ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 15, 1997 TAG: 9702180031
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOHN A. MONTGOMERY STAFF WRITER
THE 10-TIME STATE CHAMPIONS have a fight on their hands in the Group AA meet.
When you're the nine-time defending state champion, everyone else is after you.
But this season, somebody's actually got a chance.
Grundy High School, seeking its 11th consecutive Group AA wrestling title, held the lead following the quarterfinal round of wrestling at Salem Civic Center on Friday night with 113 points. But Poquoson, often a strong contender, followed closely at 103.5 points.
The semifinals, which begin at 10:30 this morning, should determine whether Poquoson can break Grundy's stronghold. The finals are scheduled for 7 tonight.
Aside from Grundy and Poquoson, the next battle - albeit a distant one - is for third. Christiansburg and William Byrd are both within striking distance. After the quarterfinals, Christiansburg is tied for fourth place (38 points), and Byrd is tied for sixth (37).
``We've got three guys in the semis at 103 [Jamie Harris], 152 [Eric Schmucker], and 171 [Trinity Heckman] pounds,'' said Christiansburg coach Kevin Dresser, who coached Grundy to eight state crowns before leaving last spring. ``I'm excited about that.''
Heckman must face Grundy's Scott Justus in the semifinal round this morning. Dresser coached Justus to the state title at 171 pounds last year.
``I spent a lot of time with those [Grundy] kids,'' Dresser said. ``Part of me will be pulling for them.''
Byrd takes three wrestlers to the semifinals also - Chris Madonia at 103, Corey Walker at 112, and Timothy Boothe at 215.
Boothe, who placed fifth in the state last year, ran his season record to 29-0 with a 10-3 decision over Southampton's Ohnja Bynum in the quarterfinals.
``I feel confident,'' said Boothe. ``I've had a good season. But the true test comes tomorrow.''
Byrd's 119-pounder, Randall Sell, who finished sixth in the state as a sophomore and third in the state as a junior, was upset in the quarterfinals by King George's John Jenkins 7-6 in overtime. Sell led 5-1 with 25 seconds remaining in regulation, but gave up an escape, a takedown, and a stalling point just before the buzzer. Sell was called for stalling again in overtime.
``I can't explain it,'' said Byrd coach Adam Williams. ``Randall was called for four stalling points during the match and he took six shots and scored two takedowns. The wrestlers weren't allowed to decide this match.''
``I try never to blame a loss on anybody else,'' Sell said. ``Maybe I shouldn't have been as relaxed as I was with 30 seconds left, but this was a heartbreaker. I've worked so hard ''
Sell came back in the consolation round to post a 16-4 victory, despite incurring a cut above the eye that required post-match stitches.
``I'm going to go out tomorrow and finish third,'' Sell predicted, ``and prove to everybody that I'm the best wrestler at 119.''
Salem junior Jamie Giarla waltzed into the semifinals at 189 with two convincing wins Friday, raising his season record to 24-1. Last year he finished 28-1 and placed third in the state.
``We've never had a state champion,'' said Salem coach Roger Lovern. ``We're ready to put his picture up on our [gymnasium lobby] wall.''
