T-Birds pick up one win each at nationals

COUNCIL BLUFFS, Iowa — The Cloud County Community College wrestling team would see all four of their 2020 national qualifiers earn one win apiece as the 2019-20 season would come to a close on day one of the 2020 NJCAA Wrestling National Championships at the Mid-America Center in Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Friday, March 6th.

Representing the T-Birds at the national meet would be two-time national qualifiers Blayne Harris (125 pounds), Quentin Jiner (157 pounds) and Elwin Trejo (285 pounds), along with first-time national qualifier Kevin Murry (197 pounds).
Harris would face a tall task in his opening bout of the tournament by taking on number eight ranked and former Olympic wrestler Brandon Escobar of Nassau, falling 5-4 after managing to tie the match up at 3-3 with less than a minute remaining. The Beloit, Kansas, native would then avenge an earlier season loss to Camden Russell of Iowa Western to earn a 6-1 decision and keep his season alive before bowing out in the second round of the consolation bracket with a 5-1 defeat to Cameron Enriquez of Clackamas.
Jiner would get off to a big start in his opening match by earning a pin of Joseph Hatcher from Middlesex County in 5:57 to advance to the Round of 16 for the second consecutive year. Number seven-ranked Chance Fry of Iowa Western would be waiting for Jiner as the match would go the way of Fry in a 13-6 decision that would be evenly matched following an early takedown and back points conceded by Jiner. With his tournament life on the line, Jiner would then face Jayden Johnson of Thaddeus Stevens and end up going to sudden-victory overtime tied at 1-1 where he would see his season end on a takedown to put the final score at 3-1.
After earning a 12-7 decision victory over Chase Dressel of Itasca in his NJCAA Championship debut, Murry would be faced with the task of taking on number two-ranked Tarik Sutkovic of Clackamas College with the match going to Sutkovic by major decision in an 11-1 defeat for Murry. Ja'quez Bostic of Iowa Central would then best Murry in the second round of the consolation bracket with a 6-1 decision as Murry would see his season come to an end following a 1-2 mark at the national meet.
Trejo's lone victory at 285 pounds would come in his opening match of the day as the Liberal, Kansas, native would go to sudden-victory overtime with Michael Babcort of Nassau and secure a late takedown to pick up a 4-2 victory before falling in his second match to Jackson Schenk of St. Claire County by fall at the 3:40 mark. Jayden de Fond of Umpqua would then manage to defeat Trejo in 3:31 as the match would conclude the first session and end the season for the T-Birds.
Now with three full years as a program in the books, Cloud County has had 19 national qualifiers with Harris and Jiner becoming the fourth and fifth T-Bird wrestlers to qualify for the national meet both years.
Harris ends his career at CCCC as the all-time leader in victories at Cloud County.