Cougars four-peat
Council Bluffs, IA - Clackamas claimed its fourth consecutive NJCAA Wrestling Championship title Saturday in Council Bluffs. The Cougars finished with a team score of 136.5 and sent four wrestlers to the championship round. Alex Ramirez was the lone Clackamas wrestler to claim an individual national title by topping Iowa Western's Fabian Padilla in the 157 weight class.
Championship bout rundown (125-157)
125: Garrett Ricks (Western Wyoming) defeated Iowa Western's Jakason Burks by decision, 8-6.
133: Jovan Garcia (Southwestern Oregon) defeated Justin Mejia (Clackamas) by decision, 6-3, to claim the program's first title in the weight class.
141: Jacob Mitchell (Pratt) defeated Marckis Branford (Clackamas) by decision, 15-8.
149: Keaton Geerts (Iowa Central) knocked off the 2020 weight class champion Jake Beeson (Pratt) by major decision, 9-0.
157: Alex Ramirez (Clackamas) defeated Fabian Padilla (Iowa Western) by decision, 9-4.
Championship awards
Ernest B. Gould Outstanding Wrestler (Most Outstanding Wrestler, as voted by tournament coaches): Josh Kenny, Muskegon.
Josh Kenny topped Iowa Central's Jose Rodriguez in the 174 title bout by fall at 4:52 to claim the first individual national title by a Muskegon wrestler since 2001.
Joseph A. Rockenback Sportsmanship Award (As voted by tournament coaches): Demarco Lee, Harper (197).
NJCAA Scholarship Coach of the Year: Josh Rhoden, Clackamas / Steve Kelly, North Iowa Area.
NJCAA Non-Scholarship Coach of the Year (Presented to the head coach of the highest-scoring non-scholarship team): Andy Hackenmueller, Rochester (MN).
NJCAA Wrestling Coaches Association Man of the Year (as voted by member coaches): Josh Watts, Iowa Western.
Championship bout rundown (165-285)
165: Christian Minto (North Iowa Area) claimed back-to-back individual national titles by defeating Clackamas' Steele Starren by major decision, 14-5.
174: Most Outstanding Wrestler Josh Kenny (Muskegon) defeated Iowa Central's Jose Rodriguez, the defending weight class champion, by fall (2-1) at 4:52.
184: Iowa Western's Josh McFarland defeated region rival Deron Pulliman by decision, 3-2.
197: North Iowa Area's Jose Valdez claimed the 197-pound national title with a 6-4 sudden victory over Iowa Lakes' top-ranked Massoma Endene to claim the second individual title to the Trojans.
285: After finishing as runner-up in 2021, Iowa Central's Jorden Pryor claimed the 285 title with a 10-3 decision over Devon Dawson (Pratt).
