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Marine Corps takes Armed Forces Championships
Story and photos by Army Sgt. Kap Kim 
FORT HOOD, Texas. Marine Corps 1st Lt. David Workman pinned Army Spc. Patrick Schuster in 33 seconds into the last match of the day to give the Marine Corps team the close-margin victory over the Army during the Armed Forces Wrestling Championships Freestyle event at Fort Hood, Texas March 11. The Marine Corps team’s Freestyle win Sunday along with their Greco-Roman win Saturday gave them enough team points to win the overall Armed Forces Championships. Their win was the first time in 11 years that any other service other than Army had won. Army had the distinction of owning the Armed Forces Wrestling Championship tournament since 1989. “It was due,” said All-Marine Wrestling Coach Jon Antonelli about their overall tournament victory. “We worked very hard for this. What can I say … they came up to the plate and delivered … I’m so proud of them.” Workman, an All-Marine rookie from Camp Lejeune, N.C., did the only thing he could do to give the Marines the overall championship win and to end Army’s streak. Heading into the last match up between the Heavyweights, a win by points could not have done it -- since the Army was leading in that category. “I looked up at the score [board], and I knew when I went up there, I had to pin him,” Workman said. “I knew it was coming down to me … I needed the pin; I was looking for it.” With that, Workman made quick work of Schuster, from Fort Campbell, Ky. Within seconds, Workman had Schuster on the mat. “I kept hearing the ref say, ‘head up blue – head up!’” said Workman, repeating what the referee was telling Schuster while he was on the mat. Once Workman pinned Schuster, everyone on the Marine Corps bench jumped up, and the emotional Antonelli jumped into the waiting arms of Workman. The loss left the Army wrestlers stunned. But the Army offered no excuses. All-Army head coach, Staff Sgt. Shon Lewis congratulated the Marine Corps on their success. “They did a fantastic job,” Lewis said about the Marine Corps. “They came on our home field … they had some horses, and their horses produced.” Lewis said his team had just allowed for the Marines to earn too many points on his guys, but even with that might have won if not for the pin. “We just didn’t need a fall,” Lewis said shaking his head. “It hurts a little. I’m very proud of my guys though, and this will be a learning experience for them. They’ve got to learn from this. [Next year] They’ll come back smarter … hungrier. This will leave a sour taste in their mouths for 365 days.” 
In the last match-up of the day, the Army lost the first three matches against the Marine Corps. Marine Corps Sgt. Andrell Durden, of Camp Lejeune, N.C. beat Spc. Anthony Gibbons, of Fort Hood, during the 54 Kg class match, 11-4. Marine Corps Sgt. Duaine Martin, of Iwakuni, Japan, pinned Army Pfc. Lucas Spencer, from Fort Carson, Colo. in under a minute during the 58 Kg class. Marine Corps Sgt. James Shillow, of Camp Lejeune, N.C., just managed to beat Army Pfc. Jason Kutz, from Fort Carson, Colo., in the 63 Kg class, 2-1. Then, what could’ve been the toughest match of the day was fought between the 69 Kg weight class of Marine Corps Brian VanHoven, from Quantico, Va., and Army Pfc. Oscar Wood, from Fort Carson, Colo. Their match not only woke up the fans, but also brought everyone else to their feet. It was a display of raw strength and endurance. VanHoven had a cut on his left eyebrow that had to be taped a couple of times throughout the match-up. Then, Wood received a blow to the chin that sent blood flying across the mat. The two were tied at 5-5 heading into the last minute of the match. It would be that score heading into overtime. VanHoven would send Wood outside the circle a few times, but no score was awarded. Then, with a sudden burst of energy, Wood slammed VanHoven into the mat that earned him three points and the win. Wood’s victory got an Army-heavy crowd jumping up off the bleachers, and more importantly, it changed the momentum of the Army wrestlers. After Wood’s victory, Spc. Charles Daniels, from Fort Rucker, Ala., came in and dominated Marine Corps Cpl. Joseph Clark II, in the 76 Kg match, 13-3. Then, Spc. Markese Nelson, from Fort Campbell, Ky., beat 2nd Lt. Justin Woodruff, from the U.S. Naval Academy, Md., during the 85 Kg match, 5-2. When Army Sgt. Dominique Black, from Fort Carson, Colo., came to the mat, anyone with half a brain would have bet on the Army and would have won. Black, who is ranked second in the nation, pinned Marine Sgt. Tipton Peterson, of 29 Palms, Calif., in a mere 32 seconds. At that point, Army had the Marines beat 16-13 in total team points, but with that close of a margin, it came down to one thing if the Marines wanted the overall win … the pin. Earlier in the day, the Marine Corps narrowly beat the Air Force 17-16. The Army would do to the Navy what their Greco team did the day before, winning 28-2. During the second dual, the Army beat the Air Force 22-10, and the Marine Corps beat the Navy 23-11. In the final dual, the Air Force beat the Navy 23-9, and the Marine Corps beat the Army, 17-16. In Freestyle individuals, Senior Airman Jeff Cervone, of Peterson Air Force Base, Colo., won his second gold medal of the Armed Forces Championships in the 54 Kg weight class. Marine Corps Sgt. Duaine Martin, of Iwakuni, Japan, also won his second gold medal for the tournament in the 58 Kg class. In the 63 Kg class, Marine Corps Sgt. James Shillow, of Camp Lejeune, N.C., took home his second gold of the tournament. Army Pfc. Oscar Wood, of Fort Carson, won his first gold medal in the 69 Kg class. Spc. Charles Daniels, from Fort Rucker, Ala., won gold for the 76 Kg. Spc. Markese Nelson, from Fort Campbell, Ky., picked up a gold for the 85 Kg class. Sgt. Dominique Black, from Fort Carson, Colo. won his second gold medal for the tournament in the 97 Kg class. Senior Airman Corey Farkas, of the U.S. Air Force Academy, Colo., won his second gold for the tournament for the Heavyweight class (130 Kg). |