No. 17 Barton Wrestling ends season at NJCAA Nationals

The No. 17 ranked Barton Community College Wrestling team had their season cut a day short on Friday, coming up shy of Saturday's all-american rounds in the NJCAA Wrestling National Championships held in Council Bluffs, Iowa.   

The Cougars had four wrestlers survive the afternoon rounds with three of those coming up one win shy of the All-American rounds.  Returning just three Cougars from last year's No. 15 finishing team, Barton's second year of competition also fell in the Top-25 of the nation concluding the championships in the 24th spot scoring fourteen points.

Sean Taborsky was the first of the Cougars on the evening mat advancing to the 149 division Round of 16 with a 9-6 victory over Camden County's Charles Bramble.  Taborsky then ran into a buzz saw in the ensuing match taking a 15-4 major decision loss to Otero Junior College's Anthony Hinkle to end his Barton career going 3-2 in the tournament.  Winning his first round match 9-5 over Ridgewater's Leo Kerfeld, Taborsky was bounced to the back side of the bracket by No. 8 ranked Nate Skonieczny of Jamestown in a 23-8 technical fall.  Taborsky advanced on the consolation side with a first period 2:40 fall over Muskegon's Jaycob Bechtol before defeating Bramble to reach the round of 16.

In the 174 division, No. 4 ranked David Kelly began his inaugural national championship with a bye before getting sent to the back side in a 2:51 fall to No. 7 Adrian Lyons-Lopez of Southwestern Oregon.  Kelly shutout his next two opponents, a 7-0 win over Ryan Kottschade of Rochester and a 9-0 major decision over Niagara County's Ryan Sabesta in the evening's first round of the consolation round of eight.  Kelly would then join Taborsky on the sideline one win shy of Saturday's action taking a 12-3 major decision loss to No. 6 Tyree Overton of Lincoln.

No. 7 ranked Brix Brickey would become the third Cougar falling one win short, having won his first two 285 division matches before dropping his final two.  The redshirt freshman scored a tough 2-0 win over Iowa Lakes' Cayelon Barton in first round action before another tough victory coming over Nassau's Jonathan Solozarno to advance to the championship quarterfinals.  Waiting for Brickey was Thomas Peterson of Iowa Central and the nation's top ranked wrestler racked up a 21-7 major decision to send Brickey to the backside of the bracket.   Escaping with twenty-seven seconds left in the third period, riding time proved the difference as the redshirt freshman from Lindsborg had his season end in the round of 16 on the short end of 2-1 decision to Stephen Boone of Iowa Western. 

The day started out promising for Ethan Dean in the 197 division making short work of Triton's Jose Suarez in a 1:05 fall but suffered the same fate in the ensuing round in a 3:31 fall to No. 7 ranked Cedrick Stephens of Nassau.  Dean would receive a bye in his next match to advance to the evening session but had his freshman season come to an end in the first round of the consolation round of eight in a 16-1 technical fall to Highline's Joshua Wessels.  

Barton qualified nine wrestlers for the national tournament after finishing second in the West/Central District two weeks ago.  Kendall Biddle was the only other Cougar to pick up a victory outside the four but his freshman season was cut short with a medical forfeit in his second round consolation match.  The Winfield native began his day in the 165 division dismissing Nassau's Kyle Mock with a 1:44 fall but lost a sudden victory 4-2 decision to NIACC's Tucker Black in being sent to the back side.  Having fought through an injury in the previous match, Biddle's tournament came to an end having to medically forfeit his consolation match to Shayan Loomis of Lincoln.

NJCAA National Championship Results for Barton

133 - Caysen Smith
    1st Round – Sean DeShazer (NEO) won by 3-2 decision over Caysen Smith (Barton)
    Consol. of 16 Rd 1 – Bryson Beard (North Idaho) won by 10-9 decision over Caysen Smith (Barton)

141 – Isaac Bailey
    1st Round – Christian Kanzler (Lincoln) won by 16-0 technical fall over Isaac Bailey (Barton)
    Consol. of 16 Rd 1 – Isaac Bailey (Barton) receives bye
    Consol. of 16 Rd 2 - Dylan Elmore (Harper) won by fall (1:57) over Isaac Bailey (Barton)

149 – Sean Taborsky
    1st Round – Sean Taborsky (Barton) won by 9-5 decision over Leo Kerfeld (Ridgewater)
    2nd Round - #8 Nate Skonieczny (Jamestown) won by 23-8 technical fall over Sean Taborsky (Barton)
    Consol. of 16 Rd 2 – Sean Taborsky (Barton) won by fall (2:50) over Jaycob Bechtol (Muskegon)
    Consol. of 8 Rd 1 – Sean Taborsky (Barton) won by 9-6 decision over Charles Bramble (Camden County)
    Consol. of 8 Rd 2 – Anthony Hinkle (Otero) won by 15-4 major decision over Sean Taborsky (Barton)

157 – Christian Rivas
    1st Round – Chris Root (Lincoln) won by 12-0 major decision over Christian Rivas (Barton)
    Consol. of 16 Rd 1 – Christian Rivas (Barton) receives bye
    Consol. of 16 Rd 2 – Cameron Braden (Northwest) won by fall (4:13) over Christian Rivas (Barton)

165 – Kendall Biddle
    1st Round – Kendall Biddle (Barton) won by fall (1:44) over Kyle Mock (Nassau)
    2nd Round – Tucker Black (NIACC) won by 4-2 sudden victory over Kendall Biddle (Barton)
    Consol. of 16 Rd 2 – Shaylan Loomis (Lincoln) won by medical forfeit over Kendall Biddle (Barton)

174 – #4 David Kelly
    1st Round – #4 David Kelly (Barton) receives bye
    2nd Round - #7 Adrian Lyons-Lopez (Southwestern Oregon) won by fall (2:51) over #4 David Kelly (Barton)
    Consol. of 16 Rd 2 – #4 David Kelly (Barton) won 7-0 decision over Ryan Kottschade (Rochester)
    Consol. of 8 Rd 1 – #4 David Kelly (Barton) won by 9-0 major decision over Ryan Sebesta (Niagara County)
    Consol. of 8 Rd 2 – Tyree Overton (Lincoln) won by 12-3 major decision over #4 David Kelly (Barton)

184 – Devon Baker
    1st Round – Mario Luevano (Highland) won by 12-4 major decision over Devon Baker (Barton)
    Consol. of 16 Rd 1 – Devon Baker (Barton) receives bye
    Consol. of 16 Rd 2 - #2 Tristan Ramberg (Labette) won by 16-0 technical fall over Devon Baker (Barton)

197 – Ethan Dean
    1st Round – Ethan Dean (Barton) won by fall (1:05) over Jose Suarez (Triton)
    2nd Round - #8 Cedrick Stephens (Nassau) won by fall (3:31) over Ethan Dean (Barton)
    Consol. of 16 Rd 2 – Ethan Dean (Barton) receives bye
    Consol. of 8 Rd 1 – Joshua Wessels (Highline) won by 16-1 technical fall over Ethan Dean (Barton)

285 - #7 Brix Brickey
    1st Round – #7 Brix Brickey (Barton) won by 2-0 decision over Cayelon Barton (Iowa Lakes)
    2nd Round - #7 Brix Brickey (Barton) won by 4-2 decision over Jonathan Solorzano (Nassau)
    Quarterfinals - #1 Thomas Peterson (Iowa Central) won by 21-7 major decision over #7 Brix Brickey (Barton)
    Consol. of 8 Rd 2 – Stephen Boone (Iowa Western) won by 2-1 decision over #7 Brix Brickey (Barton)