Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: THURSDAY, January 13, 1994 TAG: 9401130051
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: By BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
For a long time you could pencil in the Eagles to win the team title of the regular season's biggest meet. It's been seven years (one tournament was canceled by bad weather) since another team took the crown when Cave Spring won in 1986.
This weekend at William Byrd, coaches agree that any of four squads can win.
"Franklin County looks great, William Byrd looks great, Fleming looks even better," said Northside coach Fred Wagner, whose Vikings are the other team to beat.
Franklin County's Kris Kahila, the architect of a dominant program which has won seven Big Orange titles, says it's a toss-up.
"It's too close to call," Kahila said. "The way I see it, Northside and Fleming have to be favored because each of those teams has 13 good wrestlers. Things can happen and momentum swings if one team happens to win several close ones. It's too complicated, too hard to predict."
And Northside?
"My goal is always to be in the top five. If we achieve that, it would be great, but we've never even had a Big Orange champion," said Wagner.
Fleming coach George "Killer" Miller sees four teams fighting for the title.
"It's going to be very competitive, but this is the best team we've had since the 1981 regional champions."
Miller's program dominated the Big Orange before Franklin County. Fleming reeled off four consecutive titles from 1980-83, and that string stood until the Eagles won their sixth in a row two years ago. Together, these two schools have won 13 of the 17 Big Orange tournaments.
William Byrd coach Barry Trent said the team with two or three finalists will win the title.
"Everybody says this is the most balanced Big Orange," said Trent, who started the tournament and has seen it grow each year.
Northside's best chance at a title might be Clifton Dunford (14-0) at 125 pounds. He's wrestling in a class vacated by William Byrd's Patrick Henderson, who moved up to 135 after finishing second in the state a year ago at 125.
Franklin County's Trung Nguyen won the Grundy County tournament 112-pound class, and Darren Wray (130) won the 119-pound title in the Big Orange last year. Daniel Gearhart (135) was second in the state a year ago, and John Muse (160) and Landon Cuff (171) were third at Grundy.
Fleming has a team full of good wrestlers with Eddie Jones unbeaten at 189. He won the Big Orange at 171 last year and finished fourth at the Group AAA state meet.
Mosi Colleman (119) and John Brandon (130) are also top wrestlers for Fleming. They, too, went to the state last winter. Herbie Kasey (135) is once beaten.
The tournament, featuring 16 squads with 13 of them from Patrick County, starts Friday at 2 p.m. with first-round matches. Semifinals are Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Championship and consolation matches will be held together on two mats Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
by CNB