C-M wrestlers get some help for title

Years from now, when the 1999 Cimarron-Memorial wrestlers pull out their team photos from Saturday's state championships in Elko, they'll probably notice a stranger in their midst.

It shouldn't take them long to identify him, though, since that "stranger" put the finishing touches on the Spartans' first Nevada state title.

By winning the 275-pound final -- the day's final match -- against Churchill County's Jim Thime, junior Johnny Hall from tiny Owyhee High School preserved Cimarron's dramatic three-point win over Thime's Churchill squad.

"All these people I didn't know were cheering for me, and I wasn't sure why," said Hall, one of 182 students at 1A school Owyhee. "They came over and told me what had happened and asked if I'd be in some photos."

After finishing second in the state the past two years, the Spartans were in grave danger of doing so again late Saturday.

Cimarron held a precarious 139-130 lead over the second-place Greenwave with only the 189-, 215- and 275-pound finals remaining. Unfortunately for the Spartans, Churchill had a wrestler in each of the three matches, while the locals had none.

"I was thinking, 'Here we go again,' " Cimarron coach Tim Jeffries said. "We knew anything could have happened in any of the three, but we didn't feel good about any of them."

In the first, Mojave junior Willie Ealy stunned Churchill's Matt Lewis, posting a 1-0 decision for the 189-pound title. The victory marked the first wrestling championship for a Rattler.

The second match brought the Spartans to the brink of defeat, as the Greenwave's Harvey Dahl pinned Green Valley's Tim Hutchinson to give his club six points.

Cimarron's lead now stood at a mere three points, meaning any type of win by Thime would seal it for Churchill.

"We were chewing our nails, obviously," Jeffries said. "We had no control. We were laying all our hopes on a heavyweight from Owyhee, Nevada."

And that heavyweight came through in grand style. Despite being thrown on his back twice, Hall fought back to pin Thime midway through the third period, sending the Spartans into a frenzy.

"It was pandemonium," Jeffries said. "The whole place was quiet except for the Cimarron corner."

Of course, Hall's heroics would have meant little to the Spartans had it not been for outstanding performances from several of Jeffries' charges.

Three Cimarron wrestlers captured individual state titles -- junior Chris Harris (135), sophomore Rayes Gonzales (140) and senior Kendall Thacker (171) -- while Bud Nollet wound up second at 112 pounds.

Thacker finished his high school career with three straight state titles, a feat Harris will try to match next year after winning two in a row. Gonzales was named the event's Most Outstanding Wrestler.

The Spartans also got strong contributions from several others, including 152-pound Mason Allred, who battled back after losing his opener to win five in a row and capture third place.

Cimarron's Josh Fitzgerald also scored key points for the victors, winning four of five consolation matches to finish fifth at 130 pounds.

GAELS OVERCOME ODDS: After playing the majority of the regular season without six injured starters, Bishop Gorman's girls soccer team wasn't the popular pick to win this year's 4A Southern Zone title when the playoffs began last week.

After toppling favorites Green Valley, Durango and Bonanza in succession, however, the Gaels silenced their doubters and walked away with their fourth championship trophy in five years.

"Everybody counted us out, but I told the girls that I believed in them," Gorman coach Victor Arbelaez said. "I thought we had a lot of heart."

The Gaels finished their championship run with a thrilling 1-0 win over Bonanza Saturday, with junior Jacqueline Cartwright scoring the lone goal with less than two minutes remaining.

ALL-CONFERENCE SOCCER: Valley goalie Annie Schlosser and Cimarron-Memorial defender Mariel Chandler were named the Southern Zone's Co-Players of the Year after both helped their squads into the playoffs. Valley's Gina Howard and Cimarron's Dan Bittman received Co-Coach of the Year honors. For a complete list of honorees, see page 6D.

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