THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, February 4, 1995 TAG: 9502040472
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C2 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: Medium: 66 lines
A pair of heavyweights, Maury's Steve Bruner and Cox' Brian Wilson, played hero within seconds of each other Friday night and propelled their teams into the semifinals of the Eastern Region Duals Wrestling Championships at Lake Taylor.
Bruner, who wrestled for Catholic last year, pinned Jay Williams at 5:13 as the Commodores snuck past Peninsula District champion Denbigh, 31-30.
``I knew I was in good condition, so my goal was to make him wrestle and tire him out,'' Bruner said.
Midway through his post-match comments, defending state champion Wilson decked Western Branch's Marcus Edmunds at 1:48 on an adjacent mat as the Falcons roared past the Bruins, 31-27.
Wilson's pin followed falls by Ike Tucker (171) and Jeff Balisle (189) for the Falcons, who exploited the inexperienced section of the Bruins' lineup and erased a 14-point deficit heading into 171.
``I asked coach (Jud Stokes) if we could still win after 160, and he said we needed two pins and a decision,'' Wilson said. ``You never go out there expecting to get a pin, but I was hoping I'd get one.''
In the second half of the tournament doubleheader, Eastern District champion Lake Taylor whipped Gloucester, 38-21, while four-time defending regional duals champion Great Bridge took care of Tallwood, 40-22.
The Wildcats (19-1) and Titans (15-4) will meet for the third time since Jan. 14 today at 2 p.m. in one semifinal, while the Falcons (15-2) and Commodores (11-4) face off in the other. The separate admission final is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Both finalists will advance to the Group AAA state duals tournament beginning next Friday and hosted by the Northern Region champion.
The Bruins' 14-point lead heading into 171 was essentially a 15-point advantage, since Western Branch had already secured the tiebreaker advantage by winning seven of the first 10 matches.
But pins proved to be the difference: the Falcons had four, the Bruins none. Even Byron Tucker, perhaps the most proficient pinner in the area, could manage ``only'' a technical fall victory in his second appearance at 160.
The loss marked the third time in four years the Bruins have been eliminated from this tournament by the top-seeded Beach District team.
The Commodores turned a 11-point deficit heading into 135 into a four-point advantage through 160, thanks to strong wrestling from Xavier Bell (135), Lewis Wallace (140), Orlando Morton (152) and Leroy Barbour (160). But a forfeit at 171 and a loss at 189 left Bruner in his must-pin situation.
The Patriots wrestled without starters Joe Wright (103, couldn't make weight), Dan Messmer (145) and Aaron Martin (152, injured knee). The three have a combined record of 53-9.
Tallwood won the first three weight classes against Great Bridge and had the Wildcats staring at their largest deficit of the season (10-0). Mike Mercado highlighted the Lions' run by dominating Bruce Fowler, 15-4, at 112. Fowler, a freshman, is the only man to defeat Mercado this year.
But Carl Perry - who at 28-0 has the region's best record - triggered a Great Bridge avalanche by pinning Jason Kraft in 1:34 at 125. The Wildcats went on to win seven in a row.
Paul Jimenez' technical fall over Trey McGlown at 103 gave Lake Taylor a lead it never relinquished against the Dukes. by CNB