By Clay Horning
Norman North, as expected, claimed Tuesday night’s mat edition of the Crosstown Clash.
Yet, getting past the Tigers by the slim margin of 42-31, it might have been Norman High coach Bo Maynes who exited the NHS Gym with the bigger bounce in his step.
“I think it was very obvious that we fought hard,” Maynes said. “We had many people tell us that we fought hard tonight.”
Really, everybody fought pretty hard. There was a lot going on.
• North’s Daniel Moses and NHS’ Kyle Pasque offered one of the better bouts of the night. Moses won it 8-2, but that was more like a side note.
Both guys bled, Pasque from a stubborn head wound that required at least four stoppages and two different gauze wraps around his noggin.
A 171-pounder wrestling up as a result of the walkover North handed NHS at that weight, Pasque couldn’t quite match up with the bigger Moses’ strength.
Moses only led 1-0 until 10 seconds remained in the second period, when he finally took Pasque down.
Pasque didn’t like losing, but didn’t seem to mind the bloodletting.
“It’s the toughest sport,” he said.
But is it any fun when it’s that tough?
“I don’t care,” Pasque said. “I just go out and wrestle. I just try to leave it all out on the mat.”
• North forfeited at 103 pounds and 171 pounds. Those 12 points were meaningful, if only in the mind of a mathematician, because with them, after NHS 215-pounder Mac Myers pinned North’s Nick Gaines in 38 seconds, the Tigers were mathematically alive in the dual with only the heavyweights to go.
Of course, North heavyweight Colton Cline is one of the state’s best. NHS’ Michael Donaghe was clearly game, but clearly overmatched, so Cline got his pin and the dual belonged to the T-Wolves.
Still, North coach Jay Gibson remained particularly impressed with Gaines, who only recently came out for wrestling, even without his lasting a minute.
“We give credit to Nick Gaines for going out there. He didn’t back down,” Gibson said. “We gave him the opportunity to not go out there and he didn’t take it.’
• NHS’ Jake Jewell and North’s Wesley Ledesma provided the night’s most exciting bout at 152 pounds, with Jewell, cousin of former NHS standout Jack Jewell, taking an 8-5 decision.
Like the 189 bout, both guys bled, Jewell from his left forearm and his left knee and Ledesma from his nose.
Jewell led 5-1 before Ledesma made it 5-3 with a reversal. Jewell led 6-3 after Ledesma was penalized for an illegal hold, but only 6-5 after Ledesma took him down. A reversal from Jewell sealed the it in the final moments.
“It was a great show for the crowd,” Gibson said, “and not much for the coaches.”
Both grapplers seemed to know they’d been part of something pretty good.
“It was tough, that’s for sure,” Jewell said. “I don’t know what everybody thought about it, but it was so hard to get him on his back.”
Ledesma, who came to wrestling by way of tae kwan do and jujitsu, offered credit to his opponent.
“It’s not a good match if you don’t learn anything. It definitely helps (when it’s close),” he said. “I think I could have done better, but Jewell made it a good fight. All I can do is learn from it.”
Counting the forfeit at 171 pounds, Jewell’s decision was the beginning of four Tiger victories between 152 and 215.
Those were the bouts that allowed NHS to leave the gym with its chin up, even on a night the T-Wolves proved how tough they still are to beat.
Clay Horning
366-3526
cfhorning@normantranscript.com
