Gsl Wrestlers Shine At Classic Ten Advance To Today’s Semifinals

Two extremes produced the same results for a pair of Greater Spokane League wrestlers on Friday.

Ferris senior Ryan Ellis wasn’t impressed in the least with his performance.

But then there was University junior Conor Jordan reporting, “That’s the best I have wrestled in my life.”

Ellis and Jordan are among the 10 GSL wrestlers to reach the semifinals of the State 4A tournament at Mat Classic X in the Tacoma Dome.

The GSL brought 31 wrestlers. Only 12 are out, two at the hands of a league rival, and just four failed to win a match.

Ellis, at 122 pounds, started by pinning Dan Tibbles of Roosevelt in 4:42 and was still disappointed.

“For some reason I have to wrestle (terribly) my first match of a tournament,” he said. “I pick it up from there.”

He faced Aaron Wagner of defending team champion Evergreen in the second round and won 8-6.

“That kid’s tough,” Ellis said. “I picked it up and felt better in the next match. He’s only a sophomore, he’s going to be good. I let him get a reversal, then I realized I wasn’t wrestling as well as I should be. I shouldn’t have even let him get the reversal.”

Jordan finally made his debut at state after competing at weights where the four wrestlers who finished ahead of him in the regional reached the state semifinals. He was doomed to watch from the stands as his cousins Kevin, Dusty and Andy Roberts won six state titles between them from 1991 through 1997.

“The coaches say I am wrestling better right now than any of the Roberts, as far as getting the most out of my ability,” Jordan said. “There’s pressure (being related to the Roberts). I don’t know if I’ll ever be as good as the Roberts; I see their name every day (on the wall of the practice room). It’s a goal. I’m working hard at it.”

He has his work cut out for him, facing unbeaten Ravil Muhamedieve of Sehome in the semifinals.

Jordan opened with an 11-2 decision over Jacob Tester of North Kitsap and changed directions to beat Eugene Zaragoza of South Kitsap 15-4.

“At the beginning of the year when I wrestled (assistant) coach Kelly Kiki in practice I couldn’t beat him,” Jordan said. “Now I’m taking him down and putting him on his back.”

Central Valley and Gonzaga Prep, the two teams with a shot at the team title, put three of their seven wrestlers in the semifinals and have two more in the consolation bracket.

Both are in the team race. CV is third with 39.5 points, Prep next at 35. Tahoma leads Evergreen 50-46.5. The top two teams have four semifinalists and two other wrestlers alive in the consolation bracket.

CV and Prep both have semifinalists who lived up to pre-meet expectations of being called “untouchables” by the Tacoma newspaper.

“I feel good,” Prep’s 168-pound sophomore Travis Pascoe said. “Everything is going the way I want it to.”

Pascoe’s wins were 21-8 and 24-9. Joining him in the semifinals are Chris Montgomery at 115 and Sean Malone at 135.

Shane Cunanan, a three-time placer for CV, reached the semifinals with a pin and 13-3 decision to run his record to 33-1.

“I feel good out there,” he said. “It’s nice to (be called untouchable), but I try to keep it out of my head. It doesn’t matter.”

His teammates in the semifinals are John Reese at 122 and Courtney Brown at 168.

Other semifinalists are Tommy Owen of U-Hi at 101 and David Sandberg of North Central at 190.

Prep’s Montgomery had the toughest time, winning 9-8 and 3-1.

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 3 photos (2 color)