ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Friday, March 1, 1996 TAG: 9603010044
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-2 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: BOB TEITLEBAUM< STAFF WRITER
GRUNDY HAS WON the past nine state titles, but William Byrd may prove a worthy opponent today at the Salem Civic Center.
Maybe this should be renamed the Grundy Invitational wrestling tournament weekend.
For nine years, the Golden Wave has carted home the Group AA title and there's no reason to believe this year will be an exception.
``We're excited,'' said Grundy coach Kevin Dressler, who has been at the helm for eight state titles. ``Any time you start a double-digit milestone, that's something the whole community can be proud of. So we'll have a lot of screaming people in Salem. We have some great fans.''
While Grundy, ranked 16th nationally by USA Today, might be the headline, there are rewards aplenty awaiting Timesland teams and individuals in the Group AA and Group A tournaments that will be conducted simultaneously starting at 10:30 a.m. today at the Salem Civic Center.
William Byrd, under first-year coach Adam Williams, might not challenge Grundy for Group AA honors, but the Terriers hope to be the team that takes home the second-place trophy to go with Region III and Blue Ridge District crowns.
The good news for other teams is Dressler said this edition of the Golden Wave doesn't have a superstar such as four-time state champion Shane Bowman (135 pounds), who graduated in 1992, or three-time state titlist Greg Stiltner (171), who was an outstanding wrestler at the University of Iowa.
The bad news is this: ``Balance-wise, this is the best team,'' Dressler said. ``I've got seven sophomores and seven seniors. If teams want to beat us, they have to come out and beat us, because we don't have a weak spot.''
Grundy has no unbeaten wrestlers after facing tough competition, including defending Group AAA champion Great Bridge, which it beat. The Golden Wave qualified all 14 of its wrestlers, including 12 Region IV champions.
Poquoson, by numbers, could challenge, with eight champions and 14 wrestlers qualifying out of Region I. Williams says this might be misleading and doesn't eliminate the Terriers from the battle to finish second.
``Region I is the smallest in the state,'' Williams said of the area that has only nine schools with wrestling programs. ``If we were healthy, we could place as many and some higher than Poquoson. When it gets to the state tournament, it's much more quality over quantity.''
Byrd is not healthy. Region III champion Lonnie Wade (130 pounds) is out with mononucleosis and Randall Sell (119), also a region champion, has been sick this week but will wrestle.
``We're peaking at the right time,'' Williams said. ``I wanted to win the regionals. The way we did it was a little above expectations. I had some guys come through. With Lonnie out, if the other guys produce, we can still reach our other goal of finishing second in the state.''
One of the keys will be David Anderson, who at 125 pounds was third in the state last year. He'll likely have competition from Northside's Brad Hungate, whom he beat in the Region III title match. Hungate was fifth in Group AA last year in the 119-pound class.
Christiansburg's Jamie Harris (112) may be another Timesland best bet in Group AA. He won the Region IV title and comes back from a state runner-up finish last year.
In Group A, Radford has put together a team that finished just ahead of Floyd County in Region C. The Bobcats hope to step up and challenge perennial powers Northampton, Mathews and Brentsville District.
Radford won four Region C titles and qualified nine wrestlers for the state tournament. Floyd County, which lost by 16 points in the regional competition, also is bringing nine wrestlers.
The Bobcats are led by returning state fourth-place finishers Ryan Hall (103) and Stephen Murphy (112), who have moved up a couple of weight classes. Hall is wrestling in the 119-pound class now, while Murphy has moved up to 125.
Defending state champion Northampton is bringing 13 wrestlers with five Region A champions, the same as Brentsville District out of Region B.
The best opportunity for a Timesland state title might come from Shawsville's Scott Holleman, who lost in the 171-pound championship a year ago.
Quarterfinals are tonight at 6:30, with semifinals Saturday at 10:30 a.m. Consolations are scheduled for 5 p.m. Saturday, with finals to start two hours later.
GROUP AAA: In Chesapeake, Franklin County tries to improve last year's fifth-place team finish. The Eagles won the Northwest Region last weekend and their efforts will be headed by regional champions Ivan Trotter (145) and Brian Jones (152). Jones finished third in the state last year as did 103-pounder Trung Nguyen, who was third in the region.
``We're banged up. For the last two weeks, we've had to practice carefully,'' said Kris Kahila, the Eagles' coach. ``We haven't been able to practice the way we like and that's why winning the region was big.''
Franklin County was beaten by defending champion and favorite Great Bridge in a dual meet this year, but it also had lost to Stonewall Jackson before winning the region title over the Raiders by 17 1/2 points.
LENGTH: Medium: 92 linesby CNB