Wrestling's shocker: 8 years later

Roller, Clum forever matched

By Anthony Cotton
The Denver Post

Eight years after springing perhaps the greatest upset in arguably the greatest match in Colorado high school wrestling history, Brett Roller sat in a Colorado Springs restaurant, admitting that it had been almost that long since he heard the name of Tom Clum, his vanquished opponent.

Clum, who recently moved back to Colorado from Wisconsin, can't say the same thing about Roller.

"Since I moved back, I hear it all the time," Clum said this week. "My friends and I really compete against each other. It's no holds barred. We'll use anything against you. So if we're competing, or get into an argument about who's better at a video game, someone will say, 'I'm going to Brett Roller you.' "

Clum can laugh about it. Roller would undoubtedly also chuckle at yet another example of how, with the 2009 state wrestling championships getting underway today at the Pepsi Center, the storied link between the two has once again been bared.

"It is a pretty neat story," Clum said. "When I got to college (at Wisconsin) and we'd all compare notes and talk about how we did in high school, people would ask me and I'd tell them I was three-time state champion. And then I'd tell them the rest.

"I was never embarrassed; it was never a sore subject. I've always said, 'I have a neat story.' "

In February of 2001, Clum, a senior at Pomona High School, entered the state meet with a record of 42-0, and 145-0 for his career. With three championships under his belt, Clum was poised to become the first Colorado high school wrestler to go undefeated.

Clum won his first three matches in the tournament's 125-pound class and with just 10 seconds remaining in the championship match held a 12-8 advantage against Roller, a senior at Wasson. But Roller put Clum on his back, and was awarded three points for a near fall. Just after the match ended, Roller was finally awarded two more points for a takedown before the near fall, giving him the victory, 13-12, as pandemonium broke out. In victory, Roller avenged his only loss of the regular season.

Dream confrontation

Throughout his senior season, Roller had been encouraged to move to a different weight class so he could avoid Clum. But Roller dreamed of that year-end confrontation, a process that included watching "Vision Quest," a coming-of-age high school wrestling movie, "about 80 times."

"What's the point of competition if it's not competition?" he said this week. "I can understand what my coaches were thinking; they wanted their wrestler to get a state title. But I told them, 'I'll get you your title, but it's going to be here.

"Every other wrestler in the state was already bailing out. The 125-pound class was really me and Tom. There was no doubt in my mind it would be me and him in the finals. That match, there was a lot on the line for him, and for me it was everything. It meant the world to me.

"I knew I could beat him. I still think he was a better wrestler than me, but at that moment in time, I was better."

The only thing left after the match was to live with the outcome.

For whatever the reason, wrestlers somehow understand better than most the need to pick themselves off the mat and move on. So it was that Clum, while disappointed, was not devastated. For him, the irony of his loss was that others seemed to obsess more about it than him.

"I've heard so many theories about why I lost that match; most of them have to do with pressure," he said. "To me,

"I was never embarrassed; it was never a sore subject. I've always said, 'I have a neat story.' " - Tom Clum, on his final prep match (Andy Cross, Denver Post file photo)

it's comical to hear it. I felt this way in high school and I even feel stronger about it now that I'm done competing. Wrestling was always just wrestling to me, it never had anything to do with who I was.

"People would say: 'Well, you never lost. Of course you could think that way.' But high school wrestling wasn't my ultimate goal. College was. I used to wrestle all summer long on a national level to try to get there and I lost all the time, so I never looked at myself as this undefeated wrestler."

Clum's goal obtained

Clum reached his goal of wrestling at the collegiate level at Wisconsin, and finished third nationally as a junior and fifth as a senior.

Now back in Colorado, he is working part-time at his parent's archery shop as well as helping at his folks' real estate office. On the side, he's doing some private coaching of young wrestlers.

Roller's path after high school was far more circuitous than Clum's. He first attended Western State University, but suffered a shoulder injury early in his freshman year and dropped out after his first year.

He has bounced around since and is now doing carpentry work at the Air Force Academy while pursuing a part-time career in mixed martial arts. He figures a sport that "lets me knock someone out and wrestle has to be pretty cool."

Already 13-5 as a part-time pro, Roller has shown enough promise to land a three-fight contract with one of the sport's feeder organizations, King of the Cage.

Roller predicts he could reach MMA's elite level in about a year if he focused harder on training. But that process is taking a back seat to another on-going project, helping raise his almost 4-year-old son, Jackson.

"He's the best thing to happen in my life," Roller said. "I can do my thing on the side, as long as it's not interfering with his life. If MMA takes me somewhere it takes me somewhere; if I'm a carpenter for the rest of my life, then maybe that's how it was supposed to be."

Should the day come that Roller reaches the pinnacle of the sport, perhaps fighting for a title in a pay-per-view match, Clum said he'll be sure to tune in, hoping his old foe doesn't get "Rollered."

"Brett and I had always competed. I'd known him almost all my life," Clum said. "There was never any animosity between us. I think it would be really neat if something like that happened for him."

Anthony Cotton: 303-954-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com

74th state wrestling tournament

Where: The Pepsi Center

When: Today-Saturday. Preliminary rounds start today at 3 p.m.; Parade of Champions on Saturday night is at 6:30 p.m.

Tickets: Still available for all sessions, $10-13 adults; $9-13 children and seniors.

Who: 896 wrestlers from 14 weight classes and four classes.

What to watch for

Podium pantheon: With no potential four-timers in the bunch this year, all eyes will be on the guys looking for No. 3. The lone underclassman in the bunch is Ponderosa 140-pounder Jake Snider. The Mustangs junior may be a year away from making a run at Colorado's 15-member fraternity.

