Post by CoachB on Mar 23, 2007 19:12:16 GMT -5
Bassett wins first wrestling title in 18 years
03-15-2007
It was an emotional moment on the floor of The Palace of Auburn Hills, especially for Onaway wrestling coach Mark Grant.
After years of hard work, which started back in third grade, senior Steve Bassett won the school’s first individual state wrestling championship since 1989. With a narrow 8-7 decision against Taylor Smith of Hudson in the title match, Bassett ran off the mat into the waiting arms of his head coach, who lifted his 103-pound wrestler off the ground.
It was the type of hug which only could follow a major sports achievement. It seemed to last forever – Bassett burying his face into the neck of his coach.
FOURTEEN WRESTLERS from four divisions were crowned state title holders Saturday and most wrestlers wait on the floor of the arena for the medal ceremony, which would have been at the conclusion of wrestling for the 112-pound weight class.
In the moments following his match, Bassett could not be found. He ran off the floor of the arena, through the hallway underneath the stands, and up into the seating area to share the special moment with his family. “They have always been there for me,” said Bassett.
Grant could not contain his emotions when asked what it was like to watch the finals seconds go off the clock. “I can’t explain it. I can’t explain it. It was too much,” said Grant, his voice breaking. “It was so well deserved. He worked a long time for this. He put in a lot of hours. To watch that score be final, it just made my life worthwhile.”
BASSETT (52-1) WAS one of three state placers (See separate story) from the Cardinal-wrestling program in 2007, in one of the best finishes ever at state. The last state champ was John Stump.
Bassett’s path to a state title included pins in his first two matches (3:53 and 1:37), before the competition started getting tougher in the semifinal round last Friday.
Bassett went up early 2-0 against Blake Birchmeier of New Lothrop in the first period. The score stayed that way until the third period when he picked up some insurance points on a lightning quick move. He blocked all other moves by Birchmeier for the 4-0 win to set up Saturday’s Division IV state final with Smith, who had won two of his matches by technical fall, including his semifinal bout by a score of 15-0.
The finals match started with Smith having a slight advantage. Bassett seemed a little off balance in the early going, but he kept a solid base and no points were scored.
“My heart was sinking a bit,” said Steve’s mother, Tami Bassett. Seconds later, Bassett started the scoring with a take down. Both wrestlers countered with reversals through the first two minutes, and the score was 4-4 heading into the second period.
BASSETT STARTED down at the beginning of the period and scored a reversal. The score would remain 6-4 until the closing seconds of the second period when Bassett was able to score the move that would give him the state title: a double chicken wing. He had pinned so many wrestlers with it this year, and had Smith nearly there, but time expired. Even though he did not get the pin, Bassett scored two near fall points to take an 8-4 advantage.
The four point margin provided some comfort, but it would be short lived as Bassett gave up a stalling point and a reversal to trim the lead to one, 8-7.
“It got the heart racing, but he came through,” said Earl Bassett, Steve’s dad. “I did not want it to be a tight match, but I was watching wrestlers coming off the mat and they didn’t care whether they pinned the kid or if they won by one point. Winning was really important to him, and he held it together in the end.”
In commenting about Bassett’s opponent Grant said, “that kid was a helluva wrestler. He absolutely was.” Smith placed sixth in 2006, while Bassett placed fourth a year ago. Bassett qualified for state as a sophomore, but went only 1-2. “In my freshman year I was 80 pounds. I was a regional qualifier, but it was hard giving up 25 pounds,” said Bassett. Placing in the top four in 2006, Bassett knew he had what it took. “I worked really hard through the summer. I attended camps and made it happen.”
Earl added, “I feeling like it has been worth it all these many years. It finally paid off. There were a lot of miles in the car, a lot of trips out of state, a lot of camps.”
THE RESULT OF all the effort: smiles from family, friends, and fans who drove from Onaway to watch the crowning moment and were not disappointed. When it was over, “I felt relief,” said Steve. “I felt like it was such an accomplishment.”
Bassett’s feat, as well as the unprecedented success of other winter athletes, was celebrated during a school assembly Wednesday afternoon in the OHS gym.
The volleyball team plowed into new territory with a district title and a regional final berth. They were brought before the student body, along with Onaway’s four senior wrestling captains: Bassett, Andrew LaLonde, John Pomranke, and Tyler Chapman, who were given Cardinal pins by board president Mitch Winfield.
Grant spoke during the assembly: “Positive things are happening across the board in our sports programs. It should remove all doubt, what great things can be accomplished. There is just no other way to explain it. It hard dog gone work, and everybody here knows that, and if you don’t know it, take a look at these guys (four wrestling captains), and take a look at some of your other classmates. Good things can happen here, as long as you are willing to pay the price to do that.”
