Offseason pays off for Tiger wrestlers

The Douglas Tiger off-season wrestling program concluded last week with the John Smith OSU Wrestling Camp in Reno at Lawlor Events Center.

Sixteen teams from Nevada, Oregon, Idaho, Washington, Utah, Colorado and California vied for the coveted team dual championship.

Douglas, with a strong last round, finished fifth in the team competition, which was won by Columbia High School from Nampa, Idaho.

The camp also featured several hours of individual technique sessions taught by Oklahoma State coaches and wrestlers including head coach and four-time NCAA champion John Smith.

Those that propelled Douglas to a strong finish were Austin Martin, Cody Villalobos, Tim Souza, Cameron Jorgenson, Daniel Lundegreen, Michael Sepulveda, Cody Spates, Nico Barker, Justin Freeman, Tyler Cook, Kyle Mathews, Steve Anderson, and Zach Falanga.

After the dual team championship was decided, the camp held an individual weight class, single-elimination tournament to close out the week. Douglas notched a first-place medal when Barker scored a takedown against Josh Bundschuh from Boise with 3 seconds left in the third period.

Douglas also scored fourth-place honors from Martin, Freeman, and Falanga.

"This has been the most productive offseason we have had in recent memory," Douglas coach Lamont McCann said. "The increased number of wrestlers combined with the intensity of the workouts and camps puts us in a very good position to dominate the upcoming season."