THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 10, 1995 TAG: 9502100621
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 60 lines
One might think that, given four-time defending champion Great Bridge's dominance of the Group AAA state duals in the 1990s, opponents wouldn't be looking forward to facing the Wildcats.
But with the 1995 tournament set to begin tonight at Centreville High in Fairfax County, the teams in this year's field seem to be saying ``Bring 'em on!''
``I feel personally we'll make it to the state final and I hope it's against Great Bridge,'' Cox's 125-pounder, Wes Lewis, said. ``I'd love to see us give them as much of a fight as possible.''
``We're young, but I think our kids know what they're up against,'' Franklin County coach Kris Kahila said. ``We're not going to back down.''
``We've got a shot,'' added Centreville coach Dan Foglio.
How much of a shot remains to be seen. The Wildcats (21-1) haven't lost to a Virginia team since 1990 (Western Branch) and thrive on collecting titles. They are coming off a near-peak performance in winning the Eastern Region duals title.
``No letting up now,'' Great Bridge's Aaron Beatson said.
Northwest Region runner-up Stonewall Jackson gets first crack at the Wildcats tonight at 8 p.m. The teams met in the 1994 state duals final, with Great Bridge prevailing, 39-18.
Cox (16-3), making its first state duals appearance since 1991, opens at 8 against Northwest Region champion Franklin County.
The other first-round matches, scheduled for 6 p.m., pit Central region champion Douglas Freeman against Northern Region runner-up Robinson and Central runner-up Hermitage against Northern champion Centreville.
The semifinals are scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m., followed by the final at 4 p.m.
Of the first-round matches, the Cox-Franklin County clash figures to be the most competitive. The Falcons overcame injuries late in the year and strung together impressive victories over Kempsville, Tallwood, Western Branch and Maury before falling to Great Bridge in the region final.
Franklin County (14-1) captured its region title with a dramatic 34-22 victory over Stonewall Jackson, trailing 22-9 before winning the final six matches.
Graduation losses have weakened Stonewall Jackson to a point where a first-round upset of Great Bridge seems highly unlikely. But the Wildcats could be tested in their probable semifinal encounter with Centreville (22-0), the only team to qualify for every Group AAA duals tournament since the event began in 1990.
Virginia's second-best Wildcats have gone 82-0 in the Northern Region the past five years.
But Centreville has yet to translate that success into a state duals title. Last year's team, with three state champions, loomed as a dangerous obstacle for Great Bridge but blew a 10-point lead with two matches to go in its semifinal against Stonewall Jackson. by CNB