The Dearborn County Register
SPORTS
PAGE 12
THURSDAY, JANUARY 10, 2019
thedcregister.com
Parris stuns No. 1 foe in UM debut Could L’burg freshman help Wolverines win NCAA title?
By Jim Buchberger Sports Editor sports@registerpublications.com CORVALLIS, Ore. - The word around the University of Michigan’s wrestling program, currently ranked No. 6 in the nation, was that prized freshman heavyweight Mason Parris would be removed from the redshirt list only in one event. That was if first-year head coach Sean Bormet, a former Wolverines grappler himself, and his UM staff determined that the strapping young freshman from Lawrenceburg could help them win the national championship. Last Thursday night, Jan. 3, it came to pass, highlighting Michigan’s 33-8 victory in its first dual meet of the season at Oregon State University. Parris, who had posted a 17-3 mark while competing as an unattached wrestler in four AAU open tournaments, threw off the red shirt to defeat No. 1-ranked sixth-year senior Amar Dhesi - behind four takedowns and 1:31 riding time in his first official collegiate start. Ranked as the No. 3 overall recruit in this year’s NCAA Division I freshman class by FloWrestling, Lawrenceburg’s three-time Indiana high school 220-pound state champion controlled the bout from the outset. “I know I can compete with anyone in the nation, that was my
mindset.” Parris told a UM interviewer afterward. “I know can beat anyone. Just use my speed on the guy. He’s a big guy, so I used my speed to create my shots, create my angles.” In a fashion more familiar to Lawrenceburg wrestling fans who followed Mason’s career, the Michigan freshman came back Saturday night in his second varsity start with a pin victory over his opponent at 16th-ranked Arizona State. Enrolled in the College of Engineering at Ann Arbor, Parris reportedly was informed of losing the redshirt only one day prior to the meet last Wednesday. He had not traveled with the Michigan team to any of its meets earlier this season. He seemed to relish the experience. “It’s just so much fun being with all the guys, being able to compete and bond with the team,” Parris added. But that doesn’t mean that Parris remained idle. Competing unattached in the Michigan State Open at MSU in East Lansing Nov. 3, he was one of four individual winners for the Wolverines, going 4-0 with a 14-second pin over Central Michigan’s Matt Stencel in the title bout. Michigan’s roster currently sports four nationally-ranked wrestlers, including redshirt junior No. 3s Stevan Micic at 133
UM ATHLETICS
University of Michigan freshman wrestler Mason Parris, removed from the redshirt list for last Thursday’s meet at Oregon State, decisioned No. 1-ranked heavyweight senior Pac-12 champion Amar Dhesi 11-4. pounds and Myles Amine at 174, with 141-pound redshirt sophomore Kanen Storr and 165-pound redshirt junior Logan Massa both ranked No. 6. Continuing the Wolverines’ West Coast road trip Saturday night, Jan. 5, at Arizona State, Parris followed with his first collegiate pin victory, at 5:56 in the third period, over the Sun Devils’ Brady Daniels. Now 5-0, No. 6 Michigan overcame a sluggish start - dropping
its first four matches to trail 12-0 - to surge past No. 16-ranked Arizona State 23-12 at the Wells Fargo Arena, winning each of its final six bouts for its fifth-straight dual victory. Parris used a combination of single-legs and a double while counterattacking to score five takedowns and build up an 11-3 lead through two periods against Daniels. Starting on top in the third period, he turned Daniels with an
arm bar and secured the fall - his team-leading ninth of the season to end the match at the 5:56 mark. Michigan resumes Big Ten Conference dual action this Saturday, Jan. 12, at home when it hosts Illinois at 7 p.m. at Crisler Center. The meet will be streamed live on BTN Plus. To view highlights of Mason Parris’s first collegiate win at Oregon State go to: https://twitter.com/umichwrestling/sta tus/1081052203945586688.
AquaTrojan boys capture 30th EIAC crown 5 EC swimmers share conference MVP awards Staff Report AURORA - It was another banner day for East Central swimmers and divers, as the AquaTrojan boys upped their record Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference meet championship total to 30 Saturday, Jan. 5, at South Dearborn. Three new EIAC meet records fell to Coach Brandon Loveless’s crew, who also landed all five conference MVP awards. EIAC Most Valuable boys honors were shared by AquaTrojans’ Jackson Ketcham, Jacob Weber and Nick Weber, while East Central girls co-MVP winners were Olivia Nixon and Kyra Hall. EC’s boys outpointed
second-place Connersville 384-221 for their fourth consecutive title, with Greensburg third (205), Lawrenceburg fourth (184), Batesville fifth (167) and South Dearborn sixth (24th). EIAC members Rushville and Franklin County do not compete in swimming diving. Lady AquaTrojans saw their two-year title streak broken - as well as the quest for a 20th crown in school history - as they finished runner-up to EIAC meet champion Greensburg, 339-303. Third-time winner Pirates marked their first league crown since winning back-to-back in 2015-16. New conference records were established by East Central individuals Jacob Weber in Boys 200-Yard Individual Medley and Kyra Hall in Girls 100-Yard Backstroke. EC’s Boys 200 Medley Relay of Nick Weber, Ket-
EC ATHLETICS
EC’s five conference Most Valuable Swimmers for 2019 are, clockwise from top left: Olivia Nixon, Kyra Hall, Jackson Ketcham, Jacob Weber and Nick Weber. All five won two individual event titles and swam on relay team winners.
EC ATHLETICS
East Central’s AquaTrojan boys swimmers and divers proudly display their Eastern Indiana Athletic Conference meet trophy - their fourth consecutive title and the 30th in school history - Saturday afternoon at South Dearborn.
cham, Jacob Weber and Owen Matthew also registered a meet record time. Trojan boys posted EIAC champions in 10 events, while East Central’s girls collected seven conference meet event wins. Jackson Ketcham was a double individual champion in Boys 200 and 500 Freestyle, while Jacob Weber matched him with EIAC titles in 200 IM and 100 Freestyle. Nick Weber made it an MVP trio, winning Boys 50 Freestyle and 100 Backstroke. Kyra Hall captured individual league titles in Girls 200 IM and 100 Backstroke, while Olivia Nixon joined her with 50 and 100 Freestyle victories. Three more individual EIAC champions for East Central included Aly Bailey in Girls 1-Meter Diving,
Mackenzie Schantz in Girls 100 Butterfly and Matthew Badinghaus in Boys 100 Fly. East Central boys swept all three relay events Saturday, including the 200 Freestyle crew of Matthew, Ray Krider, Badinghaus and Ethen Witte and the 400 Free Relay of Ketcham, Badinghaus and the Webers. Lady AquaTrojans took the 200 Freestyle Relay championship with the team of Hall, Caroline Walters, Schantz and Nixon. East Central swimmers cap the regular season with a home dual meet vs. Richmond this Saturday, Jan. 12, starting at 10 a.m. IHSAA girls swimming & diving sectional preliminaries are set for Thursday, Jan. 31, at Columbus North, with finals Saturday, Feb. 2.