The Minnesota West Bluejays wrestling team is down to one participant at the NJCAA tournament.
Dallas Mitchell, the defending national champion at 184 pounds, advanced to the semifinals with three victories in as many matches Friday, earning a spot against Brad Padgett of Highline in today's semifinal match at 9:30 a.m. at the University Center in Rochester.
Mitchell moved forward with a pin of Ryan Jensen of Southwestern Oregon in 55 seconds, followed by a pin over Cody Galloway of Spartanburg Methodist in 1:05, and a 4-0 decision against Neil Kemp of Triton, Ill.
Kemp tried to slow the pace of the match down against Mitchell to prevent a quick ending, but Mitchell was never out of control of the contest despite the low score.
"He's doing exactly what I expected him to do," Minnesota West head coach Bob Purcell said.
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While Mitchell did do well, his teammates struggled, combining for an 1-8 record on the day. Derrick Pomranky (165) earned the lone victory out of the group, beating Ben Kravitz of Jamestown College, 8-4, while Josh Butros (133), Josh Sullivan (141) and T.J. Scheidecker (197) all were knocked out with 0-2 marks.
What makes it tougher for both Scheidecker and Sullivan is the two wrestlers have been trying to fight back from recent injuries that have left them each below 100 percent.
"I knew it was tough," Purcell said of Scheidecker. "With the injuries we had, I didn't know what condition we were in, and it probably cost T.J. both of his matches."
As for Pomranky, both os his defeates at 165 came against wrestlers who are expected to gain All-American status, helping to deflect some of the disappointment.
If Mitchell defeats Padgett in the semifinals, he will wrestle for his second straight national title at 7 p.m. tonight.
