THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, July 31, 1994 TAG: 9407290263
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 28 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 70 lines
FOR A RETURNING All-American, Mike Mercado sure didn't take a lot of confidence into the U.S. Wrestling Association National Cadet Freestyle Championships in Columbia, Mo.
His concerns seemed justified. Mercado, a rising junior at Tallwood and a Group AAA state runner-up, went into the nationals after a disappointing performance in the Cadet World Team Trials. An ankle injury then cut into his pre-tournament training.
So despite finishing third at the cadet nationals a year ago, ``I felt like I was coming in as the underdog this year,'' Mercado said.
Score one for the underdog. Mercado, bolstered by a sizzling two-day run in which he won all seven of his matches, placed fourth out of more than 90 wrestlers in the 103.5-pound class and attained All-American status again.
``This shows I was no joke,'' Mercado said. ``The first two days, it was the best tournament of my life.''
It could have been even better. Mercado led, 4-1, in his first match of the third day against David Stoltz of Illinois. The winner would be guaranteed a shot at the final. But Stoltz rallied late and pulled out a 6-4 victory.
Mercado then dropped a 6-3 decision to Arizona's Brian Tellez in the third-place match.
Mercado's ankle, which was heavily taped before each match, got progressively worse as the tournament went on. But neither Mercado nor coach Dave Bridger offered the injury as an excuse. Mercado elected to focus on the positive - finishing in the top four in the nation for the second straight year.
``This one felt really good because it was a tougher field than last year,'' he said.
Mercado also spread the credit around for his success.
``I've got to give special thanks to coach Bridger for helping train me and keeping me focused,'' he said. My mom (Norma Mercado) helped a lot, too. She drove all the way out there last year. This year, she flew. It feels good to have someone in my corner.''
This marked the 10th year of the national cadet championships, and the fifth straight year Virginia has sent a team. The tournament featured 1,665 wrestlers and 3,600 freestyle and Greco-Roman bouts.
Mercado was one of 36 members of Bridger's state cadet team to compete at the nationals. Quinn Foster of Paul VI, a parochial school in Fairfax, was the state's only other All-American. Great Bridge's Jimmy Hawthorne finished fifth in his pool (each weight class was split into two pools for round-robin type matches), missing by one place a shot at the medal round.
The tournament brought to an end what has been a staggeringly long wrestling season for Mercado. While most wrestlers wound down after the Group AAA state championships, Mercado was just warming up.
``He practiced through spring break, he practiced on Memorial Day; he's basically been wrestling straight through the summer,'' Bridger said.
With his ankle still tender, Mercado, who expects to wrestle at 112 pounds for Tallwood this season, acknowledges a little time off is probably in order.
``I always think there's someone else out there working really hard,'' he said. ``I figure I've got to train just as hard.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff file photo
A national championship at 103.5 pounds was just out of reach for
Mike Mercado, who will be a junior at Tallwood this year.
by CNB