By John Rizzuti
Copyright 2006
InsideTexasWrestling.com

Chaos reigned. Pandemonium ran wild throughout the bowels of the Delco Center in Austin, Texas at the 2006 UIL State Wrestling Championships. It was the 160-pound finals between unbeaten senior Brent Pardinek (at 28-0 for Austin BaBaBowie) and Matt Harris, junior, (44-1 for The Ranch).

In what was generally regarded as the toughest of all of the weight classes at UIL State, the finals at 160 didn’t have the two most likely combatants. Most people (according to the ITW Pick ‘Em Contest) thought the match would be between Jason Logan from Dumas and Aaron Pelletier from The Church. Logan, Watson, Newman, Torres, Harris, Nichols, Pardinek and Pelletier. Never before had eight powerful, talented young men formed the backbone of one single weight-class. Never, ever. And never before had a UIL State championship match with such controversy, such confusion and such drama taken place. Never, ever.

But in my forty years of wrestling what I saw tonight in the pitched war at 160 was unlike anything before. The match ended after a pair of wild third-period scrambles with Harris the winner, 4-3. But Bowie coach Kevin Smith refused to accept the decision. He called the officials to the table three times. He did so calmly and with great professionalism. The official (who shall remain anonymous here) and the associate referee conferred several times.

As Harris, along with the madly chanting and enthusiastic throng from Katy (“Cinco Ranch, Cinco Ranch”) celebrated wildly, Smith demanded that tournament head official Jim Engstrom intercede. Discussions went on and on between Engstrom, the referees on the mat, and then to include UIL Wrestling Czar Mark Cousins and wrestling titan Jim Guinta.

Both coaches pulled out the rules book. But it was Kevin Smith who refused to accept the match outcome. Finally, he was told it was over and he came behind the table and I asked him for his take on what happened. He was adamant with me that the match should have been stopped when the officials made the call for illegal head scissors. (One point, technical violation, illegal hold). He was correct. This is according to the book. The match should be stopped but it wasn’t. He (Coach Smith) was obviously very disappointed but at the instant seemed to accept fate. Reluctantly, for sure.

Then, in an instant, things changed. Oh boy, did they.

Engstrom waved the coaches back and told them the match would be rewrestled with 34-seconds left with Pardinek leading 3-2. The Harris takedown (after the technical violation) was waived off.

The Ranch head coach “Wild” Bill Dushane went ballistic. More conversations ensued with Dushane being the most vocal and vociferous. His guy had won. His hand was raised. The match was over. At that point, while Pardinek was mat side, who knew where the heck Harris was.

By this time he might have been half way to Sugars to celebrate for all we knew.

Both coaches were holding the rulebooks – the refs were even seen reading passages, but the bottom line is that the Engstrom call was correct. The match must be started back again with Pardinek leading 3-2 and 34 seconds put back on the clock.

But what was wild and crazy and insane was just starting.

The officials found Harris and he and Pardinek again for the second time went to the center of the mat to decide the 160-pound Texas kingpin. All the while the crowd was going nuts. 2800 fans screaming. Ranch fans trying to shout down Bowie fans. Boos were reigning down. The place was truly crazy – as if a state championship match needed more bedlam.

The referee blew the whistle and the gladiators went at each other with an unreal ferocity. Harris’s job was to score the winning takedown. Parkinek’s job was to do whatever he could do to avoid the takedown. He had 34 seconds – the longest 34 seconds of his life – to burn off to get the title belt.

In this situation, of course Harris was the aggressor. Shot, after shot, after shot – even getting in deep twice but Brent fended him off repeatedly. With a restart with just seconds to go Harris shot in and trapped Parkinek’s leg and with probably 1/10 of a second left on the clock, the referee flashed two and the match – a match of a millennium – was over.

Delco Center erupted in a fan frenzy as the Ranch faithful went wild.

For the second time, Matt Harris was the winner. It took six minutes to win the first time and 25 minutes and 34 seconds of incredible high drama to win a second time.

I spoke with Bill Dushane immediately after the match and he said, “He (Harris) had his hand raised. He was the winner. The match should never have started again, but he proved he was the best wrestler. My guy was the best, no doubt about it.”

Matt Harris was truly giddy with excitement as sweat streamed down his face as TV cameras recorded his words and actions. “Nothing was going to stop me, he said. “This (championship) is mine. I was going to fight for it.”

TWOA honcho and meet head official Engstrom would only say “the match should have been stopped at the point of the illegal hold and technical violation.” UIL wrestling director Mark Cousins had no comment on the situation. It’s just as well. The match itself and the takedown at the buzzer spoke volumes. The winner was the winner was the winner. No matter how many times the match was wrestled.