Posted on Fri, Feb. 08, 2008
Heights wrestlers pin hopes on high finish
The Falcons host the City League meet on Saturday.
BY JON MCGILLIVRAY
Wichita Eagle correspondent
After a disappointing City League finish last season, the Heights wrestling team is expecting better results in Saturday's league tournament at Heights.
First-round matches begin at 9 a.m., followed by the championship semifinals. Consolation quarterfinals start at 1 p.m., with the championships scheduled for 6.
While Bishop Carroll appears poised to win its seventh straight league title, the Falcons, who were 3-5 in duals and fifth at the league meet last season, would like secure at least the runner-up spot.
"I think we have a good chance at second in the tournament. We have three kids that should be champions and several other kids that should place," Heights coach Todd Sacquitne said.
"It's going to depend on the kids coming out of the back side of the bracket and placing in the third- and fourth-place matches."
The Falcons will rely on freshman Daniel DeShazer (112 pounds), and juniors Kendric Maple (130) and Chase Nelson (135) to emerge as league champions. They are a combined 91-2 this season, with DeShazer and Nelson suffering their only losses at the Newton Tournament of Champions.
Maple (30-0) is a two-time league champion -- at 112 pounds as a freshman and 119 last season -- and placed third at the Class 6A tournament last season, while Nelson (30-1) finished third at 112 in the CL tournament, but went on to win a state title.
The trio admitted that short of something drastic happening to Carroll's wrestlers, their goal is to finish at least second in the tournament.
"Bishop Carroll's pretty solid -- they've been blowing teams out by a hundred points," Maple said.
DeShazer (31-1) said the Falcons want to finish above Northwest, which finished second in the dual standings.
"That's our main goal. But if we could, we'd like to beat Bishop Carroll. It's a possibility." Nelson said.
All agreed a second-place finish would be an improvement over last season, when the Falcons finished 63 points out of fourth.
Sacquitne said their leadership has helped the Falcons' young squad.
"I expect them all to be leaders throughout the tournament," he said. "Kendric has been our leader all year long, and Chase has started to become more of a leader for us throughout the season.
"Dap (DeShazer) right now as a freshman is kind of feeling his way through, but he's picked some guys up and been a good practice partner for Dondre Davis (119 pounds), making him better."
