Niwot – Depending on which side of the aisle the fans were sitting, Longmont junior Jordan Wagner was either a savvy wrestler or the beneficiary of a referee’s judgement.
Whatever the case, Wagner’s 4-3, triple-overtime decision over Jake Eitzen of Estes Park at the Boulder Valley Invitational wrestling tournament Saturday at Niwot was as thrilling as it was controversial. And an exhausted Wagner admitted afterward that his victorious tactic – stalling – was exactly what cost Eitzen the match.
“I knew I hadn’t been called for stalling yet and I could just sit there. I knew I could just hang out, and that was about all I could do because he is a great wrestler,” Wagner said. “The last three seconds seemed like forever to me. I couldn’t believe it.”
Eitzen, a runner-up at the Class 3A state tournament last season, led 2-0 after one period. But a stall call late in the second period, and another one with a minute remaining in the third period, tied the score and led to overtime.
Neither wrestler could gain an advantage in the first overtime, and both scored a point in the second overtime, which consists of two 30-second periods with the wrestlers trading starts from the bottom. Wagner was hit with a stalling warning in the second half of the second overtime. Another notice would have cost him a point.
In the third overtime, Wagner started on top and was able to ride out Eitzen for a minute. Had Eitzen escaped, he would have won.
“It’s not over until it’s over. Even if it takes all the overtimes,” Wagner said.
Wagner’s victory helped push Longmont to the team title, with Boulder and Niwot rounding out the top three. Silver Creek edged Fairview for fourth place.
Niwot’s Colton Corpman, tired from three periods of wrestling as well as too many recent overtime sessions, unleashed pure emotion in winning the 125-pound championship. That emotion was anger.
Corpman led Fairview’s Gavin Pitt by a point as the final seconds of the third period ticked off the clock. But Pitt squirmed free at the buzzer and was awarded an escape point to tie the match 6-6. At first it appeared Pitt earned a two-point reversal, but the referees conferred and overtime followed.
Corpman wasted little time and shot in for a double-leg takedown. Pitt tried to sprawl, but the rage inside Corpman took over. Corpman muscled his way to the takedown and 8-6 overtime victory.
“I was holding on for dear life at the end of the third period. In overtime, I just got very angry,” said Corpman, who beat Pitt in overtime earlier in the season.
Corpman, Riley Lindemann (130 pounds) and Tony Cano (189) all won titles for the host Cougars.
