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Huntley takes the title GREAT FALLS, Mont. - Two years ago, Chris Huntley made the biggest sacrifice a wrestler could make when he agreed to redshirt a season at the request of Southern Oregon University head coach Mike Ritchey. Huntley spent that 2001 campaign roughing up SOU's John Sills, then could only watch in amazement as Sills stormed through the 165-pound division for an NAIA championship. Given his time in the spotlight this season, Huntley capped an outstanding senior campaign Saturday by making SOU history in three ways at the NAIA Wrestling Championships. The top-ranked 165-pounder eked out a 5-4 decision over No. 2 draw Johnny Galloway of Lindenwood, Mo., to become the school's 20th national individual champion, and he tied an 18-year-old school record in the process by winning his 16th consecutive bout. In addition, the business major from Coquille became SOU's first two-time recipient of NAIA Academic Scholar-Athlete honors as a result of maintaining over a 3.50 grade point average. "It's awesome for Chris Huntley to finish the way he did considering all he's sacrificed for us along the way," Ritchey said of the now two-time All-American. "It was a heckuva performance by him in the finals against a really tough kid. He did a great job of wrestling smart. He was probably over his head on talent, but he won on spirit and hard work. He just wanted it more than the other kid." Huntley, who placed fourth last year, helped SOU place fifth among 20 teams with 112.5 team points (27 behind team champion Missouri Valley and 15 off the pace of fourth-place Menlo, Calif.), the school's 15th top-five national showing over the past 22 years. "We finished a solid fifth," said Ritchey. "It's always kind of a rotation between those five teams. "It wasn't how we wanted to finish, but we'll take it and build for the future. We weren't creating our own luck this weekend, and that's something we need to do a little bit better next year." Galloway, a former top recruit to the University of Oklahoma, wasted little time putting Huntley in a bind after being awarded a stall point and then gaining a takedown. Down 3-0 after the first period, Huntley broke free from Galloway's grasp 32 seconds into the period and scored a takedown moments later to make it 3-all. Galloway earned an escape to make it 4-3, but with 30 seconds to go in the final period Huntley scored another takedown and then held on to seal the championship. In other Raider action, top-ranked junior heavyweight Mike Whitehead of Central Point avenged a 3-2 regional tournament finale loss to third-ranked junior teammate Wes Balensifer with a 4-2 decision in Saturday's consolation semifinals, and the former Crater High star defeated Menlo's Ben Flores 2-0 for his second consecutive All-American third-place national finish. Junior Colin Murphy (fourth at 141), senior Oscar Frias (fifth at 141), Balensifer (fifth at 285) and senior Nolan Harris (sixth at 133) also received All-American kudos for SOU. Murphy was pinned by Lindenwood's Kentral Galloway in the quarterfinals of the championship bracket, but bounced back with three consolation victories. His 9-3 decision over Frias in the consolation semis earned him a rematch with Galloway, but he was pinned again - this time in 3:37. Frias went on to earn a 5-2 decision over Jason Lozier in the fifth-sixth-place match. Harris dropped a 7-3 decision to Lindenwood's Brant Bruner in the quarterfinals of the championship bracket, then won two of four consolation bouts. He defeated teammate Jordan Ottow 3-1 in the consolation quarterfinals, then fell 8-2 to Andy Medders of Cumberland College in the semis. Harris finished the event with a technical fall loss to MSUN's Caleb Schaeffer in the fifth-sixth match. Harris' decision over Ottow dropped his teammate into the seventh-place match, where Ottow lost a 6-4 decision to Dave Pogge of Briar Cliff and had to settle for eighth place. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -