(Saturday's E.J. King Invitational results at end of story)

SASEBO NAVAL BASE, Japan — Until last season, Department of Defense Dependents Schools-Japan teams tended to put more stock in regular-season wrestling tournaments featuring international school teams, viewing DODDS-only tournaments as tuneups.

But with the DODDS-Pacific decision last September to limit the Far East Wrestling Tournament field to DODDS teams, the roles of DODDS-only tournaments and those that include international schools have reversed, coaches say.

“It’s the other way around, at least for Far East, anyway,” said coach Robby Rhinehart on Saturday after his Nile C. Kinnick Red Devils captured the team title and won five individual weight classes in the E.J. King Invitational Tournament.

The DODDS-only regular-season tournaments make coaches “stand up and pay attention more, look at them closer, think of Far East and who you’re going to be facing there,” Rhinehart said. “You focus more on these tournaments than the ones with international schools.”

“Throughout the season, you look at what the DODDS teams work on, what the competition is in each weight class because that’s who you’re going to compete with for gold” in the Far East tournament, coach Ian Harlow of second-place Zama American said.

The E.J. King tournament was the second of six events leading up to the Far East tournament, scheduled for Feb. 17-19 at Yokota Air Base, Japan. Three of the tournaments are DODDS-only.

St. Mary’s International of Tokyo, the defending Far East individual freestyle team champion, beat out Kinnick for the title in the Yokota Invitational last month.

Although the DODDS-only tournaments have taken on stronger focus, Harlow doesn’t dismiss the importance of regular-season tournaments that include international schools.

“That’s very important preparation” for Far East, Harlow said. “You work on your technique against those international schools. And just because they’re not going to be there (at Far East) doesn’t mean you don’t want to beat them.”

Rhinehart acknowledges that not having the international schools at Far East will diminish the competition level.

“But a Far East title is still a Far East title,” he said. “People may look at it differently, but it’s just as valuable. It’s a shame for the international schools. But if we win it, I won’t tell the athletic director to not hang the banner in the gym.”

On Saturday, Kinnick took the team title at E.J. King with 39 points, followed by Zama with two weight-class golds and 26 points and Yokota, with four golds and 25 points.

Robert D. Edgren finished fourth with 11 points and host E.J. King totalled six; Edgren and King each won one weight class.

Among the gold-medal winners for Rhinehart and the Devils was defending Far East weight-class champion Joey Wood, who won at 168 pounds and captured the tournament’s Outstanding Wrestler award. He edged out Louie Lee of Edgren, who won at 122 pounds and pinned every opponent.

“I’m honored to win it,” Wood said, adding that taking an Outstanding Wrestler trophy “was one of my goals this year, and I made it.”

Yamato Cibulka (158), Mervin Ibanez (141) and Roderic Thomas (215) also took gold, while Kenji Doughty rallied from an early 9-0 deficit to edge teammate Jarvis Williams 10-9 for the 148-pound gold.

In edging Yokota by a point, Zama got individual golds from defending Far East heavyweight champion David Burnett and 122-pounder Anthony Garcia.

Burnett credited the presence of new teammate Justin Planty, who placed second, for his gold medal.

“It’s great having him to wrestle for practice,” Burnett said, adding he practiced before Planty’s arrival with an assistant coach. “He’s quick, too, and definitely strong. It makes me better to have someone like him at practice.”tournament is a DODDS-only invitational hosted by Edgren at Misawa Air Base, Japan.

E.J. King Invitational

At Sasebo Naval Base, Japan

Final team scores: 1, Nile C. Kinnick, 39; 2, Zama American, 26; 3, Yokota, 25; 4, Robert D. Edgren, 11; 5, E.J. King, 6.

Fastest pin — Andrew Blankenship, Edgren, 8 seconds, 141 pounds.

Outstanding wrestler — Joey Wood, Kinnick, 168 pounds.

Individual weight-class results

101 pounds — 1, Jaybie Kurishima, Yokota; 2, Reggie Barton, Kinnick; 3, Jeremiah Saffold, Yokota; 4, Luigi Deguzman, E.J. King.

108 — 1, Patrick Pamintuan, Yokota; 2, Matt Bohan, Zama; 3, Bobby Antonio, Kinnick.

115 — 1, Jason Rodriguez, Yokota; 2, Adam Godfrey, Zama; 3, Nick Carrell, Kinnick; 4, T.J. Jones, Kinnick.

122 — 1, Anthony Garcia, Zama; 2, Tyler Davis, Kinnick; 3, Paul Tysinger, Edgren; 4, Joshua Roe, E.J. King.

129 — 1, Louie Lee, Edgren; 2, Alex Curtis, Kinnick; 3, Scott Macri, E.J. King; 4, David Heitstuman, E.J. King.

135 — 1, Brandon Gilbert, E.J. King; 2, Matt Heitstuman, E.J. King; 3, Kyle Shimabukuro, Yokota; 4, Austin Kirk, E.J. King.

141 — 1, Mervin Ibanez, Kinnick; 2, David O'Brien, Zama; 3, Andrew Blankenship, Edgren; 4, Justin Gross, Yokota.

148 — 1, Kenji Doughty, Kinnick; 2, Jarvis Williams, Kinnick; 3, Nick Villasana, Zama; 4, Adam Robinson, Zama.

158 — 1, Yamato Cibulka, Kinnick; 2, Chris Johnson, Zama; 3, Kevin McDonald, Edgren; 4, Mark Lagrisola, E.J. King.

168 — 1, Joey Wood, Kinnick; 2, Paul Jones, Zama; 3, Joe Yagatich, Edgren; 4, Garrett McCaw, Yokota.

180 — 1, Zack Dopslaf, Yokota; 2, Adam Krievs, Kinnick; 3, Kiko Bratcher, Edgren; 4, Charles Howard, E.J. King.

215 — 1, Roderic Thomas, Kinnick; 2, James Scott, Yokota; 3, Egan Dales, Edgren; 4, Dustin West, Edgren.

Heavyweight — 1, David Burnett, Zama; 2, Justin Planty, Zama; 3, Randall Pelletier, Yokota; 4, Richard Baker, E.J. King.

Migrated