03-15-2007
It was an emotional moment on the floor of The Palace of Auburn Hills, especially for Onaway wrestling coach Mark Grant.
After years of hard work, which started back in third grade, senior Steve Bassett won the school’s first individual state wrestling championship since 1989. With a narrow 8-7 decision against Taylor Smith of Hudson in the title match, Bassett ran off the mat into the waiting arms of his head coach, who lifted his 103-pound wrestler off the ground.
It was the type of hug which only could follow a major sports achievement. It seemed to last forever – Bassett burying his face into the neck of his coach.
FOURTEEN WRESTLERS from four divisions were crowned state title holders Saturday and most wrestlers wait on the floor of the arena for the medal ceremony, which would have been at the conclusion of wrestling for the 112-pound weight class.
In the moments following his match, Bassett could not be found. He ran off the floor of the arena, through the hallway underneath the stands, and up into the seating area to share the special moment with his family. “They have always been there for me,” said Bassett.
Grant could not contain his emotions when asked what it was like to watch the finals seconds go off the clock. “I can’t explain it. I can’t explain it. It was too much,” said Grant, his voice breaking. “It was so well deserved. He worked a long time for this. He put in a lot of hours. To watch that score be final, it just made my life worthwhile.”
BASSETT (52-1) WAS one of three state placers (See separate story) from the Cardinal-wrestling program in 2007, in one of the best finishes ever at state. The last state champ was John Stump.
Bassett’s path to a state title included pins in his first two matches (3:53 and 1:37), before the competition started getting tougher in the semifinal round last Friday.
Bassett went up early 2-0 against Blake Birchmeier of New Lothrop in the first period. The score stayed that way until the third period when he picked up some insurance points on a lightning quick move. He blocked all other moves by Birchmeier for the 4-0 win to set up Saturday’s Division IV state final with Smith, who had won two of his matches by technical fall, including his semifinal bout by a score of 15-0.
The finals match started with Smith having a slight advantage. Bassett seemed a little off balance in the early going, but he kept a solid base and no points were scored.
“My heart was sinking a bit,” said Steve’s mother, Tami Bassett. Seconds later, Bassett started the scoring with a take down. Both wrestlers countered with reversals through the first two minutes, and the score was 4-4 heading into the second period.
BASSETT STARTED down at the beginning of the period and scored a reversal. The score would remain 6-4 until the closing seconds of the second period when Bassett was able to score the move that would give him the state title: a double chicken wing. He had pinned so many wrestlers with it this year, and had Smith nearly there, but time expired. Even though he did not get the pin, Bassett scored two near fall points to take an 8-4 advantage.
The four point margin provided some comfort, but it would be short lived as Bassett gave up a stalling point and a reversal to trim the lead to one, 8-7.
“It got the heart racing, but he came through,” said Earl Bassett, Steve’s dad. “I did not want it to be a tight match, but I was watching wrestlers coming off the mat and they didn’t care whether they pinned the kid or if they won by one point. Winning was really important to him, and he held it together in the end.”
In commenting about Bassett’s opponent Grant said, “that kid was a helluva wrestler. He absolutely was.” Smith placed sixth in 2006, while Bassett placed fourth a year ago. Bassett qualified for state as a sophomore, but went only 1-2. “In my freshman year I was 80 pounds. I was a regional qualifier, but it was hard giving up 25 pounds,” said Bassett. Placing in the top four in 2006, Bassett knew he had what it took. “I worked really hard through the summer. I attended camps and made it happen.”
Earl added, “I feeling like it has been worth it all these many years. It finally paid off. There were a lot of miles in the car, a lot of trips out of state, a lot of camps.”
THE RESULT OF all the effort: smiles from family, friends, and fans who drove from Onaway to watch the crowning moment and were not disappointed. When it was over, “I felt relief,” said Steve. “I felt like it was such an accomplishment.”
Bassett’s feat, as well as the unprecedented success of other winter athletes, was celebrated during a school assembly Wednesday afternoon in the OHS gym.
The volleyball team plowed into new territory with a district title and a regional final berth. They were brought before the student body, along with Onaway’s four senior wrestling captains: Bassett, Andrew LaLonde, John Pomranke, and Tyler Chapman, who were given Cardinal pins by board president Mitch Winfield.
Grant spoke during the assembly: “Positive things are happening across the board in our sports programs. It should remove all doubt, what great things can be accomplished. There is just no other way to explain it. It hard dog gone work, and everybody here knows that, and if you don’t know it, take a look at these guys (four wrestling captains), and take a look at some of your other classmates. Good things can happen here, as long as you are willing to pay the price to do that.”
