Beating girl doesn't set well well Cushing's Patterson
Related Information
Cushing's Ty Fittje, top, is awarded two points against Tuttle's Adam THen during their 112-pound match in the finals of the Class 3A west regional at Tuttle High School on Saturday. BY MATT STRASEN, THE OKLAHOMAN
TUTTLE — The winner felt almost as bad as the loser Saturday night, when an unbeaten boy pinned the girl who beat him about a decade ago.
In the 119-pound final at the 3A wrestling regional, Cushing junior Jarrod Patterson, a two-time state champion, pinned the only girl in the tournament, Woodward senior Joey Miller, in one minute and 30 seconds.
"I feel bad,” Patterson said after raising his season record to 42-0 with 38 falls, two major decisions and two decisions. "I feel a little bad, beating a girl.”
The girl felt worse, even though she will take a 21-6 record and regional runner-up finish to the state tournament.
"I was nervous,” Miller said. "I usually get nervous, but I think I got too nervous to wrestle good. I'm embarrassed. I don't like to lose. I'd like to wrestle him again. I'd just like to do better against him.”
In the team race, Tuttle won with 225.5 points, ahead of runner-up Clinton (225.5) and third-place Cushing (191). State dual champion Cushing had four individual champions, Tuttle three. Each team qualified eight for state.
Patterson took down Miller (21-6) seven seconds into the match, let her escape, then took her down again, getting a three-point near fall before the pin — his third in three regional matches.
"It was like any other match,” Patterson said. "I just wrestled my style, and then the pin comes.”
Obviously, Patterson has had some good coaching — by his father, Cushing coach Barry Patterson, who praised Miller after the bout.
"Joey's a pretty tough competitor,” coach Patterson said. "She's been around for a long time, and she's beaten a lot of boys.”
Miller said Patterson and Cody Rowell of Class 4A Duncan are the best wrestlers she's faced.
"He (Patterson) is just a really good wrestler. He's all-around one of the best in the state,” said Miller, who decisioned Patterson the only other time they wrestled, as seventh-graders in the 37-pound division at a Tulsa tournament.
Patterson now has a chance to win his third state title this year – then try for a fourth next year.
"He's got a chance. He doesn't talk about it much at all,” coach Patterson said. "We don't talk wrestling at home. We just don't. We never have.”