TEAM SCORES
1. Grundy (GRU) 113; 2. Poquoson (POQ) 103.5; 3. Brookville (BRK) 39.5; 4.(tie) Turner Ashby (TA), Christiansburg (CBG) 38; 6.(tie) William Byrd (WB), Tabb (TAB) 37; 8. Northampton (NH) 28.5; 9. Liberty-Bealeton (LBT) 28; 10. Warren County (WC) 27; 11. Sherando (SHE) 26; 12.(tie) Northside (NS), Broadway (BW) 22; 14. Virginia High (VA) 19; 15. Bruton (BRU) 18.5; 16. Bassett (BAS) 18; 17. York (Y) 17.5; 18. Matoaca (MAT) 16; 19.(tie) King George (KG), Lee County (LEE) 15; 21. Laurel Park (LP) 14.5; 22. Magna Vista (MV) 14; 23.(tie) John Handley (HAN), Lord Botetourt (LB) 13; 25.(tie) Nandua (NAN), Spotsylvania (SPV), Patrick County (PC), Marion (M) 11; 29. Grafton (GRA) 10; 30.(tie) Salem (SAL), Jefferson Forest (JF), Fauquier (FQ), Appomattox (APP) 9; 34. Fort Defiance (FD) 8; 35. Southampton (SH) 7; 36.(tie) Rustburg (RUS), Carroll County (CC) 6; 38. Staunton River (SR) 5.5; 39. Lebanon (LEB) 5; 40. Richlands (RIC) 4; 41.(tie) James Wood (JW), Western Albemarle (WA), Spotswood (SW) 3; 44.(tie) Tunstall (TUN), Tazewell (TAZ), Orange County (OR), Martinsville (MTV), Louisa County (LOU), Liberty-Bedford (LBF), Alleghany County (ALL) 2; 51. Heritage (HER) 1; 52.(tie) William Campbell (WC), Robert E. Lee (REL), Rockbridge County (RB), Loudon County (LC), Loudon Valley (LV), Fieldale-Collinsville (FC), Abingdon (AB) 0.
FIRST ROUND
103 pounds-Belcher (GRU) p. Hill (OR):12; Madonia (WB) tf. Moyers (BW) 16-1; Dooley (LBF) d. Kessler (WAR) 15-8; Akers (POQ) p. Nickelston (MV) :33; Haynes (LB) d. Sardelis (JH) 5-4; Dunn (Gra) p. Baldwin (AB) 4:15; Webb (NH) md. Milam (Bas) 13-4; Harris (CBG) p. Kimmel (JW) 1:27.
112-Hartford (GRU) tf. Jones (NH) 21-6, 5:09; Parker (BKV) p. Schaefer (SW) 5:36; Butcher (SRO) d. DeRosset (CBG) 8-3; Brandon FitzPatrick (POQ) tf. Almany (VA) 16-1; Heflin (LBT) d. Bowman (APP) 7-5, OT; Austin (MAT) md. Clark (PC) 13-3; Prokup (Y) d. Yeary (LEE) 12-5; Walker (WB) d. Chacey (FQ) 9-3.
119-Newport (GRU) d. Crozier (OR) 11-4; Crist (CBG) tf. Rudolph (SRO) 17-2; Francis (TUN) d. Ganse (JW) 9-5; Miskell (POQ) p. Hensley (LEE) 1:05;
Nagy (BW) d. Michalski (LB) 2-0; Dickenson (MV) d. Austin (MAT) 9-5; Jenkins (KG) md. Harris (TAZ) 10-2; Sell (WB) tf. Amheiser (WAR) 17-2.
125-Young (GRU) p. Penten (OR) 3:42; McMillion (SW) d. Proctor (WB) 4-2; Lyle (APP) d. England (SRO) 10-4; Gillispie (POQ) p. Hedgecock (MV) 1:34; Brooks (LBT) md. Bowman (LB) 14-3; Gentili (TAB) tf. Jones (M) 15-0; Cardone (NH p. Lowe (RIC) 4:35; Jardine (WAR) p. Slusser (NS) 5:24.
130-Deel (GRU) p. Jackson (FD) 3:46; Cannon (NH) p. Dillon (SAL) :58; Summerlin (BKV) d. Forrest (POQ) 8-7; Palutke (SRO) tf. Niblett (MTV) 15-0; DeSantis (KG) d. Hall (LB) 8-2; Willis (LBT) won by forfeit over Reynolds (AB); Hamm (PC) md. Showalter (BW) 13-3; Hendershot (JF) d. Reid (NAN) 6-3.
135-Ryder (MV) d. Richman (SRO) 6-4; Holloway (POQ) p. O'Brien (WB) 3:46; Roop (NS) tf. Bowen (NH) 16-0, 2:18; Baker (TA) tf. Hayden (M) 17-3; Templeton (TAB) tf. Neff (ALL) 15-0; Lucas (HB) p. Angles (TAZ) 5:04; Gibson (GRU) d. Robinson (JW) 16-9; Shuler (BKV) tf. Taft (KG) 16-1.
