Wildcats' wrestlers keep title

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By MITCHELL STINSON

Courier & Press correspondent

Tuesday, December 30, 2008

 

Holding off a hard-charging team of Kentuckians on Tuesday, the Mater Dei Wildcats won their Holiday Wrestling Classic. This one came with plenty of drama, as Louisville Trinity made a title bid before falling 12 points short.

 

Taking four individual crowns, Mater Dei clinched the title with a total of 201 points.

 

"A lot of good teams came here and we didn't know what to expect from everyone," said Wildcats coach Greg Schaefer. "All in all, I'm happy with the way they battled through... But we're not where we want to be. It's a good win for us but we've got to strive to continue to get better."

 

In a nip-and-tuck battle with the boys from the Bluegrass state, no match was more important than the Mater Dei-Louisville Trinity title tilt at 145 pounds. After some early momentum shifts, Zeke Zenthoefer took control of that one and delivered a 9-3 Wildcats victory.

 

"Zeke's win over Trinity was obviously big because that's a 12-point swing," Schaefer said.

 

Also taking individual titles for Mater Dei were Zach Henderson at 125 pounds, John Sims at 140 and John Kercher at 215. Each grappler won by one point in his respective championship match.

 

The Shamrocks didn't seem overly disappointed by the close-but-no-cigar outcome. With three individual crowns and Brad Hitchings' Outstanding Wrestler award, there were plenty of bright spots to savor. The program had never finished higher than sixth in any previous Mater Dei Classic.

 

This time around, team Trinity believed it had a chance to go all the way.

 

"We've got a strong group of kids this year," said Shamrocks coach Richard Brown. "But we just (recently) got our football players out after winning a state title."

 

Brown's bunch was also hindered by the absence of a wrestler who failed to make weight. So if everything goes to plan, Trinity should only get better as the season progresses. That's what Mater Dei is shooting for, too.

 

Rounding out the tournament's top 10 were Franklin Community (170), Union County (142), Avon (134), Evansville Memorial (123), Louisville St. Xavier (100.50), Floyd Central (88.50), Tell City (88) and North Posey (80). Avon produced three individual champions, Union County had two and Memorial's Dan Borkowski took the 285-pound title.