TOURNAMENT CENTRAL

MARSHALL, Mo. – The Southern Oregon University men's wrestling team finished with three top-five placers as the Missouri Valley Open wrapped up Saturday at the Burns Athletic Center.

The Raiders landed at 10th of 38 in the team standings behind second-place JJ Talavera (157 pounds), fourth-place Justin Coon (133) and fifth-place Evan Potter (133). The trio accounted for 55 ½ of their 69 team points.

Top-ranked Grand View (Iowa) won the tournament with 156 ½ points, edging second-ranked Life (Ga.)'s 147.

Talavera, the NAIA's No. 14-ranked 157-pounder, advanced to the semifinals with four straight wins Friday and was given a free pass to the championship match with a forfeit victory. Grand View's Israel Casarez defeated him 8-2 for the title.

Coon – after dropping his second match of the tourney – took the toughest road of any Raider with five consecutive consolation wins to reach the third-place match, where 15th-ranked Nick Kunz of Montana State-Northern stopped him in a 4-0 decision. On his way there, however, he knocked off 10th-ranked Taylor Vasquez of Morningside (Iowa) by 11-5 decision. That win set up his 5-2 consolation semifinal decision over Life's Keegan Slyter.

Coon finished 6-2 with two pins and a technical fall at the tournament.

Potter, ranked 14th at 133, was the other Raider to get through Friday's quarterfinals. Life's Hunter Sparks took a 5-1 decision off him in the semifinals, and Kunz beat him 8-5 in the consolation semis. He rebounded in the fifth-place match, defeating Slyter by 11-2 major decision.

Pancho Barrera was the other Raider still in action on Day 2. After finishing Friday with a quarterfinal loss, Missouri Valley's Brayden Bradley eliminated him in his first consolation match, 4-1.

The Raiders' next outing will be at next Saturday's Clackamas Open in Oregon City.

COMPLETE SOU PLACERS
2nd place – JJ Talavera (157, 21 points)
4th place – Justin Coon (133, 19 points)
5th place – Evan Potter (133, 15.5 points)
No place – Pancho Barrera (125, 5 points), Aaron Gandara (157, 4 points), John White (197, 4 points), Travis Thorpe (149, 2.5 points), Anthony Perez (141, 2 points), Ayden Wolgamott (174, 2 points), Lorenzo Vasquez (125, 0 points), Nick Peterson (141, 0 points), Zac Wigzell (149, 0 points)