The Semifinalists are Set at the Future Stars National Championship
The women's welterweight (145 lbs) division featured the biggest comeback of the night, as Brittany Inkrote (Red Lion, Pa.) and Jennifer Fenn-Wolfe (Cedar Creek, Texas) put on a show that left the crowd buzzing. Fenn-Wolfe scored early and often, earning 17 points in the first two rounds and holding a commanding 23-11 lead heading into the fourth and final round. Inkrote came roaring back in the fourth, however, tying the score late in the fourth before landing one last left hook - her 15th point of the round - in the final seconds to earn a 26-25 victory.
Inkrote said that Fenn-Wolfe's aggressive style took her by surprise, but it became a detriment to her in the later rounds. At the same time, Inkrote said she was able to feed off the energy of the crowd for her final points.
"If you come out swinging that hard that early, you have to put people out," Inkrote said. "If you don't, you get really tired and struggle the last few rounds.
"I love the feel of the crowd and I love to get the crowd involved. I could hear my trainer and everyone in the crowd when I hit that tie point."
Another high-scoring contest came in the women's featherweight (125 lbs) division between Alexandria Cardenas (San Angelo, Texas) and 2005 National Champion Ashley Barnett (Cleveland, Ohio). Cardenas came out strong, jumping ahead to a 14-6 lead after two rounds. Barnett would have her strongest round in the third, winning the round 8-5, but Cardenas put up a strong defensive effort in the fourth, shutting out Barnett on her way to a 22-14 decision.
Cardenas credited her coach for keeping her head and executing in the final round.
"My coach told me, 'Alex, you gotta step it up. You're winning, but you can't get lazy and get behind, so you really need to pick it up,'" Cardenas said.
In men's featherweight (125 lbs) action, Robert Rodriguez (Evans, Colo.) and Andre Ramirez (Camp LeJeune, N.C. - Marines) had a nip-and-tuck first round (4-2 Rodriguez) before Rodriguez shut out Ramirez through the middle rounds on his way to a 19-3 win.
After the match, Rodriguez said that he was able to earn the win by staying patient and using his head.
"Coach just kept telling me to keep doing what I was doing," Rodriguez said. "I just wanted to keep my head, get my points, be smart and wait for a shot."
Another strong defensive effort came from Daniel O'Connor (Framingham, Mass.) in his light welterweight (141 lbs) match with Jamal James (Minneapolis, Minn.). James, who held the height and reach advantage over O'Connor, came in numerous times over the course of the match but was unable to score any significant blows. O'Connor scored when the opportunity presented itself, and used a 7-0 fourth round to come away with an 18-2 win.
Semifinal competition begins tomorrow with the women's matches starting at noon MST, followed by the men's matches at 6:00 p.m.
