Once you've watched your son wrestle; everything else is easy
It's hard to describe this past weekâ ¦.but it was a whirlwind of excitement and emotions beginning with the realization that Sedgwick County would be represented at Colorado's 74th Annual State Wrestling Championship with four Regional Champions, 100% of the qualified state team. No other school participating in the competition could boast the same achievement. Wiggins qualified 9 wrestlers with 3 regional champions, and Merino qualified 8 wrestlers with 1 regional champion. Our close friends Holyoke qualified 6 with 3 regional champions, while Fleming qualified 3 wrestlers.
Sedgwick County was able to capture 10th place among more than 50 2A teams with 72.5 points. They finished ahead of Akron who brought 9 wrestlers, and Wray who traveled to state with 8. Akron and Wray earned 49 points each while Merino finished with 44 points. While to some, 10th place isn't a great finish, you must realize it was accomplished with only four amazing athletes and their two coaches.
Although Seniors Reed Jablonski, Trevor Herrick and Cody Rober fell short of their dreams for a State Championship in their final year of high school, they each brought home hardware and moreâ ¦ the have the hearts of true champions. Sedgwick County be proud of these fine young men.
Wrestling is a tough sport. There is no one to fall back onâ ¦no one to cover for a missed tackleâ ¦no one to rebound after a missed basket. It's just two wrestlers on one mat.
The camaraderie between wrestlers and their teams and families is like no other sport. Uncommon rivalries are formed. They are foes on the mat; and best of friends off. They stand on the sides and cheer for you.
As for Blayne's accomplishments during the tournament, we were overwhelmed with the outpour of support from family and friends. I can't tell you how many phone calls or text messages that were received. While there were many supporters in Denver with us, the rest of you were with him in spirit. We knew you were listening on the radio and with each win, there were a slew of messages. I thank each one of you.
It's a memory that Blayne will never forget. I don't think his feet have hit the ground yet. I have to laugh. While I know his head has been in the cloudsâ ¦the Durango Herald had this to say about Blayne's final match against Ignacio's Josh Plehinger:
Plehinger was matched against the very tall Blayne Richards of Sedgwick County, who stands nearly 6-3 as a 130-pound wrestlerâ ¦ He used his extreme length to garner the only points of the first period on a takedownâ ¦ "Josh had a tremendous tournament," Ignacio assistant coach Daven Reinhardt said. "That was just a tough kid ... the tallest kid Josh has ever wrestled."â ¦ Reinhardt said that Richards' reach allowed him to keep Plehinger away from his arms and legs.
With each of Blayne's wins, he must have grown a bit tallerâ ¦the last time we measured he was only 6 foot.
Blayne will miss Trevor, Reed and Cody as they graduate. The four of them have wrestled together since Blayne started in 7th grade. He wouldn't have made it so far without them.
Special thanks are also extended to Coaches Todd Harrington and Brandon Marquez, along with former Coach Alan Harris who believed in Blayne and knew he had it in him to see his dream come true.
Congratulations sonâ ¦we are all proud of you.
Added note: Blayne began working out last fall with a new pair of shoes he received for his birthday. They are the same as those worn by wrestlers in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Today they are past the state of "well-worn"â ¦the mesh sides are blown outâ ¦and they have an aroma all their own. But Blayne made a deal some time back with Tyce Marquezâ ¦Blayne promised to pass them on to Tyce after winning Stateâ ¦and Tyce will wear them once during his high school wrestling career. Good luck Tyce.
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