Wrestlers Take Five as Whitnall Wins Palmyra Tourney

In the final match of Saturday's last dual meet, 132-pound Troy McGee scored a second-period pin that earned his Whitnall Falcon wrestling team a come-from-behind 40-35 victory over Westosha Central and a second consecutive championship in the Panther Brawl, Palmyra-Eagle's invitational tournament.

"It was a nice day overall with a very exciting match at the end," said John Quinlan, who shares Falcon head coaching duties with Craig Austin, "and it was a total team win."

The team aspect involved not only the wrestlers that won, but also the effort of those who didn't. Both Whitnall and Westosha had seven wins in the final meet, but Whitnall's were worth more team points. "Our guys that won picked up extra team points with pins and major decisions, and our guys that lost saved us points by not getting pinned," Quinlan said.

Freshmen Dylan Kellner and Blake Leslie were two of the point-savers that Quinlan had in mind. Both were dominated throughout their matches with opponents who were more experienced (including two-time state qualifier Tim Cho), but neither allowed himself to be pinned. The points they avoided giving up accounted for most of the margin of victory.

Whitnall opened the finals giving away a strategic forfeit to enable key wrestlers to move up in weight classes, resulting in generally advantageous matchups for the Falcons. The plan went according to script until Alex Sterling, leading 5-2 at 220 pounds, fell victim to an upset pin, setting the stage for the comeback.

Westosha Central, also the Falcons, also finished runner-up to Whitnall in last year's Panther Brawl.

The rest of the day's events were completely dominated by Whitnall, as the Falcons beat Catholic Central 66-16, Lake Mills 66-9, Union Grove 48-19, and Kenosha Tremper's 'B' team, 67-3.

Five Whitnall wrestlers went undefeated in the tourney's five matches: Anthony Senthavisouk, Troy McGee, John McGee, Evan Olson and Mason Howard, whose record now stands at 30-2. Joe Price and Amol Mody were both 4-1 for the day. It was Mody's first complete tournament at the varsity level, his coach noted.

Mody, Zach Barnhart and John Smith were among several wrestlers pressed into service to replace starters recovering from injuries. Both Peter Moore and Zach Price were injured in practice but are expected to return in the coming week; Sam Howard, hampered by a leg injury, wrestled only in the final match of the day, winning by major decision.

Shreveport Success

The Falcons ended 2011 with a strong showing against some of the country's better teams in an invitational tournament at Shreveport, LA, after Christmas. Whitnall finished fourth among the 28 teams that included some outstanding competitors from Louisiana, Arkansas, Texas, Missouri and Oklahoma.

Whitnall's six wins in the two-day event included a perfect 84-0 score over Lakeside High School from Sibley, LA. One of the team's three losses was at the hands of Kearney, MO, ranked among the nation's best and boasting five high school All-Americans.

In the tournament's final meet, with third place at stake, the Falcons lost a 2-1 decision that earned opponent Westmoor, OK, a 35-32 team victory. Had the last match ended in Whitnall's favor, the team score would have been reversed and the Falcons would have finished on the podium. Westmoor has won its district tournament in 16 of the last 20 seasons.

Anthony Senthavisouk was unbeaten in nine matches at the tournament. Mason Howard had eight wins and a single loss. Turning in 6-3 cards were Blake Leslie, Sam Howard, Alex Sterling, Troy McGee, John McGee and Evan Olson.

"Everybody that went picked up wins," Quinlan said. "It was definitely a great experience, and a good opportunity for team bonding." Beyond the competitive aspect, the team enjoyed Cajun food, Tennessee barbecue and the Music City Bowl in Nashville.

Return to Woodland Conference

The Falcon 14 face combined forces from larger schools in two Woodland Conference matches this week. Wednesday at 7:00, Whitnall hosts New Berlin, comprised of wrestlers from Eisenhower and West High Schools. Friday at 6:00 in Whitnall's old gym, the visitors will be the combined team from Wauwatosa East and West High Schools.