THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, December 11, 1994 TAG: 9412110248
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ROBIN BRINKLEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 64 lines
Cox got pins from top-ranked Jesse Correll and Brian Wilson in the finals and held off Western Branch to win the Bruins' invitational Saturday night at Western Branch.
``This means a lot to come in here and beat them in their own tourney,'' Wilson said after pinnig First Colonial's Patrick McDowell in 4:39.
``They've won this the past three years, ever since I've known about it.''
Cox put six wrestlers in the finals and scored 194 1/2 points. Western Branch, with four finalists and three champions, had 186 points, followed by Granby with 140, First Colonial with 138 1/2 and Princess Anne with 135 1/2.
Salem's Chip Reyes, Western Branch's Byron Tucker and Deep Creek's Ryan Baker shared the outstanding wrestler award.
Tucker also took home a trophy for the most pins in the least time. His three pins totaled only 2:45.
That didn't include a technical fall of First Colonial's Josh Balsly in the finals.
Tucker, a two-time state placewinner who transferred this fall from Dinwiddie, dragged that one out a full 3:57.
``I was trying to pin him,'' Tucker said. ``He was a good competitor.''
Reyes, the defending state champion at 103, has moved up to 119 and is enjoying every morsel of it.
``I'm not having to lose any weight this year and I feel much better,'' he said after pinning Cox's Jeff Kramer in 1:50.
Baker faced the toughest competition of the three. He beat Maury's third-ranked Josh Bradley, 10-2, in the semifinals and stopped Granby's second-ranked William Thornton in a technical fall at 5:55 in the finals.
Western Branch's Lee Butler, top-ranked at 103, beat Granby's Reuben Waites, 10-2, in the 112-pound final.
Butler, a senior who routinely gave away pounds as an undersized 103-pounder his first two seasons, said he plans to cut down this season.
``I'm kind of small for a 112-pounder,'' he said. ``It will be pretty rough, but I think I can do it.''
And the reward for losing weight?
``A state championship,'' he said.
In other finals:
Granby's Reuben Dio edged Western Branch's Matt Viola, 6-5, at 103.
Salem's third-ranked Ramon Copeland beat First Copeland's JeffBernd, 5-3, at 125.
Granby's Tripp Nofplott trimmed Cox's Wes Lewis, 9-7, at 130.
Deep Creek's second-ranked David Gwaltney beat Granby's third-ranked Chris Martin, 6-3, at 135.
Correll pinned Maury's Lewis Wallace in 3:02 at 140.
Western Branch's second-ranked Sean Sanderlin beat Cox's third-ranked Kevin Sullivan, 5-2, at 145.
Princess Anne's Boby Julian beat Cox's Doug Dolenti, 14-9, at 160.
Salem's second-ranked Daemon Schultz pinned Maury's Michael Ebong in 4:34 at 189. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
BETH BERGMAN/Staff
Granby's Reuben Dio, at bottom, works against Matt Viola of Western
Branch in their 103-pound match.
by CNB