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Regional Preview

103 - Brandon Ashley wins his second straight district title with a comanding victory over Tallon Cerna. If Thompson, DeLeon, Cerna and Ashley are the top four wrestlers in the state, then Brandon has just taken the first step to a state title this year. He has a season record of 4-2 against those four wrestlers. He will probably face DeLeon in the semi's for what will be another memorable match. Unless Nick Ruff upsets Thompson or Cerna, Brandon will face one of them in the final, if he can make it past DeLeon yet again.

Ryan Corke stunned Mendez in the second round, beating Jose 2-1. Mendez came back latter in the tournament to beat Ryan, but the damage had already been done. Ryan needed to upset someone to advance and that is just what he did. This shows just what Ryan is capable of. He will need a few of these type of upset matches at regionals to advance to state. His first match will be against North champion Chris Smith, whom he defeated 3-2 at the Best of the West duals. A first round upset? Don't be surprised if it happens.

Ryan Burns wrestled well on the second day of the district tournament and secured a spot at regionals. He will need to turn it up another notch to advance to state. He is completely capable of wrestling better as he showed against Mark Ouradnik at the Best of the West duals. He defeated Ouradnik in OT to help the team to a 35-30 win. Ryan will need performances like that one to grab a state spot.

Junior wrestled his heart out against Pruneda, but still came up on the short end. Leading 15-14 late in the third round, Junior let Pruneda escape and then got caught in another Pruneda throw as time expired. Junior finds himself on the opposite side of the bracket from Lindquist and Pruneda at regionals, which could be a good thing. Dart's pin of Lindquist may have been a fluke, so the top contenders may be on the same side of the bracket. Reilly and Dart will be excellent competition however. Any lapse in concentration by Junior could keep it out of the state tournament. Junior does seem to find a way to win in those situations though.

Justin just plain abused David Rae in the finals of the South district. Rae must have landed on his head 6 times after throws by Justin. It looks like its going to be Corke - Ouradnik IV in the regional finals. Ouradnik holds a 2-1 edge, but Corke won the last time they met. Justin has the ability to beat anybody. He is just overpowering at times, leaving his opponents scratching their heads, wondering what just happened to them. Look for some high flying throws on his opponents at regionals.

I consider Josh Corke an untouchable in the CWAC regional tournament. A returning state champ with just one loss this season, Josh is set to defend his regional title. Willy Ives will probably be Josh's toughest test in this tournament. Just a warm-up for state though. The biggest thing Josh will have to fight at this tournament is boardem and carelessness.

Ryan Phipps had a great tournament and will be rewarded with a trip to regionals. Another great tournament is what he will need to continue on to state. He is capable of beating Magana and Torres, which he will probably need to do. Ryan seems to be getting better each week and may be peaking at just the right time. Mistake free, aggressive wrestling should be the plan for the day.

Justin Rolland must have put a scare into Juventino with 2 takedowns and just a 4 point deficit going into the third round. If Justin can put three quarters together like the first two he wrestled against Orozco, he should have no problem making it to state. He will have to do that in each match, no let up. Justin has pinning power and will need to use that to perform some upsets.

Josh Corriell is another untouchable for the Bears. Corriell has defeated Rodriguez, Rosenkranz, Niccum and Davis during the year. Davis kept it close losing just 4-0 at the Best of the West, though it was still a dominating performance by Josh. A determined Josh is what we have been seeing lately. It looks as if it is going to be impossible for anyone in the CWAC to even score on Josh. This is shaping up to be the year Josh adds his name to the growing list of Ki-Be state champs.

Hector is rounding into shape just in time for regionals. He could play a big part in this regional tournament. If Burkhart is not ready, or thinking that the first round is going to be easy, he may get a rude awakening. Hector is gaining confidence and with the confidence is coming agressiveness. He is initiating the action and making good on his scoring opportunities. His chances of advancing to state are looking better all the time.

Ross McDorman and Kevin Hunter are darkhorses in this weightclass. Both have won championships this year. They have both benefited from practicing with each other. And both could be making a trip to state. Standing in their way are Kyle Davis and Clinton Meacham. Hunter pinned Meacham and McDorman pinned Davis.

Kevin is seeking a trip to state in his final season, a goal that is very achievable. The road through regionals will be a rough one, but Kevin is a different wrestler this year and his desire to succeed is great. If he continues to wrestle as he has this year, he should get his shot at state.

Ross has been a nice fit for the Bears. Ross is aggresive and very intelligent in his attack. He trailed Davis in their match at district, but made him pay for a mistake with a pin. A trip to state is quite possible for Ross. Hopefully it will not come down to Kevin and Ross battleing for that trip to state.

The Bears send 12 wrestlers to state, including 5 champions and 2 runners-up. If all goes well, maybe the Bears could unseat Othello as the regional champs this year.