ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 9, 1997 TAG: 9702110011
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C-10 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: CHRISTIANSBURG
SOURCE: ANGIE WATTS STAFF WRITER
It wasn't exactly the way William Byrd wrestling coach Adam Williams would have scripted the Terriers' third consecutive Region III title, but it will do.
Byrd won by a whopping 99.5 points a year ago, but the 1997 title came down to the tournament's final two matches.
Leading the Brookville Bees by four points, Terriers junior Timmy Boothe was set to battle Rustburg's Alex Dooley in the 215-pound weight class. The heavyweight match pitted William Byrd and Brookville head-to-head, but a victory by Boothe at 215 would settle the title.
With the Brookville fans decisively behind Dooley, Boothe let his nerves get the best of him. The junior, who was looking to defend his regional crown, fell behind Dooley early, nearly getting pinned. Dooley had Boothe on his back, but was unable to get the three-second count before Boothe wriggled free.
"That's the first time I've been on my back in about two years," Boothe said. "And I didn't like that feeling at all. I guess I was nervous coming out, but that calmed my nerves tremendously and got me motivated."
Scoring one point on the escape, Boothe then took control of the match. He recorded the pin - and secured the team title for William Byrd - in a time of 2:37.
"It was a tough situation to be in, but I don't worry about Boothe," Williams said. "He handles himself pretty well."
William Byrd had seven wrestlers in the finals, and three won regional titles. Brookville captured four individual titles, the most of any of the 17 teams represented.
A victory by Brookville heavyweight Nick Gilliland over William Byrd's Kenis Maciel by a 6-4 decision left the Terriers with a narrow 217.5 to 211.5 victory.
"It was tough out there today," Williams said. "Half of our team wrestled and half didn't. Don't get me wrong, everyone contributed, but we looked a little flat tonight in some areas. But then we had seven guys advance to the finals that looked great."
Corey Walker got William Byrd rolling in the 112-pound class, recovering from a 6-2 deficit after the second period to knot the score at 8-8 at the end of regulation. Walker recorded a takedown of Brookville's Nicholas Parker 33 seconds into the overtime for the win.
Another key victory for the Terriers came from defending regional champion Randall Sell. The senior 119-pounder notched to a 7-1 victory over Christiansburg's Ronnie Crist to defend his title. A third-place finisher in the state meet last year, Sell has set his sights on a state title.
"It was real important for me as far as the seeding for next week's tournament," Sell said. "I wanted to set the tone for next week and go into states with a good mental focus and a positive attitude. I've worked all four years for this and I want it to pay off in the end."
Individually for Christiansburg, which finished third in the team scoring with 168 points, senior Jamie Harris captured his first regional championship in the 103 division with a 13-2 major decision over William Byrd's Chris Madonia. Harris is the defending state champion, and said he is ready to go for two straight.
"I'm just going to work hard this week," Harris said, "and from here on out I'm going to try to fulfill all of my goals by winning with pins."
LENGTH: Medium: 66 linesby CNB