BBCC wrestlers likely to place well this season, anchored by strong performances by Lucas and Rodriguez
Vikings wrestler Liam Lucas has had strong performances over the last two weeks and is expected to continue to do well as the season moves forward.
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO/BBCC ATHLETICS
MOSES LAKE — After having only one athlete place the weekend prior, BBCC wrestlers hoped to up their play as they hosted their one and only tournament in the Big Bend Scramble on Saturday, Nov. 18, at the Devries Activity Center.
The tournament had massive ramifications for the Vikings wrestling program as it would allow them to gauge where they are at in comparison to those that stand in their way on the road to the national tournament in March.
"The Big Bend Scramble is a microcosm of our conference tournament. All of the teams in the NCWA Northwestern conference were present, giving the Viking wrestlers an idea of what they need to do to punch their ticket to the National tournament in March,” head coach Daviaire Dickerson said.
Liam Lucas was the standout for the Vikings the weekend prior and picked up right where he left off dominating the competition.
"Liam Lucas, the starting 165-pound returning conference champ and national qualifier had a rematch of last year's conference finals against WSU. (Lucas) left no doubt, winning the match with a decisive 10-2 major decision," said Dickerson.
After a successful Big Bend Scramble, BBCC had the opportunity to compete in the Spokane "Freshman Raymond Rodriguez, our 125-pounder out of Port Angeles was the Viking's highest finisher. Raymond took a bye in the first round and followed that up with a first-round pin over Lucas Camacho-Schulz from Pacific University. He then ran up against one of those Division 1 wrestlers from Utah Valley, and Raymond got caught for an early pin to send him to consolations,” Dickerson said.
During consolation play, Rodriguez matched up with Logan Heath of Washington State and came out on top with an impressive pin with no time left on the clock in the first period, Dickerson said. Had Rodriguez won his next match, he would have been guaranteed to place, but fell in that match and stopped just short of placing.
“This was Raymond's best tournament yet, and we believe that his progress will continue to accelerate,” Dickerson said.
After a very busy month of November for BBCC Wrestling, Dickerson said he was pleased with the team’s performance over the last month which saw lots of challenging competition.
"The Spokane Open wrapped up a month of competition that was an absolute meat grinder. For all four weeks of November, the Vikings have had a competition every Saturday and Sunday, plus a full conference schedule. This tournament was the light at the end of the tunnel,” Dickerson said.
End-of-month competition is tough though, he said. Some of the highest-ranked NAIA schools and an NCAA D1 school — Utah Valley — were on the mat against Viking wrestlers.
“Overall, most of the team struggled against the elite level of competition, but there were some bright spots," Dickerson said.
He remains optimistic regarding the remainder of the squad.
"The Vikes wrestled as well as they have all season. They all displayed high levels of energy, intensity and conditioning. In some instances their technique left something to be desired, but, overall they were able to dominate their opponents physically and come out on top,” Dickerson said.
Most of the squad should be seeded well going into the conference tournament as a result of statement wins at the Big Bend Scramble, he said.
“Overall, it was clear that the race for conference champion will come down to Big Bend and Grays Harbor. The Big Bend men's team showed out with a multitude of impressive conference wins that will be of great benefit when seeds are being assigned in the postseason. In the round-robin style tournament, the Vikes won the vast majority of their matches," Dickerson said.
BBCC prepares for the Clackamas Open on Dec. 3 hoping to continue progressing to their ultimate goal.