Andy Brown
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Schedule Prepares Wrestlers For End
Choice Words
By Andy Brown
Nothing but good things can come from facing the best and the Osawatomie and Prairie View wrestling teams know that first hand.
The Trojans and the Buffalos got an up-close and personal look at the best teams in Missouri, and in some cases, the nation. Osawatomie hosted their tournament on Saturday and brought in two of the top teams in Missouri –– Blue Springs and Knob Noster –– and saw some elite wrestlers.
Add to that the Trojans brought good Kansas programs like Blue Valley West, Topeka Washburn-Rural and Olathe North, and against those top teams, they finished tied for second with Knob Noster. That is just one sign that the Osawatomie program will be one to be reckoned with at regional time.
As for Prairie View, the Buffalos went head-to-head with nationally ranked Oak Park High School out of Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday at the Baldwin Invitational. Oak Park has rosters loaded with state-ranked all-Americans and obviously won the tournament going away, but the Buffalos did make a little dent in their success.
Prairie View senior C.J. Randall outlasted Oak Park all-American Marcus Armato to take the title in the 171-pound bracket with an 8-6 decision. Randall was so busy trying to fend off Armato’s constant attacks that he didn’t even know what the score was after it was over.
Needless to say, Randall’s victory opened the eyes of a lot of people around the Kansas wrestling community. He kept his perfect record intact and helped the Buffalos to a third place finish in what was a loaded tournament.
So, what do Osawatomie and Prairie View get from wrestling some of the best teams in the area? It is a pretty easy answer.
“It was a grind and the kids prepared themselves well,” Prairie View coach Walter Vandeventer said of the tournament. “They battled and banged as best they could. They were tough and physical and there were times where we were outmatched and I think that will get them ready for regionals and state.”
Osawatomie coach Jason Bloodgood couldn’t agree more.
“The reason why we have such a tough schedule is so that the kids can get ready for the competition they will see at regionals,” he said. “It doesn’t help us any to have an easy schedule because then the kids wouldn’t know what good competition is really like. Our kids have been getting better and better every week and a lot of that is the competition and hard work.”
Like their schedule, the Trojans and Buffalos will have one of the toughest regionals in Class 4A when they travel to Eudora on Feb. 15 and 16. But by then, both teams will be more than battle-tested.
Andy Brown can be reached at 755-4151 or andybrown@miconews.com
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The Trojans and the Buffalos got an up-close and personal look at the best teams in Missouri, and in some cases, the nation. Osawatomie hosted their tournament on Saturday and brought in two of the top teams in Missouri –– Blue Springs and Knob Noster –– and saw some elite wrestlers.
Add to that the Trojans brought good Kansas programs like Blue Valley West, Topeka Washburn-Rural and Olathe North, and against those top teams, they finished tied for second with Knob Noster. That is just one sign that the Osawatomie program will be one to be reckoned with at regional time.
As for Prairie View, the Buffalos went head-to-head with nationally ranked Oak Park High School out of Kansas City, Mo., on Saturday at the Baldwin Invitational. Oak Park has rosters loaded with state-ranked all-Americans and obviously won the tournament going away, but the Buffalos did make a little dent in their success.
Prairie View senior C.J. Randall outlasted Oak Park all-American Marcus Armato to take the title in the 171-pound bracket with an 8-6 decision. Randall was so busy trying to fend off Armato’s constant attacks that he didn’t even know what the score was after it was over.
Needless to say, Randall’s victory opened the eyes of a lot of people around the Kansas wrestling community. He kept his perfect record intact and helped the Buffalos to a third place finish in what was a loaded tournament.
So, what do Osawatomie and Prairie View get from wrestling some of the best teams in the area? It is a pretty easy answer.
“It was a grind and the kids prepared themselves well,” Prairie View coach Walter Vandeventer said of the tournament. “They battled and banged as best they could. They were tough and physical and there were times where we were outmatched and I think that will get them ready for regionals and state.”
Osawatomie coach Jason Bloodgood couldn’t agree more.
“The reason why we have such a tough schedule is so that the kids can get ready for the competition they will see at regionals,” he said. “It doesn’t help us any to have an easy schedule because then the kids wouldn’t know what good competition is really like. Our kids have been getting better and better every week and a lot of that is the competition and hard work.”
Like their schedule, the Trojans and Buffalos will have one of the toughest regionals in Class 4A when they travel to Eudora on Feb. 15 and 16. But by then, both teams will be more than battle-tested.
Andy Brown can be reached at 755-4151 or andybrown@miconews.com