ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, February 20, 1997 TAG: 9702200023
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-3 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
TYPE: HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS
SOURCE: RAY COX STAFF WRITER
Seen at the state wrestling tournament last weekend:
The Kamal Chantal entourage was at full complement. Much of the same gallery (and probably a few extras) came down to the Salem Civic Center floor to congratulate the Floyd County High 152-pounder on his second Group A championship in as many years.
Chantal was on the receiving end of more body contact at the awards ceremony than he'd had the whole tournament. But then in the tournament, nobody laid much of a hand on him anyway.
Chantal did trail briefly in his championship tilt with Jeremiah Brockenbrough of Parry McCluer. But only briefly.
"Even though I was losing, I never thought that I wasn't going to win,'' Chantal said.
Chantal capped a 35-bout winning streak and finished his senior campaign 24-0.
He's been wrestling less than five years.
"Last year when I won, I'd only been wrestling three years,'' he said. "I appreciate the second one more because now I know what I've done.''
Also advancing to the round of 16 with Chantal were teammates Ben Seals (171), David Philips (160), Mathew Blackwell (135), Patrick Coulehan (130), Josh Copos (125) and Joseph Goorskey (112).
Goorskey was a state runner-up and Coulehan grappled his way to third.
EAR PLUGS: The loudest of cheers, according to an unofficial poll of the press table tucked back in front of the grandstand before the mats where the Group AA tournament was contested, was that the largest cheer of all was reserved for matches between wrestlers from Christiansburg and Grundy.
Grundy and its local wrestling club, it may be recalled, was the former employer of first-year Blue Demons boss Kevin Dresser. It seems some of the Grundy people are having emotional problems with their former coach being on the other side of the mat.
Christiansburg isn't up to the standard of the Golden Wave, which, relentless as ever, won the AA team crown again. But Dresser has his Demons on the march.
It was a generally held opinion that the whole of the local wrestling scene in Timesland was going to improve as Christiansburg does.
The Demons didn't have any champions, but Jamie Harris (103) and Eric Schmucker were as gallant and graceful a runner-up as could be found on any mat. Class doesn't hide well.
BIG CATS: Also on the move is Radford, which took home individual titles with Ryan Hall (125), Brian Hudson (130), Mike Dunbar (145) and Peter Lee (160). The Bobcats contended for the team title into the quarterfinals.
"It's been exciting,'' Bobcats coach Tony DeHart said. "We've had a shot at it. It was nice just having a shot. If we'd have won, it would have been nice for the whole area, not just Radford.
"Our area is going to get better in wrestling. You wait. We may not ever be Grundy, but we're coming.''
LUNCH TIME: DeHart had a lot on his mind, as you might expect. His heaviest mental burden may have been anxiety over Dunbar's diet.
"I hope he doesn't drink too many Dr Peppers,'' DeHart said. "Mike lives on Dr Pepper and junk food.''
Added teammate Benjy Fry: "Mike doesn't exactly follow strict wrestling food guidelines.'' ... Fry on coaching: "This stuff gets your heart pounding. I don't know if I could take it as a coach. It has to be hard on you. If I coached, I imagine I'd start to look like DeHart.''
HARD LUCK: The bummer of the tournament for the locals was had by Shawsville 135-pounder Paul Sink, a winner of 54 matches in two years.
Sink had to withdraw after breaking three ribs and separating his shoulder during a match.
"I kept on going after it happened, too,'' he said. "That made it worse.''
Sink did not know the extent of the damage until after undergoing X-rays.
"I knew I was hurt,'' he said, "but not like that.''
Sink, a senior who won't have this chance again, was at matside during the championship finals.
"I'm a little groggy,'' he said. "The doctor said the worst pain is yet to come.''
LENGTH: Medium: 81 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: Stephanie Klein-Davis. Kamal Chantal pins Todd Kudirkaby CNBof J.J. Kelly High School for a win in the Virginia State Wrestling
Championship Quarterfinals. color.