Two-time champion Cimarron shows no signs of slowing down

Spencer Patterson

Monday, Feb. 21, 2000 | 10:33 a.m.

As Cimarron-Memorial's Chris Harris came off the mat following his 135-pound final in Saturday's state wrestling tournament, the Spartan senior was overcome by unexpected mixed emotions.

On one hand, he wanted to celebrate his third consecutive individual state title, along with the Spartans' second straight team championship.

At the same time, however, the senior felt a sudden sense of finality -- the knowledge that his wildly successful prep career had come to an end.

"I don't want it to be over, and it just kind of hit me," said Harris, who posted a 16-4 major decision over Carson's Justin Shine in the finals. "I was just trying to get as much as I could out of my last high school match."

Unfortunately for the rest of Nevada's prep wrestling community, Harris was the only Spartan wrestler lamenting his final prep match on Saturday.

That's because the 135-pounder is the lone senior on a Cimarron squad that dominated its competition over the weekend -- and that comes as very bad news for anyone hoping to derail the Spartans.

"It's kind of unusual in a way," Cimarron coach Tim Jeffries said. "I don't ever remember being in a situation where we lost just one senior."

Although the graduation of Harris -- one of two wrestlers in school history to win three state titles -- will certainly be felt, the Spartans return a horde of quality athletes next year, seven of whom earned berths to the state tournament and five of whom placed among the top four in their weight class.

For two of those wrestlers -- juniors Rayes Gonzales and Brandon Garcia -- Saturday's events may have provided additional incentive heading into next season, just in case two of the state's top returnees needed any.

Gonzales, last year's 140-pound state champion, suffered a stunning 11-10 loss to Elko's Shawn Reilly in the 145-pound final -- a match that will be remembered as one of the most exciting in recent state history.

After falling behind 9-5 early in the third period, Reilly stormed back, taking down his foe and then preventing Gonzales from escaping in the closing seconds to hang on for the thrilling win.

"Rayes got beat going after the guy," Jeffries said. "He absolutely gave it his all in that match and all year long, every single day, so that was tough even for me to take. But it was the best match I've seen in a long time."

Garcia, the favorite at 215 pounds, saw a 5-4 third-period lead evaporate when referees awarded a penalty point to his opponent, Wooster freshman Chad Espinoza, for an illegal hold. The Northern zone champ then earned an escape for a 6-5 win, prompting an ugly post-match pushing exchange that cost the Spartans a team point.

"Those losses (by Gonzales and Garcia) can only be looked at as motivators," Jeffries said. "Those two matches were character builders, and if they don't motivate you there's something wrong."

Along with Gonzales and Garcia, Cimarron will return a fourth state finalist for the 2000-01 season -- junior Joe Tussing, who fell to McQueen's Ryan Bader 9-2 in Saturday's 171-pound final.

Also back next year will be a pair of Southern Zone champions -- 119-pound sophomore Curtis Johnson, who placed third Friday, and 160-pound junior Andre Rhodes, another third-place finisher Friday -- along with state qualifiers Josh Fitzgerald and Nate Stephan.

Also aiding the Spartans' chances to repeat next year will be a new playoff system, which will split the Sunrise and Sunset Region into two zone tournaments.

Five wrestlers in each weight class will qualify for the state tournament from Cimarron's Sunset Region, meaning the Spartans will have more opportunities to send participants to the state tournament. And they won't have to go through area powers Rancho, Las Vegas and Silverado to get there.

So after two state titles and four straight zone championships, is it too early to start mentioning the word "dynasty" in the same sentence with Cimarron-Memorial's wrestling program?

Way too early, according to Jeffries.

The Spartans' coach says that honor should be reserved for Eldorado, which captured 11 state titles -- including a string of eight in a row -- between 1981 and 1995.

"We can't be compared to that school and that run yet," Jeffries said. "We're proud of our program, of the wrestlers and coaches and the people behind it. But we all know we have room for improvement. Next year, our intensity is going to be cranked up even more."