Fayetteville’s Gordon captures second state wrestling crown
Posted on Sunday, March 16, 2008
LITTLE ROCK - Not many wrestlers get to say they completed their high school career as a two-time, undefeated state champion.
Fayetteville's Michael Gordon can say just that.
Gordon defeated Springdale Har-Ber's Chris Rabe in the 152-pound finals of the Arkansas State Wrestling Tournament at the Stephens Center in LIttle Rock on Saturday. It was his fourth victory over Rabe this season and gave him his second-consecutive state title and a 44-0 senior season.
"I've never really cared about the wins and losses," said Gordon, who won the 145-pound title last year in Bentonville. "It's always been about the team wins, the big tournaments."
Unlike many of his competitors at the state tournament, Gordon had an extensive background in wrestling before the sport started back up in Arkansas two years ago.
Gordon began wrestling in the first grade when his family lived in Iowa. When they moved just across the border to South Dakota, he continued wrestling and continued to find success.
He won several youth titles before his family moved to Fayetteville when he was in the seventh grade.
When the Gordons moved to Fayetteville in 2003, they knew that there wasn't wrestling in the state. So, they contacted several clubs just across the state line in Oklahoma.
Gordon wrestled in several under-15 tournaments and actually won a junior high state tournament wrestling for Catoosa, Okla.
"That was a big deal for them to even let him wrestle," said Michael's father, Steve Gordon. "When you are wrestling those lower weight classes in Oklahoma, you're wrestling some of the elite wrestlers in the state."
Once Gordon entered high school, though, his options became limited. He didn't wrestle as a sophomore.
"Michael would have had to go as an independent and try to go to national tournaments," Steve Gordon said. "He just decided that he didn't want to do that."
Then came word that a group headed by Little Rock's Greg Hatcher and Bentonville's Don Schuler were trying to get wrestling started again in the state last year.
"I was excited," Michael Gordon said. "I told my dad I wanted to get back into wrestling."
Gordon transitioned easily back into wrestling, went undefeated as a junior and won the 145-pound weight class last year.
"We try to keep the focus on the team, but I can't let this season end without saying that Michael is pound-forpound the best wrestler in the state of Arkansas," Fayetteville coach Tony Travis said. "He's the best wrestler in the state."
Determined to get his name out there and garner some interest from college programs, Gordon's family moved to Tulsa, Okla., and enrolled him at Tulsa Union after the Arkansas State Wrestling Tournament last March.
"He was going through the offseason wrestling program, but he never really got comfortable," Steve Gordon said. ! Full results from the weekend's state wrestling tournament in Little Rock were not available at presstime. See future editions of the Northwest Arkansas Times for a full recap. "The coaches at the school were great, but he wasn't comfortable with the idea that he would be taking somebody's spot."
So, Gordon moved back and re-enrolled at Fayetteville, setting up a spectacular senior season in Northwest Arkansas.
Going into the state tournament, Gordon had a combined record of 39-0, wrestling in both Arkansas and Oklahoma.
Gordon said that his toughest victory of the season came in the semifinals of the Mid-America Nationals in Tulsa, Okla. against Tulsa Union's Ronnie Belfour.
"It had been a while since I had to go three periods," Gordon said.
Gordon looks to go three periods for a little while longer.
He's talked to coaches at Missouri and Arizona State and is currently ranked as the top 152-pound high school wrestler in the country by wrestlerankings. net and is ranked in the top 50 by wrestlingusa. com.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
