The Emporia Gazette

February 13, 2012

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HUTCHINSON -- After getting shut out of the finals a year ago, Emporia High advanced three wrestlers to the State championship bouts of their respective weight classes Friday at the Class 5A State wrestling tourament.

Sal Tovar at 125 pounds, Mark Kolmer at 189 pounds and Josh Rodriguez at 285 pounds each won their semifinal matches to claim a spot in Saturday night's championship rounds.

Tovar defeated Arkansas City's Aaron Hoag by a 9-7 decision in overtime, Kolmer beat Liberal's Nate Davis by a 16-0 technical fall and Rodriguez squeezed out a 3-2, seven-period decision over Harmon's Nick Langford.

Each Spartan wrestler will face an undefeated opponent in the finals. Tovar will wrestle Bishop Carroll's John Keller (35-0), Kolmer will face Hutchinson's Romero Cotton (40-0) and Rodriguez will square off against Shawnee Heights' Atticus Disney(33-0). The title bouts are set to begin at approximately 6:30 p.m. Saturday.

Two other Spartans lost in the championship semifinals.

* At 119 pounds, Justin Rose lost to Valley Center's Chase Nitcher by an 8-6 decision, dropping Rose to the consolation bracket.

* At 135 pounds, Tavo Dikin lost to Valley Center's Cade Blair by an 8-1 decision, dropping Dikin to the consolation bracket.

In the first round of the consolation bracket, Zeb Peak pinned Lansing's Tyler Terron (3:09), Logan Gaskill lost a 5-3 decision St. Thomas Aquinas' Pat Korte and Ryan Bass lost a 7-6 overtime decision to Lansing's Tyler Strouhal.

Jared Dakin, Justin Rose, Tavo Dikin and Zeb Peak are still in the running to make the third-place match, as all four will compete in Saturday's consolation bracket. Gaskill and Bass are done for the tournament.

As a team, EHS is in third place with 87.5 points. Bishop Carroll leads the team standings with 154.5 points and Arkansas City is second with 96.5.

The tournament resumes at 9 a.m. Saturday.

Check back on Saturday for live updates throughout the day, and don't forget to check out Saturday's Gazette for complete coverage -- including photos -- from all of Friday's action.

In earlier championship quarterfinal action:

* At 112 pounds, Jared Dakin lost by a 5-2 decision to Salina South's Steve Plott, dropping Dakin to the consolation bracket.

* At 119 pounds, Justin Rose pinned Topeka West's Austin Lorson, :18.

* At 125 pounds, Sal Tovar defeated St. Thomas Aquinas' Connor McCarthy by a 2-1 decision.

* At 135 pounds, Tavo Dikin defeated Shawnee Heights' Joe Newberry by a 6-2 decision.

* At 189 pounds, Mark Kolmer pinned Great Bend's Aron Elsen, 5:24.

* At 285 pounds, Josh Rodriguez defeated Seaman's Dwayne Lee by a 12-6 decision.

First-round results are as follows:.

* At 112 pounds, Jared Dakin pinned Highland Park's Isiah Keith, 1:40.

* At 119 pounds, Justin Rose pinned Salina South's Kasey Lien, 2:49.

* At 125 pounds, Sal Tovar defeated Liberal's Pablo Avila by an 8-2 decision.

* At 135 pounds, Tavo Dikin defeated Gardner-Edgerton's Jacob Ingram by a 10-0 major decision.

* At 140 pounds, Zeb Peak lost by technical fall to St. Thomas Aquinas' Phillip Henes, 17-1, dropping Peak to the consolation bracket.

* At 152 pounds, Logan Gaskill was pinned by Lansing's Nick Flynn, 4:48, dropping Gaskill to the consolation bracket.

* At 189 pounds, Mark Kolmer pinned St. Thomas Aquinas' Matt Coombs, 2:43.

* At 215 pounds, Ryan Bass was pinned by Liberal's Joe Bach, 3:14, dropping Bass to the consolation bracket.

* At 285 pounds, Josh Rodriguez pinned Hays' Dakota Smith, 1:20