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CAMP HUMPHREYS, South Korea — Two more previously unknown quantities staged their own coming-out parties, claiming title contender status Wednesday as the individual portion of the Far East High School Wrestling Tournament hit its halfway point.

And Kubasaki’s Nick Barker and Robert D. Edgren’s Cheston Nurial-Dacalio made their presence known in stunning fashion, scoring upset victories over the already great and vying to be great.

Barker handed reigning Far East champ Marcus Boehler of Kinnick his first loss of the season, pinning Boehler in the 108-pound quarterfinals. Dacalio, meanwhile, beat the wrestler who’s beaten a Far East champion twice this season, Nick Gibbons of Kinnick, at 168 pounds.

“It feels amazing,” said Barker, who used a cradle to put Boehler away inside of 30 seconds. That he beat Boehler, one of just two wrestlers to beat Barker this season, gave him a confidence boost, he said. “I just saw the cradle … I wanted to beat him, and I did.”

Dacalio had a tougher go with Gibbons, scoring a two-point tilt in the final five seconds to eke out a 4-1, 4-3 decision over Gibbons, a wrestler with two victories this season over Zama American’s defending Far East champion, Michael Spencer.

“I still have to look out. He can still come back up” from the knockout bracket of the double-elimination tournament, Dacalio said, adding that he’s cautiously optimistic. “I still have work to do.”

More than just new individual contenders worked their way into title consideration — Guam High, winners of the island title four of the last five years, but never higher than a sixth-place finisher in any Far East tournament, placed six wrestlers in the semifinals, its most ever.

“We didn’t travel all the way here just to sit,” coach Ed Paz said. “The dedication, determination and discipline we’ve all trained for, it’s all coming into place. Hopefully, we’ll accomplish what we want to accomplish and bring home the gold.”

Humphreys’ Super Gym draws rave reviews

Reaction from wrestlers and coaches to Humphreys’ 2-year-old, $18-million Super Gym was universally positive — as was base officials’ reaction to hosting its first DODEA Pacific event.

“We want those kids to have a first-class high school experience and putting them in a first-class facility is part of that,” said Humphreys’ commanding officer Col. Joe Moore.

In addition, there are two other almost-new gyms, MP Warrior and Zoekler, around the post, “so we think we can also host basketball and volleyball for boys and girls,” Moore said. “There are some other sports we’d be interested in hosting, too.”

DODEA officials expressed a reciprocal desire to partner up with Humphreys. “It’s not just the facility, but that everybody here … has really thrown out the welcome mat,” DODEA Pacific’s athletics coordinator Don Hobbs said. “It’s like visiting friends.”

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Dave Ornauer has been employed by or assigned to Stars and Stripes Pacific almost continuously since March 5, 1981. He covers interservice and high school sports at DODEA-Pacific schools and manages the Pacific Storm Tracker.

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