Panthers have strong first showing

Posted: Nov 06, 2013

Brown and Hurford win championships

The Ellsworth Community College wrestling team participated in the Kaye Young Open at NIACC in Mason City on Saturday, Nov. 2. The Panthers did not compete with a full line-up due to illnesses and injuries but that did not impact the team's overall performance against several top junior college teams, including #2 ranked Lincoln College and #4 ranked NIACC.

Tournament champions for the Panthers were De'Shun Brown (Albuquerque, NM) at 125 lbs. and Matt Hurford (Culver, IN) at 184 lbs. Both wrestlers went through the tournament relatively untouched, giving up limited offensive scores. Brown completed the tournament with a 4-0 record, including a 6-3 victory in the finals over NAIA 7th-ranked Bo Bettinson of Waldorf College. Hurford finished with a 3-0 record, including a 3-1 decision in the finals over Dakota Downs of Lincoln College.

Also putting on impressive performances for the day were Sharod Wilson (Joliet, IL) at 197 lbs., who reached the finals on three victories before falling in close 11-8 decision. Mike Stewart (Dracut, MA) captured the most victories and pins for the Panthers, compiling a 6-1 record with three pins en route to a 3rd place finish. Stewart avenged his only loss with a 7-1 victory over Dillon Spates of Waldorf in the 3rd place match. Ritchie Guillaume (Miami, FL) at 165 lbs. also finished third with a 5-1 record and three pins, culminating with a fall in 1:54 in the 3rd place match over Tristin Luther of NIACC. Wrestling unattached at 133 lbs., Austen Schott fell in his first match before knocking off five victories en route to a 3rd place finish.

Overall, 10 Ellsworth wrestlers finished in the top six in their respective weight classes. These wrestlers included:

125 - De'Shun Brown (Unattached) – 1st

125 - Da'Wayne Robertson (Unattached) - 4th

133 - Austen Schott (Unattached) 3rd

141 - Mike Stewart – 3rd

157 - Anthony Cimorosi – 6th

165 - Ritchie Guillaume - 3rd

184 - Matt Hurford – 1st

184 - Edwin Wilson – 6th

197 - Marcus Smith – 4th

197 - Sharod Wilson – 2nd

The ECC wrestling team will compete Saturday, Nov. 9, at the Loras Open in Dubuque beginning at 9 am.