HUMBOLDT — Here’s a bit of advice for wrestling fans keeping up with Humboldt High’s Andrew Watts on the mats this winter.
Don’t blink.
It took Watts a combined 68 seconds to cruise past all three of his opponents Saturday to handily win the Tri-Valley League championship in the 285-pound, heavyweight division.
Watts’s dominance is nothing new this season, head coach Kent Goodner noted. “I don’t think he’s had a match go into the second period,” Goodner said. “He’s done very well.”
While Watts was the only individual champion, the Cubs secured four other runner-up finishes in their respective weight classes to give the Humboldt boys second place overall, 10 points behind Eureka for the boys championship.
Not to be outdone, Humboldt’s Lady Cubs did their male counterparts one better, winning their TVL title in fine fashion.
It’s the best league mark ever for either gender for the nascent Humboldt wrestling program.
“I’m excited,” Goodner said. “To go from where we’ve come from to taking second in league says a lot about our program.”
Even better, Humboldt has only one senior on this year’s squad, with several younger wrestlers lacking only the experience to start bringing in some serious hardware.
WHILE WATTS was the star of the show, he was by no means Humboldt’s only bright spot.
River Kaufman overcame a tough start, in which he held a 5-4 lead after two periods against Caney Valley’s Drake Stapleton, only to see Stapleton get a key reversal and pin midway through the third round.
“I don’t think he was quite ready,” Goodner said. “He found himself in a bad position and got stuck. Just one little mistake can hurt you, but he was a standout for us in winning all of his other matches.”
Undaunted, Kaufman pinned his next three opponents in short order, including Wyatt Reust of Eureka in 1:17 to take second in the 220-pound class.
Likewise, Sam Hull was pinned in his opening match of the 145-pound division, then fought valiantly in the second round against Clifton Sinclair of Cherryvale, but was unable to score through the first two periods. The tide changed in a thrilling third period, in which Hull managed to wriggle free after starting the period from the bottom position, then steadily increase pressure on Sinclair until getting the pin.
“Sam came back and did a heck of a job,” Goodner said.
Hull’s victory earned him second in his division.
DAKOTA Slocum placed second at 170 pounds.
