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| Nice Honor For Grimes At Tourney |
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| Opinion | |||
| Written by David Wolman | |||
| Tuesday, 02 February 2010 15:18 | |||
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Zack Grimes stood near an entrance on the northwest corner inside Osawatomie High School’s main gymnasium prior to walking to the mat to be introduced as a participant in the 189-pound championship match in the Osawatomie Wrestling Invitational. Grimes did have one order of business to tend to prior to the introduction. He didn’t even have to move. He was able to stand in place to waive to the crowd as he was on the receiving end of a special honor. He was recognized by the school for recording his 100th career win. He recorded the feat Jan. 16 at the Prairie View Dual Tournament, earning the milestone by, of all things, a forfeit, as the opposing team was open at 189. Welcome to the 100-win club, Mr. Grimes.  I’ve had the privilege of covering some outstanding wrestlers during my four years of living in Kansas, starting with Arkansas City, and now with Osawatomie, Prairie View, Jayhawk-Linn and Central Heights. Every year, many of them capture my pen and pad with some moves I wish I could perform. Nathan Sommer, Bo Newport, Westin Shay, Quinton Ford and William Wilson have all reached the 100-win mark in the two years I’ve covered sports in this area. All five have been among the state’s best, as each one of them have qualified for state, with Sommer capturing the first state title in Prairie View history last year. Newport reached the 100-win mark with a 7-0 decision over Valley Center’s Codie Dean at the Ottawa Dual Tournament in December. Newport, ranked No. 1 in Class 4A at 119 pounds, became the fastest Buffalo in program history to record the feat, and just the sixth overall to do so. His coach, Walter Vandeventer, believes that if he stays healthy he could break the state wins record at some point. Grimes can be added to that list, and he accomplished the feat in just two and a half years. He entered this season with 77 career wins, but needed just four tournaments to reach the 100-win mark. Grimes, ranked No. 1 in 4A, is probably one of the most self-motivated people I’ve ever met, and his demeanor on the mat shows it. It is amazing how well he maneuvers for a 189-pound wrestler. He can strike quickly, yet use his strength to keep his opponents under wraps. Grimes and Newport should be proud of their accomplishments. The best thing is that both are just juniors and should be in the running for a state title this year and next year. Both grapplers, like all who have achieved 100 wins, should be congratulated. It’s not easy to reach that goal.
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