In what head coach Brook Medrano called “a very good showing,” the Pratt Community College wrestling team came home with three All-Americans from the NJCAA National Wrestling Tournament held last weekend in Des Moines, Iowa.
Sophomore Ralph Major and freshmen Jesse Barber and Ramon Willis earned All-American honors for their top-eight placings, while four other Beavers competed.
“I am a very proud coach,” Medrano said. “These young men represented Pratt Community College very well.”
Major, a sophomore from Key West, Fla., had the highest finish for PCC as he placed fifth at 184 pounds.
Major won his first two matches, pinning North Iowa Area Community College’s Richard Dawson in the opening round and picking up a 10-6 decision over Ellsworth’s Vinnie Campanille in the second.
Major then lost to eventual runner-up Celic Bell of North Idaho in the quarterfinals.
That dropped him into the consolation bracket, and Major responded by winning two straight matches to assure himself of All-America honors.
Major pinned Kaylen Hamlett of Iowa Lakes, then edged Northwest Wyoming’s Jarrett Baker in a 6-4 decision.
That put him in the consolation semifinals, where he lost a close (4-3 decision) match to Labette’s Derek Thompson. Major then nipped Harper’s Arber Bebo 3-2 in the fifth place match.
Barber, a 125-pound freshman from Dodge City, went 3-3 and placed eighth.
He lost his opener 3-2 to Ricardo Gomez of Nassau, but reeled off three straight wins to secure his spot as an All-American.
Barber pinned Ridgewater’s Nate Friederich, then decisioned Waubonsee’s Nick Moreira and got past Mike Berardesco of Iowa Lakes 12-4 before losing two straight matches to end up in eighth.
PCC freshman Ramon Willis, a Lawton, Okla., product competing at 141 pounds, also finished eighth with a 3-3 record.
Willis started off hot, beating Jovan Highbaugh of Muskegon 6-0 and Springfield Tech’s Tyler Wong 8-4, before dropping to the consolation bracket after a 7-4 loss to Anthony Weerheim of Clackamas.
Willis defeated DaMonte Riley of Lincoln, then lost two straight to finish eighth.
PCC’s Travis Budke went 3-2 and was one win from being an All-American while Tyler Downs, Alex Feldkamp and Chris Wright also competed for PCC.
NJCAA National Wrestling Tournament
Pratt Results
125 — Jesse Barber lost to Ricardo Gomez, Nassau, by 3-2 decision; def. Nate Friederich, Ridgewater, by fall; def. Nick Moreira, Waubonsee, by 3-0 decision; def. Mike Berardesco, Iowa Lakes by 12-4 major decision; lost to Eduardo Dominguez, Harper, by 8-6 decision; lost to Justin Purves, Highline, by 7-0 decision.
141 — Ramon Willis def. Jovan Highbaugh, Muskegon, by 6-0 decision; def. Tyler Wong, Springfield Tech, by 8-4 decision; lost to Anthony Weerheim, Clackamas, by 7-4 decision; def. DaMonte Riley, Lincoln, by 8-4 decision; lost to Kodie Silvestri, Nassau, by 12-0 major decision; lost to Brock Coutu, North Iowa Area CC, by fall.
149 — Chris Wright def. Jack Calvert, Yakima, by 9-1 major decision; lost to Seth Horner, Meramec, by 17-3 major decision; lost to Kyle Bozeman, Ellsworth, by 14-6 major decision.
165 — Travis Budke lost to Isaiah Tatum, North Iowa Area CC, by 10-4 decision; def. Paul Ciaramella, North Idaho, by fall; def. Kafuba Donzon, Darton, by fall; lost to Tony Mack, Mercyhurst, by 14-13 decision.
174 — Alex Feldkamp lost to Tony Lisek, Jamestown, by 6-5 decision; def. Bruce Babcock, Itasca, by 5-3 decision; lost to Nick Peterson, Northwest Wyoming, by 5-1 decision.
184 — Ralph Major def. Richard Dawson, North Iowa Area, by fall; def. Vinnie Campanille, Ellsworth, by 10-6 decision; lost to Celic Bell, North Idaho, by fall; def. Kaylen Hamlett, Iowa Lakes, by fall; def. Jarrett Baker, Northwest Wyoming, by 6-4 decision; lost to Derek Thompson, Labette, by 4-3 decision; def. Arber Bebo, Harper, by 3-2 decision.
197 — Tyler Downs lost to Tim Hester, Southwest Oregon, by fall; lost to Mike Lukowski, Harper, by 5-4 decision.
