Friday, December 31, 2010

Bethlehem Catholic High School's Jayden Rice earns first gold medal in Christmas City Wrestling Tournament

By BRIAN FORTNER
The Express-Times
BETHLEHEM | Jayden Rice had settled for second best in his home gym more times than he cared to remember.

The Bethlehem Catholic High School senior isn't settling any more.

After placing winning silver the past two years, Rice claimed the top step of the medal podium for his own by winning the 125-pound weight class at the 43rd Christmas City Wrestling Tournament at Bethlehem Catholic High School.

Rice stacked top-seeded Christian Olanowski of First Colonial (Va.) for a fall to win his first gold and fourth-straight medal at the event.

"(Olanowski) beat me in the finals here two years ago and I've been following him ever since," said Rice, who placed fourth as a freshman. "I was pumped when I heard (First Colonial) was coming back this year. I was hoping for another chance to wrestle him."

Working from the bottom position, Rice was close to coming out the back door for a reversal, when he caught Olanowski underneath and pinned him in 3:14.

"I was coming out the back and he just hung onto my ankles," Rice said. "I went for the cradle, but missed, then I just sat back and stacked his shoulders."

The Golden Hawks dominated the event, winning their third-straight team title with 287½ points and crowning eight champions to outdistance second-place Schuylkill Valley (174) by 114½.

East Stroudsburg South finished third with 147½ points, followed by St. Benedict's Prep (123), First Colonial (120) and Wyoming Valley West (118½).

"I'm really proud of our kids," Becahi coach Jeff Karam said. "We had some good matches, some tight bouts. That's what we were looking for."

http://www.lehighvalleylive.com/sports/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/129377162325100.xml&coll=3

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