140-Griffey (GRU) d. Simmons (JH) 9-3; Jones (BRU) d. McKinney (TUN) 12-5; Ward (LOU) d. Alberti (RB) 7-6; Mason (WAR) md. Corbett (VA) 11-2; Gori (POQ) won by forfeit over Toler (CBG); Glovier (BW) d. Barnard (CC) 4-1; Bayliss (SRO) p. Wells (MTV) 2:29; Thomas (SR) tf. Hines (NH) 15-0.
145-Cochran (GRU) md. Boyd (JH) 10-2; Holloway (BRU) d. Thurlow (CBG) 7-5; Hager (MAT) p. Cook (NS) 5:52; Baker (TA) tf. Favero (FC) 19-2; Hurr (POQ) d. Hambrick (LBF) 9-6; Langston (M) p. Sperry (WAR) 5:35; Lanier (LP) tf. Hulver (BW) 15-0, 3:18; Woody (BKV) p. Metzler (NH) 5:03.
152-Robertson (GRU) tf. Kinnie (SRO) 21-5; Vaughan (NS) p. McKeag (TAB) 2:44; Craft (LB) p. E. Trower (NH) 5:23; Wright (HB) p. Sigmond (LEE) 3:04; Inge (POQ) d. Callands (RUS) 11-5; Shively (BAS) p. Wynn (LC) 3:35; Newberry (RIC) d. Richmond (REL) 9-7; Schmucker (CBG) p. Torres (Y) 3:51.
160-Bishop (GRU) p. Backner (NS) :31; Thomas (SRO) d. M. Trower (NH) 12-5; Anthes (SPV) p. Showalter (TA) :43; Morrison (PC) p. Mitchell (BKV) 3:36; Brad Fitzpatrick (POQ) p. Nicholson (FD) 1:02; Maki (M) d. Jones (WB) 8-6; Metzler (ALL) d. Taylor (LEE) 17-14; Loan (HB) tf. Doughty (NAN) 19-4.
171-Justus (GRU) p. Turner (ALL) 1:10; Hartman (FD) d. Stienecker (BRU) 2-1; Ruth (WA) Johnson (NH) 8-5; Heckman (CBG) p. Satterfield (LEE) 3:51; Hunt (POQ) md. Bender (TA) 11-3; Shumate (MTV)d. Campbell (LB) 5-3; Lanier (LP) p. Alley (BKV) 3:35; Hoffman (FQ) p. Keller (KG) 3:21.
189-Martin (LEE) p. Lawson (ALL) :56; Smith (BRU) d. Huffman (TA) 12-5; Hurr (POQ) d. Haley (FQ) 7-6; Giarla (SAL) p. Corns (PC) :34; Waite (TAB) d. Shutts (JH) 9-3; Barns (BAS) p. Dero (BKV) 3:08; Owens (GRU) p. Edmondson (NS)1;36; Reynolds (BW) won by forfeit over Hudson (Y).
215-Hale (VA) p. Christy (JF) 1:07; Coles (LBT) d. Cochet (POQ) 7-2; Bynum (SH) p. Woods (JH) 2:43; Boothe (WB) p. Lawson (RIC) 1:44; Holmes (Y) tf. Kidwell (SRO) 18-2, 3:58; Sanchez (BAS) p. Dooley (RUS) 1:08; Hale (GRU) p. McGuire (LBF) 5:38; Lane (TA) md. Jones (TAB) 13-4.
275-Owens (GRU) p. Stewart (HER) 1:34; Prieto (TA) p. Fifer (LOU) 3:20; Falk (NAN) p. Papirtis (LC) 5:20; Gilliland (BKV) d. Joyce (RIC) 6-4; Namkung (TAB) md. Valentine (LV) 13-5; Edwards (VA) p. Maciel (WB) 1:14; Beavers (LEB) p. Phelps (APP) :48; Hull (LBT) p. Holley (NH) 1:27.