Heading to the mats

Here's what you need to know before attending Colorado's 74th wrestling tournament:

Class 5A

Returning state champions

Matthew Gurule, Central of G.J. (103 pounds), 5A 2008 103 champion

Philip Grout, Northglenn (119), 5A 2007 112 champion

Daniel Kelly, Ponderosa (145), 5A 2008 145 champion

Casey Norgard, Rocky Mountain (189), 5A 2008 171 champion

Jeremy Schmitt, Rocky Mountain (112), 5A 2007 103 champion

Jake Snider, Ponderosa (140), 5A 2007 125 champion; 2008 140 champion

Eric Wilson, Grandview (119), 5A 2008 112 champion

Undefeated wrestlers

Matthew Gurule, Central of G.J., 103: 38-0

Taylor Hollister, Air Academy, 145: 25-0

Josh Martinez, Pine Creek, 103: 42-0

Danny Mitchell, Legacy, 189: 19-0

Conor Medbery, Loveland, Hwt.: 36-0

Most qualifiers

10 Pine Creek

8 Pomona, Ponderosa

7 Centaurus, Central (G.J.), Chaparral, Lakewood, Legacy, Loveland, Mountain Range, Rocky Mountain

Defending team champion

Ponderosa, which has won the past six

Class 4A

Returning state champions

Jeremy Aguero, Pueblo South (135), 4A 2007 119 champion

Dan Frank, Roosevelt (130), 3A 2008 130 champion; 3A 2007 125 champion

Gabe Gomez, Broomfield (119), 4A 2008 112 champion

Justin Gonzales, Northridge (152), 4A 2008 145 champion

Travis Himmelman, Conifer (125), 4A 2008 119 champion

Dale Shull, Fort Lupton (130), 4A 2008 103 champion; 4A 2006 125 champion

Brice Wolf, Greeley Central (171), 4A 2007 171 champion

Undefeated wrestlers

Alex Baca, Pueblo Central, 103: 25-0

Tad Davis, Rifle, Hwt.: 37-0

Justin Gonzales, Northridge, 152: 42-0

Patrick Gomez, Northridge, 160: 41-0

Travis Himmelman, Conifer, 125: 36-0

Brice Wolf, Greeley Central, 171: 37-0

Most qualifiers

10 Broomfield, Roosevelt

9 Montrose

8 Palisade

7 Alamosa, Berthoud, Pueblo Central, Pueblo South, Rifle

Defending team champion

Northridge, which provided the school with its first title in history

Class 3A

Returning state champions

Nick Adams, Discovery Canyon (125): 3A 2008 112 champion

Matt Addington, Florence (152): 3A 2008 140 champion

Zach Diaz, Yuma (160): 3A 2008 160 champion

Josh Jaime, Lamar (119): 3A 2008 103 champion

Tyler Miles, Grand Valley (152): 3A 2008 152 champion

Undefeated wrestlers

Matt Addington, Florence, 152: 44-0

Elliot Copeland, Bennett, 160: 30-0

Joe DuCharme, Pagosa Springs, 160: 28-0

Josh Jaime, Lamar, 119: 27-0

Most qualifiers

12 Centauri

11 Olathe

10 Brush, Florence, La Junta

8 Hotchkiss, Lamar, Strasburg

7 Grand Valley

Defending team champion

Roosevelt, which has moved up to 4A; Centauri was runner-up.

Class 2A

Returning state champions

Hugh Hardman, Norwood (140): 2A 2008 140 champion; (140) 2A 2007 140 champion

Colten Huskey, Dove Creek (145): 2A 2008 135 champion

Stryker Lane, Norwood (215): 2A 2008 215 champion; (215) 2A 2007 189 champion (at Nucla)

Michael Satterly, Burlington (189): 2A 2008 189 champion

Ty Sickels, Nucla (135): 2A 2008 130 champion

Justin Smith, Paonia (145): 2A 2008 145 champion

Undefeated wrestlers

Hugh Hardman, Norwood, 140: 37-0

Justin Iacovetto, Paonia, 119: 20-0

Stryker Lane, Norwood, 215: 35-0

Adam Ortivez, La Veta, 103: 35-0

Kyle Pollock, Wiggins, Hwt.: 32-0

Most qualifiers

12 Paonia

11 Rangely, Rocky Ford

10 Ignacio

9 Burlington, Center, Hayden, Wiggins

8 Akron, Merino, Wray

Defending team champion

Grand Valley, which moved up to 3A; Paonia was runner-up.

Schedule

At the Pepsi Center

Today

Classes 2A, 3A: Preliminaries, 3-6:15 p.m.

Classes 4A, 5A: Prelims, 7:15-10:45 p.m.

Friday

Classes 2A, 3A: Quarterfinals, 10 a.m.; first-round consolation immediately after

Classes 4A, 5A: Quarterfinals, 1 p.m.; first-round consolation immediately after

Classes 2A, 3A: Second-round consolation, 5:45-7 p.m.

All classes: Semifinals, 7:15 p.m.; 5A-4A second-round consolation as mats become available

Saturday

Classes 2A, 3A: Third-round consolation, 11 a.m.; semifinal consolation after

Classes 4A, 5A: Third-round consolation, 12:30 p.m.; semifinal consolation after

Classes 2A, 3A: Fifth place, 2 p.m.; third place immediately after

Classes 4A, 5A: Fifth place, 3 p.m.; third place immediately after

Parade of Champions: All classes, 6:30 p.m.

Championship bouts: All classes, 7 p.m.

Tickets

Today's sessions I and II: Adults, $10; children (5-12) and seniors (60-plus), $9

Friday's sessions III and IV: All, $11

Saturday's session V: Adults, $10; children (5-12) and seniors (60-plus), $9

Saturday's session VI (title bouts): All, $13

Note: Upper-level tickets available Friday and Saturday are: Adults $12, $13 for finals; children and seniors, $11, $11 for finals.