Thunder repeat champions at Greyhound Classic

Maybe they will stop getting invited.For the second time in as many tries, the Rocklin High varsity wrestling team won the Greyhound Classic held in Healdsburg.After defeating five teams head-to-head to capture the tournament on Dec. 20, Rocklin has a 16-1 dual-meet record. The Thunder will wrestle in the Bulldog Classic in Turlock on Saturday starting at 9 a.m. Sierra Foothill League action picks up again on Tuesday when the Thunder hosts Roseville at 6 p.m.At the Greyhound Classic, Rocklin went 4-0 in pool competition but was challenged by Healdsburg. After winning their first two dual matches against St. Helena (72-7) and El Molino (74-3), the Thunder beat the tournament host on the center mat (41-27). Rocklin wrapped up pool competition by beating Archbishop Riordan of San Francisco (60-18).In the championship dual, the Thunder faced Ukiah, the sixth-ranked team in the North Coast Section, and won 40-28. Three of Rocklin?s best wrestlers, Spencer Christensen (125 pounds), Jesse Geurtin (145) and Joe Mortimer (152), all rebounded from individual losses to Healdsburg with impressive victories against Riordan. Christensen and Mortimer recorded first-period pins and Geurtin won by major decision 14-0. Jared Shillingburg (119) scored the most impressive win in the match, according to Rocklin head coach Bruce Pearson, winning 7-1 against Justin Dygert, who is ranked second in the NCS, to finish the tournament undefeated. Freshman Issac Lopez (103) and sophomore Robert Bennett (171) also went undefeated for Rocklin at the tournament.?We have battled the flu and injuries throughout the month of December. We have been in pressure packed championship matches, including the match with Woodcreek,? Pearson said. ?The guys have shown that they have courage and heart. They have really bonded and embraced the challenge of maintaining the winning tradition that they worked so hard to establish. They have no idea how proud I am of them.?The match against Healdsburg in pool competition was very interesting, as several of Rocklin?s big guns fell to North Coast Section-ranked wrestlers.Christensen suffered his only loss of the year against Andrew Rodgers (ranked third in the NCS at 130 pounds), 5-3. Geurtin faced fifth-ranked Aaron Fore, and Fore scored a two-point reversal at the final buzzer to win the match 10-8. Mortimer fell to fourth-ranked Joe Dennison, 9-5.Rocklin trailed 27-17 but Vince Kelly (160), Bennett (171), Brandon Overton (189) and A.J. McTaggart (275) each scored pins in the final four matches to give the Thunder the victory.Overton?s victory was especially impressive. He was behind 8-0 before escaping from his back and earning a pin. ?This was the first time all year that our big guns had been defeated in the same meet, and I was ecstatic with the way our heavyweights stepped up and shouldered the responsibility of getting the win,? Pearson said. ?It was a total team effort.?Junior VarsityLike the varsity, the junior varsity also successfully defended its title in Healdsburg.Of the 14 weight classes, 11 Thunder wrestlers made it into the championship finals. Eight of the wrestlers brought home gold medals. Tyler Stauts (119), Jordan Shillingburg (125), Clint Vannasing (135), Dustin Amrein (145), Kevin Reynolds (152), Mike Chavez (160), Brian Rush (189), and Paul Ryan (275) all won individual gold at a tournament for the first time. The coaches were especially proud of Rush and Ryan. Rush is competing after missing all of last year with a knee injury from football (Russ ? Do you mean all of this past season, or all of the 2002 season). Ryan was nursing an injured shoulder and almost did not wrestle at all. Earning silver medals were C.J. Stewart (103), Matt Bradley (171) and Allen Samuel-Smith (215). ?With a JV squad this tough, our future looks very bright,? Pearson said.