Highlighted by Dawson Chavez strong afternoon, the Barton Community College wrestling team concluded the 2022-2023 dual portion of the season Sunday afternoon at the Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference duals inside the Salina Fieldhouse, in Salina, KS.
Open at four weights throughout the event, the Cougars would drop all four duals on the day. Falling in the opener to Neosho County Community College 39-16, Barton would suffer a 39-12 results in the second match to Labette Community College, then falling by a score of 41-18 to Cowley College while concluding the day suffering a 55-0 result to 4th ranked Pratt Community College.
Chavez 157-division guided the Cougars on the afternoon turning in a 3-1 day on the mat. The sophomore secured two of his three victories with first period back flattening falls with his other win fortified by an open weight. Chavez lone defeat came in his final match of the day dropping a 10-7 decision to the 4th ranked Samajay Alboyd of Pratt.
Keondre Bonner 174-division mended together a 2-2 afternoon with both of his victories coming on falls against Neosho County and Labette.
Barton will get the week off to prepare for the 2023 NJCAA West-Central District Championships on Saturday, February 11th which will be held in Chanute on the campus of Neosho County.
vs Neosho
Despite being open at four weights, the Cougars would hold their own with the Panthers in spite of a 39-16 result, securing a trio of victories in the six actual contested matches in the dual. Stephen Baldwin 133-division got his lone victory of the day and second conference dual win of the season earning a clean 9-0 major decision over Jesse Hall. Chavez would record the first Barton fall of the day making short work of Maze Mickens in just 46 seconds. In the 174-division, Bonner solidified the final Cougar win in the dual needing just 1:51 with a back flattening over Trent Jones evening up his dual record to 2-2 on the season.
vs Labette
In the second dual of the day, Barton kept it closer than what the final outcome showed despite claiming two victories in the 10 classes. Three of the six wrestled matches would be decided by decisions with the Cougars falling on the wrong end of the three. Avery Wolf 125-division nearly scored an upset over 9th ranked Dalton Kivett dropping a tight 9-7 decision. Taking on 9th ranked Romelle Person-Williams in the 133-division, Baldwin kept it within grasp suffering a 8-1 decision. Freshman Zane Hennessey was the third Barton wrestler to come up just shy dropping his bout to Quinten Heady in a 6-1 decision result. Chavez manufactured the first of the two victories recording his second fall of the day over Elijah Collins needing just 2:39. Bonner would follow suit producing his second pin in as many matches needing just 1:15 over Tony Connor.
vs Cowley
A tightly contested dual through the opening half would see no team hold a lead by more than six points in addition to neither team winning more than two matches in a row. Two of Barton's three victories would come by fall with Wolf 125-division providing Barton its first dual lead on the day earning a 1:19 pin over Ayden Montez. Suffering back-to-back falls in the 133 and 141 classes, Hennessey 149-division knotted the match up at 12-12 securing his lone win of the day with a 2:28 fall over Chase Koehler. Chavez would give Barton its final lead of the dual 18-12, picking up his third victory of the day as the Tigers would be open at the 157-division.
vs #4 Pratt
Closing the day off against the KJCCCC Champions, 4th ranked Pratt would win all 10 matches in the dual with ranked wrestlers in seven of the 10 weight classes. Chavez lone blemish of the afternoon would come nearly pulling off an upset over 4th ranked Samajay Alboyd in a 10-7 decision.