ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1995, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 7, 1995 TAG: 9512070031
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: E-12 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM STAFF WRITER
An old, familiar name is the new challenger for the top spot in wrestling this season in Timesland.
William Byrd should replace Northside as the main threat to Group AAA heavyweight Franklin County. Last season, Northside beat the Eagles in the Big Orange tournament, but in the postseason, Byrd stopped Northside to take the Blue Ridge District and Region III titles.
William Byrd will be coached by Adam Williams, a 1991 graduate of Cave Spring, where he was an All-Timesland wrestler. He takes over for the former dean of Timesland coaches, Barry Trent, who retired after last season.
``I don't think it's a lot of pressure,'' Williams said of succeeding Trent. ``We have a solid corps coming back, as long as we stay healthy. We have a lot of guys getting X-rays from early-season and football injuries. Right now, we're keeping it team oriented to continue the success of last year.''
David Anderson, who finished third in the Group AA tournament at 125 pounds, is Byrd's premier returning wrestler. The Terriers also have Randall Sell back from a sixth-place finish in the state at 112, although he is expected to move up to 119.
Other veteran wrestlers at Byrd who placed in the Region III meet are: Corey Walker, second at 103; Lonny Wade, fifth at 130; Scott Minter, fifth at 135; Matt Burton, second at 140; Neil Smith, fifth at 152; Jonathan Hartsock, third at 171; and Timmy Boothe, second among heavyweights.
The top young wrestler will be sophomore Daniel Wagner (189), who placed in the Big Orange and district meets.
Here is a brief look at the rest of the teams:
Franklin County: The Eagles are loaded, starting with 112-pounder Trung Nguyen, who was Timesland Wrestler of the Year last winter after being the catalyst in the Eagles' march to a runner-up finish in the Group AAA duals meet and fifth place in the individual state tournament.
Brian Jones (140) also returns. Like Nguyen, Jones finished third in the Group AAA individual competition. His only loss in that weight class came at the state meet.
Ivan Trotter (130), Adam Flora (120) and Shawn Ferguson (160) are other outstanding wrestlers for Kris Kahila, who succeeds Trent as Timesland's senior coach.
``I think we have a chance, with luck, to do what we did last year as a team,'' Kahila said before his team went to Virginia Beach during the weekend to wrestle defending Group AAA champion Great Bridge, perennial power Frank Cox of Chesapeake and rising Eastern Region power Tallwood. The Eagles beat Cox and lost by three points to Tallwood and by 29 points to Great Bridge in a very respectable showing.
Jones won all three of his matches, and Nguyen's only loss came to a wrestler who won a Group AAA title two years ago. Franklin County entertains perennial Group AA power Grundy on Saturday in what will be the top wrestling attraction in Timesland before the Big Orange tournament at William Byrd in January.
Franklin County has won eight Big Orange tournaments, though Northside snapped the Eagles' streak at seven two years ago. Last winter, Franklin County beat Byrd for the crown. Another duel between these teams appears to be shaping up in the Big Orange.
Cave Spring: The Knights also have a new coach in Ray Broughman, who returns to his alma mater after a career in the military, where he was an all-army wrestler and qualified for the Olympic trials in 1984.
This Cave Spring team is loaded with freshmen and sophomores. Cody Blankenship (125) and Matt Chirdon (112) return after making the Northwest Region tournament. Adam Maneen was a district runner-up at 145 and moves to 152, and Rich Miera (130) and John-Paul Bourgeois (135) also made the regional. Kris Duffield (140) is a strong freshman prospect.
Glenvar: Dave Mueller predicted his team would win the Pioneer District, but some of his experienced wrestlers did not return for various reasons. Kevin Solesbee (152) is hampered by a knee injury suffered in football, but heavyweight D.J. Reed hopes to improve on a third-place finish in the Group A meet. Aaron Akers (189) won district and Region C titles, and Dan Robertson (160) was fourth in the region.
James River: The Knights welcome back Shawn Brown (125), who was sixth in Group A after winning regional and district crowns, and Luke Mason (171), who made the Group A meet. Transfers Kevin Camp (152), who was a Group A qualifier for Parry McCluer, and Billy Joe Carter (171), who was runner-up in Region III for Rockbridge County, make coach Otis Timberlake's team a potential force in the Group A ranks.
Liberty: A very young group of Minutemen will be led by Ricky Dooley, who was a Region III runner-up as a sophomore 112-pounder, then was knocked out of the Seminole District tournament as a top seed at 119 because of a torn rotator cuff. His brother, Gary (103), also shows promise.
Lord Botetourt: The Cavaliers will feature Ross Miller (135), who won the Blue Ridge District title. Rocky Lark (189) is another solid athlete who can go a long way. Kenny Michalski (119) returns after a year's absence, and Caleb Rossi (145) was 18-6 before failing to make weight at the Region III tournament. Sophomore K.B. Rodgers (171) combines with freshmen Rob Bowman (112), Shawn Freeman (125) and Paul Craft (135) to make the Cavaliers a potential challenger to Byrd.
North Cross: Timesland's only private school with a wrestling program will count on some youngsters. Three strong underclassmen with experience for the Raiders are Jason Ward (160), Daniel Cho (145) and Lane Longbrake (130). They all placed in the Virginia Independent Conference tournament.
Northside: Veteran coach Mark Agner says the Vikings will be new and improved, with 28 of their 38 wrestlers coming from the sophomore and freshman classes. The top returning regular is Brad Hungate, who was fifth in Group AA at 119, although he might move to 130. Tommy Dickinson (125) was fifth in Region III, and Jason Vaughn (140) also made the regional tournament a year ago.
Patrick Henry: Khamsouk Chanthavixay (112) was the Patriots' top wrestler a season ago. Mike Boyd (140) also should be a strong contributor, and Brandon Frost (103) was third in the Roanoke Valley District.
Salem: The Spartans are led by Drew Givens, who was fourth in the Group AA meet at 112. He'll likely move to 119. Another top athlete is heavyweight Dan Baker, who was fifth in Group AA. The best newcomer might be Matt Dillon (125).
Staunton River: The Golden Eagles have three returning Region III qualifiers in Jamie Williams (119), Danny Thomas (140) and Josh Ridgeway (103). Ridgeway made the Group AA tournament after a fourth-place finish in the region.
William Fleming: The Colonels have new coach - Thad Kiesnowski - and a young team. Maurice Lacy (119) is the only returning regular who made the Northwest Region meet. But Kiesnowski hopes Carl Tinsley (112), Shakir Majied (215), Corey Prosser (171), Dequan Mayo (189) and Alexis Brown (152 or 160) can help Fleming challenge Franklin County in the Roanoke Valley District.
LENGTH: Long : 124 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS/Staff. David Anderson (left) andby CNBRandall Sell (right) are two returning lettermen who placed in last
year's Group AA state meet for William Byrd. With them is their new
coach, Adam Williams. color.