Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, January 16, 1994 TAG: 9401170237
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: E10 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
The Vikings won four individual championships and refused to surrender the team lead during the final bouts to hold on for the Big Orange team championship at William Byrd.
This is the first time the title has gone to a school other than Franklin County - winner of six consecutive championships - William Fleming or Cave Spring since 1979 when host William Byrd took top honors.
Northside nailed down the title officially when Chip Nininger pinned E.C. Glass' Chris Matthews in the 171-pound class with 35 seconds left in the match.
It mattered not that in the next match Fleming's Eddie Jones, perhaps Timesland's best wrestler, whipped the Vikings' Gary Thomas 16-2, because Fleming was still trailing with no wrestlers remaining in the heavyweight division.
"It's a good feeling," said Northside coach Fred Wagner, whose team finished second in the Group AA state tournament last year. "That we did it tells what we're capable of. But some of the close matches that Fleming lost they won't lose later on because Coach [George] Miller will take care of it."
Miller, who is in his final year of coaching before retiring to become a full-time assistant principal at Fleming, said his team did well.
"Anytime you go against competition like the Big Orange, it lets you know what is coming up," said Miller, whose team along with Franklin County will be the squads to beat in next month's Roanoke Valley District tournament.
The top matches in the finals came in the middle weights, starting with Fleming's Herbie Kasey, who made the ultimate rally to beat Byrd's Patrick Henderson 6-5 at the buzzer in the 135-pound class.
Down 5-4, Kasey got an escape and then a takedown that was in dispute as to whether it came before the buzzer or after. The ruling went Kasey's way.
"I didn't think I could do it, but something inside told me I had to go," Kasey said. "It was something like 24 seconds left when I started. I didn't realize it was that close."
Byrd got another disappointing loss in the 140-pound class. Franklin County's Brian Jones got a late takedown to force an overtime at 4-4 against William Byrd's Heath Brogan. Then Jones won on a takedown in the extra session.
There was redemption for Byrd at 152 as Jason Hogan beat Brookville's Corey Steuck 13-7. Hogan's win came after a loss to the same wrestler last week in a dual meet on the Bees' mat.
In the 145-pound class, it was Franklin County's Daniel Gearhart beating Lord Botetourt's Bobby Stewart 6-4. Stewart wasn't awarded an apparent takedown at the final buzzer that would have made it a tie score.
"He didn't have control," said Gearhart, who won the meeting of two of Timesland's top wrestlers. "I figured he was pretty tough, but I was also wrestling up a class to help the team."
Scott Salliss of Cave Spring beat Northside's Brad Hungate in the 112-pound class to keep the Vikings' veteran from breaking the Big Orange ice for his team.
Hungate had three near escapes for a tie but each time was ruled off the mat.
\ see microfilm for complete results.
by CNB