THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 14, 1994 TAG: 9412140565
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 57 lines
Considering the way he wrestles and how long his matches usually take, the Western Branch Bruins couldn't have picked a better nickname for 152-pounder Byron Tucker when they dubbed him ``The Flash.''
Tucker, a two-time state placewinner and a senior transfer student from Dinwiddie High near Petersburg, is an exciting combination of quickness and aggressiveness on the mat.
``His instincts are incredible,'' Western Branch coach Terry Perdew said. ``He'll get started in one direction, and when the other guy goes to counter, Byron will already be working from a different direction. I shake my head in amazement.''
But while it's fun to watch Tucker in action, there really hasn't been much to see so far this season. He's won all but one of his nine matches by pins, including an eight-second fall Friday in the opening round of the Western Branch Invitational.
He followed that up with a 1:08 fall in the quarterfinals and a 1:28 pin in the semis, his eighth in eight matches.
``I try to pin all of my opponents,'' said Tucker, who wasn't taken down or reversed last season until the state tournament. ``When you go into a match thinking like that, it keeps you aggressive. I like to be the relentless one.''
Had he kept better track of the score in the final against First Colonial's Josh Balsly, he may have added pin No. 9 to his record.
``I thought I was only ahead by about eight points,'' Tucker said. ``I rolled him into a cradle, but I couldn't pin him. I didn't realize that was the match.''
Even so, Tucker's impressive victory over the tough Balsly earned the Bruins senior a share of the tournament's outstanding wrestler award, along with Salem's Chip Reyes and Deep Creek's Ryan Baker. Tucker also picked up the award for most pins (three) in the least time (2:45). For those accomplishments, he is The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star's boys athlete of the week.
And to think, a couple of months ago, Perdew didn't even know who this guy was.
``The name didn't mean anything when I first met him, and of course, he didn't tell me how good he was,'' the coach said.
It didn't take long before Perdew realized what he had, and for Tucker to understand the greater chance for exposure that comes with competing in a wrestling hotbed such as Western Branch.
As is the case with just about everything about Tucker, it happened in a flash. by CNB