Belton Wrestling wins first conference duel
Tanner Jones, Sports Co-Editor
January 20, 2010
Filed under Sports, Wrestling
The Belton wrestling team competed Jan. 12 in their first duel since the Kearney and Ray-Pec meet back in early December. This was also their first conference duel in almost a month since Fort Osage and Lee’s Summit West were canceled due to snow and lack of school.
The team began their conference season off with a bang by nearly shutting out North Kansas City. Only three Pirate wrestlers lost out of the varsity line up and many stepped up, pulling off unexpected wins and some even earning their first win of the season. It was attitude like this that caused the Pirates to beat the North Kansas City Hornets 54-13.
The crowd was intense at the start of the match, but soon it faded when it was clear that the Pirates held the duel with a demanding lead. Yet, at the beginning the fire was burning, especially during the match of Kendrick King. King stepped up from JV for this duel and pulled off a close victory. King quickly took his opponent down a few times and gained a lead, but almost lost when his opponent turned him onto his back. King fought almost 30 seconds until the period ended and he went on to defeat his opponent.
King was also filling in for the recently injured 171 pound wrestler and captain, Deric Fenzl. Fenzl was forced to undergo spine surgery over Christmas where he is now recovering. Although he can’t compete, he encourages and helps coach the other wrestlers.
Wrestlers were told to get a pin, which earns them the most points. Although a win is what really matters, getting a pin earns the team the most points, which can make a big difference in the outcome. The team got pumped and did as they were told giving it their all, resulting in almost half of the team’s victories coming in as a pin.
The team’s biggest obstacle in their schedule will be Fort Osage, although the Pirates beat Fort Osage in 07-08 for a conference title in a duel that came down to the last match.
The wrestling team’s next event is held in Branson in the annual invitational. After a three hour drive the team will stay the night and have one day to make a statement in the tournament.
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