Kadena's Aaron Ahner, top, puts the finishing touches on a pinfall victory over Kubasaki's Jacob Wood during Saturday's 215-pound championship bout in the 4th Rumble on the Rock Wrestling Tournament at Kubasaki High School, Okinawa. Ahner won by pin in 5 minutes, 23 seconds and Kadena won its third straight individual freestyle team title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kadena's Aaron Ahner, top, puts the finishing touches on a pinfall victory over Kubasaki's Jacob Wood during Saturday's 215-pound championship bout in the 4th Rumble on the Rock Wrestling Tournament at Kubasaki High School, Okinawa. Ahner won by pin in 5 minutes, 23 seconds and Kadena won its third straight individual freestyle team title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kadena's Aaron Ahner, top, readies a head-whip throw on Kubasaki's Jacob Wood during Saturday's 215-pound championship bout in the 4th Rumble on the Rock Wrestling Tournament at Kubasaki High School, Okinawa. Ahner won by pin in 5 minutes, 23 seconds and Kadena won its third straight individual freestyle team title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kadena's Jacob Bishop, top, puts the finishing touches on a pinfall victory over Daegu American's Xavian Washburn during Saturday's 148-pound championship bout in the 4th Rumble on the Rock Wrestling Tournament at Kubasaki High School, Okinawa. Bishop pinned Washburn in 1 minute, 27 seconds and Kadena won its third straight individual freestyle team title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
Kadena's Thomas Cioppa, top, gains the upper hand on Seoul American's Devin Furner during Saturday's 108-pound championship bout in the 4th Rumble on the Rock Wrestling Tournament at Kubasaki High School, Okinawa. Cioppa twice pinned Furner, in 1 minute, 34 seconds and 3 minutes, 5 seconds to rally out of the knockout bracket for the gold medal and Kadena won its third straight individual freestyle team title. (Dave Ornauer/Stars and Stripes)
CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa – Needing to twice beat the guy who decisioned him earlier Saturday to have a chance to win “Rumble on the Rock” tournament gold, Thomas Cioppa met the challenge head on.
The Kadena freshman pinned Seoul American’s Devin Furner twice, in 1 minute, 34 seconds and 3:05, to rally from the knockout bracket, win the 108-pound weight-class gold and boost the Panthers to a team-title three-peat in the individual freestyle portion of the 4th “Rumble” tournament.
“I was thinking of what my coach told me, how to beat him, what I did wrong the first time and how to come back,” Cioppa said. Furner decisioned him 7-1, 9-5 earlier, forcing Cioppa to win twice for the gold in the tournament’s double-elimination format.
“He’s been stepping up every day since he got on the mat,” Panthers coach Jeff Elliott said. “He’s been grinding it out with some of the younger guys, a lot of the older guys. Hard work and he’s got really good body knowledge for a kid his age.”
Cioppa’s gold was one of six for Kadena. Jeff Mizell (135), Jacob Bishop (148) and Aaron and Gabe Ahner (215 and heavyweight) defended their “Rumble” titles, while Cory Peckins (158) won his first.
Kadena edged island rival Kubasaki 89-83 for the team title; the Dragons took five golds, including one by 141-pounder Jon Goddard, voted the tournament’s outstanding wrestler by the coaches. Matt Payne (180) was a repeat gold medalist.
Seoul American, in the tournament for the first time along with Osan and Daegu American of South Korea, was third with 66 points. Seoul’s Robert Rhea (129) and Joe Durham (168) won the remaining gold medals.
More drama occurred at 215 pounds, where rivals Aaron Ahner and Jacob Wood met in a tournament final for the second time this season.
And for the second time in a final, and the third time overall this season, their bout went three periods, this time with Ahner prevailing by pin in 5:23 in a hard, physical contest that had fans throughout Kubasaki’s Dragons’ Den on their feet cheering.
Some are calling that weight class “World War 215.” Besides Ahner and Wood, there are Guam High island champion Micah Hansen, first-year Daegu wrestler Daniel Santil (who took third at Rumble) and contenders such as Yokota’s Jake Jackson, Andrew Cavalier of Zama American and David de los Santos of Nile C. Kinnick waiting in the wings, approaching next month’s Far East Touranment in Korea.
“It’s going to be a battleground,” Kubasaki coach Ron Geist said.
“It’s a brawl,” said Wood, who also lost to Ahner in three periods at Kinnick’s “Beast of the Far East” Tournament and an Okinawa Activities Council dual meet earlier this month. “Every match is going to be hard. There are no gimmes in this weight class.”
In Saturday’s third period, Ahner used a pair of head-whip throws to put Wood on his back for the pin. But Ahner said it could just as easily gone the other way.
“There’s some strength to it, but it’s mostly technique and timing. It’s a matter of who nails the move and the timing of it,” he said.
