,” O’Hare said.

“With Bret being the only senior on the team, I am looking for this group to provide a strong foundation for us to build on for the future.”

State—First-round matchups have been determined for Class 3-2-1A State Championship Tournament Thursday and Friday (Feb. 23-24) at Fort Hays State’s Gross Memorial Coliseum.

Tanner Jones (31-13) will face Matt Schneider (25-4) of Phillips­burg and Tyrell Thiessen (14-5) will square off against Cody Cooper (17-11) of Rossville.

Action begins Thursday at 10 a.m.