By RICK PETERSON
TopSports.news
PARK CITY -- Star Seaman wrestler Jaxson Thomas knew he was taking a chance when he decided to jump up two weight classes for his senior season.
That gamble paid off with a state title celebration that isn't likely to end any time soon.
Seaman senior Jaxson Thomas beams after ending his Class 5A 285-pound state championship match with a second-period pin. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
Seaman senior Jaxson Thomas (right) went wire to wire for the Class 5A 285-pound state title, opening up a 9-3 lead over Blue Valley Southwest's Torin Forsyth before recording a second-period pin. [Photo by Scott Paske/KSHSAA Covered]
"I don't think it's actually set in yet,'' Thomas said. "I shared some tears with my family right when it happened, but I don't think it will set in until I'm at home and realize what I achieved. It will be nice when I'm sitting at home in the bed and not aching.
"It definitely brought on some confidence, realizing I could make that move and I could still compete at a different level, a different weight and realizing it's not about how big the dude is I'm facing, it's about who wrestles longer, who's faster and who's more prepared.''
A 195-pounder as a junior, the undersized 285-pounder completed his improbable championship run with a second-period pin over Blue Valley Southwest senior Torin Forsyth, capping a 46-5 season.
The pin in the final, at the 3 minute, 41-second mark, avenged a 9-4 loss a week earlier in 5A regional competition, and Thomas said the regional loss helped him in Saturday's rematch.
"It was just a case of realizing it wasn't that big of a difference between me and him,'' Thomas said. "Seeing him in pictures and everything you think he's going to come out and just destroy me, but wrestling him and getting a feel for him helped me realize what his moves were.
"I could not shoot on him and I knew that now. Last match I really tried to shoot on him and he could just stop it every time I tried. So all week I've been working on dragbys and slidebys and just ducking and going up to the body and not worrying about his legs. Figuring out what works and what doesn't I worked all week on it and it took a lot of preparation.''
Like he had all season, Thomas used his quickness to help turn the tide against Forsyth, who suffered only his second loss in 45 matches on the season.
"Wrestling him last week I realized I could out-quick him,'' Thomas said. "I realized you just can't muscle someone like that and it really helped me just using speed instead of trying to muscle through him.''
Thomas never trailed in the match, using two takedowns to take a 4-2 lead at the end of the first period and going up 9-3 before ending things with the pin.
Seaman coach Tony Pena, a two-time state champion himself, said he wasn't worried about Thomas making the move up in weight.
"When I was a kid I jumped from (112) to 30 so I knew he could do it.'' Pena said. "He's a lot bigger and stronger than I was and the kid's driven. He was one of the biggest parts of this team and it's going to leave a hole next year.''
Thomas' win gave Pena his first state champion in his first season as a head coach.
"I'm on top of the world,'' Pena said. "I'm more excited for this one than I ever was my own. It's amazing.''
Shawnee Heights senior 215-pounder Sean Wunder gets a hug from T-Bird coach Chad Parks after finishing third in Class 5A Saturday at Hartman Arena. [Photo by Rick Peterson/TSN]
• Shawnee Heights had four state medalists in Class 5A, led by senior Sean Wunder, who finished third at 215 pounds.
Wunder took a 5-3 decision over Spring Hill senior Draven Pipkin in the third-place match to cap a 43-4 season.
The T-Birds also got sixth-place finishes from 132-pound junior Andrew Bonebrake (37-12), 150-pound senior Nick Freeland (41-10) and 175-pound junior Allen Baughman (40-14).
