Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SATURDAY, February 5, 1994 TAG: 9402050186
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: RALPH BERRIER JR. STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG LENGTH: Medium
Wrestling in their last tournament as NRD members, the Bobcats eked out a 1 1/2-point win over Blacksburg for their first wrestling championship since 1979.
Radford had to wait 15 years - and then some - for the victory. The title secured until the final results had been recounted twice.
The Bobcats finished with 146 1/2 points to Blacksburg's 145. When the final results were announced, Radford wrestlers mobbed one another on the Christiansburg High gym floor.
"I feel like I'm going to Disney World!" Radford first-year coach Tony DeHart exclaimed.
Radford, which won only one NRD regular-season match all year, made up a 10-point deficit in the championship round by winning four individual titles. The final and deciding win came when sophomore Chris Vicars pinned Blacksburg's Nathan Cumbee in 2:28 in the heavyweight match.
When Blacksburg sophomore Kip Kenyon pinned Radford's David Herring in 26 seconds to win the 189-pound title, many observers felt the Indians had sealed the win.
"I did, too," said Vicars. "I wasn't sure. The coaches told me if I pinned him, we'd have a chance to win."
When the scores were first tabulated, Blacksburg asked for a recount. A grievance committee of Carroll County head coach Alvin Davidson, Christiansburg coach Dean Underwood, team scorer Barry Underwood, Christiansburg principal Buddy Shull and tournament officials Tim Beverly and Walt Braine went behind closed doors to recount the scores.
"We counted 'em three times," said Shull, who coached Radford's wrestling team until this year. "We recounted it twice. It came up the same both times."
Radford's championship brings to end Carroll County's string of three straight district titles. The Cavaliers finished in fourth place with 110 points behind Christiansburg's 124, but they made it a close meet by knocking off Radford and Blacksburg wrestlers in the finals.
Carroll's Justin Barnard beat Blacksburg's Hayden Griffin 10-7 at 119 and the Cavaliers' Trevor Howlett shut out the Indians' Mike Muffo 11-0 at 125.
Those wins helped Radford climb back into the meet. Blacksburg's John Ohm pinned Carroll County's Jeremiah Russell in 1:18 of the 130-pound match, but Christiansburg's Charlie Freer, last year's 130 champ, beat Blacksburg's Steve Southwick 14-6 at 135 and Radford got a 21-5 technical fall from Marlon Wesley over Christiansburg's Eric Thurlow at 140.
After Jason Abercrombie won the 145-pound title for Radford with a pin of Blacksburg's Scott Bates in 1:25, the teams stayed close.
Glennon Riccio of Carroll County upset Radford's Jacob Bondurant, last year's 140 champion, 4-0 in the 152 match, David Epperly of Christiansburg pinned Blacksburg's Jason Boyle in 43 seconds at 160, and Carroll County 171-pounder Jerry Bono pinned Radford's Cornell Wesley in 3:04. Christiansburg's Jamie Harris won the 103-pound title by forfeit. \
see microfilm for complete results
by CNB