QUARTERFINALS
103 pounds-Madonia (WB) d. Belcher (GRU) 13-9; Akers (POQ) p. Dooley (LBF) 1:07; Dunn (GRA) md. Haynes (LB) 9-1; Harris (CBG) p. Webb (NH) 4:09.
112-Hartford (GRU) d. Parker (BKV) 8-2; Brandon FitzPatrick (POQ) md. Butcher (SRO) 15-4; Austin (MAT) md. Heflin (LBT) 14-1; Walker (WB) d. Prokup (Y) 11-9.
119-Newport (GRU) p. Crist (CBG) :58; Miskell (POQ) p. Francis (TUN) 3:03; Dickenson (MV) d. Nagy (BW) 4-3; Jenkins (KG) d. Sell (WB) 7-6, OT.
125-Young (GRU) p. McMillion (SW) 3:19; Gillispie (POQ) p. Lyle (APP) 3:54; Brooks (LBP) p. Gentili (TAB) 3:28; Cardone (NH) d. Jardine (WAR) 7-3.
130-Deel (GRU) d. Cannon (NH) 5-3; Summerlin (BKV) d. Palutke (SRO) 3-2; DeSantis (KG) d. Willis (LBT) 5-2; Hendershot (JF) p. Hamm (PC) 5:26.
135-Ryder (MV) d. Holloway (POQ) 11-7; Roop (NS) md. Baker (TA) 14-6; Templeton (TAB) d. Lucas (HB) 5-3; Shuler (BKV) d. Gibson (GRU) 9-3.
140-Griffey (GRU) p. Jones (BRU) 3:33; Mason (WAR) p. Ward (LOU) 1:47; Gori (POQ) p. Glover (BW) 1:13; Bayliss (SRO) md. Thomas (SR) 12-4.
145-Cochran (GRU) d. Holloway (BRU) 7-1; Baker (TA) p. Hager (MAT) 4:45; Hurr (POQ) p. Langston (M) 5:17; Woody (BKV) d. C. Lanier (LP) 10-8.
152-Robertson (GRU) p. Vaughan (NS) 1:17; Wright (HB) tf. Craft (LB) 21-6; Inge (POQ) d. Shively (BAS) 6-2; Schmucker (CBG) md. Newberry (RIC) 15-5.
160-Bishop (GRU) p. Thomas (SRO) :54; Anthes (SPV) p. Morrison (PC) 3:30; Brad FitzPatrick (POQ) p. Maki (M) 4:15; Loan (HB) tf. Metzler (ALL) 18-2.
171-Justus (GRU) p. Hartman (FD) 3:11; Heckman (CBG) d. Ruth (WA) 6-4; Hunt (POQ) d. Shumate (MTV) 7-2; A. Lanier (LP) d. Hoffman (FQ) 7-4.
189-Smith (BRU) tf. Martin (LEE) 26-11; 5:06; Giarla (SAL) d. Hurr (POQ) 6-2; Waite (TAB) p. Barns (BAS) 2:49; Reynolds (BW) d. Owens (GRU) 7-1.
215-Hale (VA) p. Coles (LBT) 2;45; Boothe (WB) d. Bynum (SH) 10-3; Holmes (Y) md. Sanchez (BAS) 16-5; Lane (TA) p. Hale (GRU) 1:33.
275-Owens (GRU) md. Prieto (TA) 9-1; Gilliland (BKV) p. Falk (NA) 3:40; Namkung (TAB) d. Edwards (VA) 5-2; Hull (LBT) p. Beavers (LEB) 2:23.
LENGTH: Long : 175 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: STEPHANIE KLEIN-DAVIS STAFF. Randall Sell (left) ofby CNBWilliam Byrd tries to gain control in his 7-6 loss to John Jenkins
of King George in the 119-pound class. color.