Far East wrestling
Edgren takes D-II dual meet championships
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YOKOSUKA NAVAL BASE, Japan – It’s rare that Robert D. Edgren gets a chance to wrestle people besides itself – three or four DODDS Japan in-season tournaments and some scrimmages with local Japanese teams.
So, whenever the Eagles can put together a strong veteran group such as their current crop, they take advantage of those opportunities and try to spin them into gold, which they did Thursday at Yokosuka’s Purdy Fitness Center.
Joel Loy (158 pounds), Cody Scherrer (129) and Matt Bernal (215) led the way with pins as the Eagles dethroned 2011 champion Zama American 40-20 in the dual-meet tournament final for a sweep of this year’s Far East High School Tournament Division II team titles.
“Great. It’s been a long three years,” said Scherrer, who along with Bernal and 135-pounder James Bowman has been with coach Justin Edmonds’ program at least three seasons. “It’s all about how you finish. And we did it as a team.”
With the victory, the Eagles avenged Zama’s 35-29 dual-meet finals victory over Edgren last year.
“You have to be patient enough to wait for the moment and when that moment comes, being not afraid to leap,” Bernal said.
Thursday’s final featured just five bouts contested on the mat, as Zama gave up six weight classes and Edgren three. Eric Otero (115) and tournament Outstanding Wrestler Chad Wilder (141) each had pins for the Trojans.
Meanwhile, St. Mary’s International’s five senior starters capped their own long run to glory, as the Titans edged Nile C. Kinnick 33-25 for a sweep of the Division I dual-meet and individual freestyle team titles.
Unlike Edgren’s one-sided romp over Zama, and unlike the Titans’ record 39-point runaway in Wednesday’s individual freestyle final, the D-I final came down to the last bout, as it did last year, with heavyweight Chidi Agbo providing the exclamation point with a pinfall victory.
“Our seniors accepted the responsibility to win the matches they needed to, to win their last matches ever,” coach Ian Harlow said. “Epic and beautiful. You can’t ask for a better end to a more epic season.”
Just five bouts were decided by pin in the final, two by St. Mary’s Jeff Koo at 168 and Brendan Hymas at 158 and two by Kinnick’s Brandon Yoder (122) and Zach Lacaria (148).
A superior-decision victory by Kinnick’s Aaron Stravers (180) tied it 25-25. The Titans’ Sean Ward (215) broke the tie with a close two-period decision over Ian O’Brien, then Agbo’s second-period pin over Daniel Costello finished it.
Kinnick raced ahead 15-3 as its first four wrestlers each won, three by decision. Former Far East gold medalist Soma Yoshida’s decision victory at 129 sparked the Titans’ comeback.
