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Email Story to a Friend February 19, 2006 Cody Clark is crowned champion as Tyrell Fortune of Parkrose walks off the mat in the 215-pound final of the Class 4A wrestling tournament on Saturday. Crater boasts three individual champs and fourth straight title By DON HUNT Mail Tribune SALEM — Cody Clark isn’t one to carry his emotions on his sleeve, but the Crater High wrestler was wearing an ear-to-ear grin at the Oregon State Fairgrounds Pavilion on Saturday night. And why not? The 215-pound Clark capped a brilliant career at Crater by winning an individual state championship and, in the process, helped the Comets to their fourth straight team title. "I wanted to end on a good note, and this is as good as it gets," said Clark, who posted a 6-1 victory over Parkrose sophomore Tyrell Fortune in the championship finals. Jon Bernhardt (145) and Charlie Alexander (275) joined Clark as individual champions, while Brock Gutches (103) and Jake Vizzini (125) finished as runners-up. Advertisement The powerhouse Comets led the tournament from the start and wound up with 196 points, 50 more than second-place Hermiston. Thurston was a distant third with 115.5 points, while Sprague snagged the fourth and final team trophy with 99.5 points. Rounding out the top 10 were Redmond (97.5), Eagle Point (94.5), Roseburg (93.5), Newberg (89), Crook County (86) and West Linn (83). The tournament was special to Clark not only because he went out with a title but also because it likely marked his last time in a wrestling singlet. Clark had his choice of landing a scholarship in wrestling or football. After considerable thought, he chose the latter and signed with Idaho State last month. "This tournament is bittersweet because I really do like wrestling," he said. "But I’ll always have the memories. Wrestling has been good to me. I’ve met a lot of friends, and the coaches have been awesome." A four-time state placer who took eighth, fifth and third the previous four years, Clark was no lock to beat Fortune, an athletic sophomore with great upper-body strength. But Clark steered clear of Fortune’s throws and registered takedowns in the first and second periods to grab a 4-0 lead. "I tried not to tie up with him — that’s when you get thrown," said Clark, who ran his season record to 44-1. "I just stayed low and wrestled him tough." Alexander, meanwhile, completed an unbeaten season (45-0) with a 9-3 win over North Medford rival Tim Endecott. "Having Clark and Alexander in our (practice) room the past four years has been fun," Crater coach Greg Haga said. "No matter how ticked off I’d get, those two could always get me to smile. "They’ve been leaders and role models, and we’re going to miss them." Bernhardt, another Comet senior, needed only two seconds to take down Centennial’s Jake Chezik and went on to a 6-4 win. Bernhardt’s title was a big upgrade from last year, when he finished sixth. "I did a lot more work in the room and lifted weights all summer to get stronger," said Bernhardt, who hiked his record to 42-3. "I wanted to make the most of my senior year." Roseburg’s Mitchell Lofstedt turned the tables on Gutches, beating the Crater freshman 4-2 after losing to him at the Southern Oregon Conference district meet, while Vizzini suffered a 13-6 loss to Jefferson standout Norman Richmond. Andrew Van Wey (119) and Tyler Weathers (130) chipped in fourth-place finishes for Crater, while Adam Lindgren (14) and Chris Robertson (215) placed seventh. Eagle Point’s Jake McCoy capped a dominant weekend with his first state title. McCoy rolled to a 9-1 win over Milwaukie’s Tim Patrick. In his earlier matches, McCoy had a fall, a technical fall and a 9-1 win. The state title was vindication for McCoy’s experience at district when he lost a match for slamming an opponent. He had to fight through the consolation bracket at district to qualify for state. "I look at this win tonight as any other match, but it does feel good not to screw up," McCoy said. The Eagles’ Chris Platt, the No. 1 seed at 171, lost in the finals to No. 2 seed Colby Covington of Thurston, 3-2. Eagle Point was in favorable position to grab a state trophy after the first two days of the tournament, but the Eagles collapsed in the consolation rounds Saturday. For starters, 125-pound Randy Pershall failed to make weight, costing him an opportunity to finish as high as third place (he took sixth). Robbie Mannenbach (135) also settled for sixth after reaching the championship semifinals, while Brandon Price (160), Josh Smith (215) and Tyler Cam (275) each lost two matches Saturday and wound up eighth. Along with Endecott, North Medford had two other competitors excel. Jon Ulrey romped to a 14-1 win over Hood River Valley’s Leo Gonzalez in the 135-pound third-place match, while Ryan Folsom claimed fifth at 160. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations --> online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Entertainment Guide --> Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisement s