THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 2, 1995 TAG: 9512020704
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: High School Wrestling Preview
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Long : 111 lines
The Beach District title chase has gone down to the final day of the regular season the past two years, but Tallwood has enough talent and experience to take the suspense out of things in 1995-96.
Cox and Kempsville are always tough, and talented First Colonial appears set to make a major move up.
TALLWOOD Coach: Don Robertson Last season: 11-4 overall, 8-1 district
Impact wrestlers: Mike Mercado (Sr., 112); Frank Lucero (Sr., 119); Winston Escalante (Jr., 103); Joe Kerr (Jr., 160); Andre Kemp (Jr., 152).
Outlook: State champion Mercado (33-1 a year ago) heads a talent-laden cast that includes nine returnees and five regional qualifiers. Newcomers include Wilson transfer Kemp (third in the Southeastern District last year) and members of a JV team that's gone 16-1 the past two years. Barring injury, Lions will be that rare team that won't look out of place on the same mat with mighty Great Bridge.
FIRST COLONIAL Coach: Joe Bothel
Last season: 9-8 overall, 4-5 district
Impact wrestlers: Jeff Bernd (Jr., 130); Jason Bernd (Jr., 119-125); Pierre Pryor (Jr., 135); Kyle Magyar (Jr., 112); Ryan Balsly (So., 152).
Outlook: Talent all over the place. Squad includes a returning state placewinner (Jeff Bernd), a freestyle state champ (Pryor) and a pair of transfers (Tom Juskevich and Nick Gomez) who were were private-school state placewinners. In addition, Jason Bernd (26-6 a year ago) and Magyar (28-7) will be among the best in their weight classes, and Dion Olds, a highly touted middle school wrestler, will make his debut at 215 after sitting out last year with an injury. And the best is yet to come - team has just one senior.
KEMPSVILLE Coach: Tim Spruill
Last season: 7-5 overall, 7-2 district
Impact wrestlers: Chris Gee (So. 119); Matt Schultz (Sr., 130-135); David Fulcher (Jr., 125); Parker Pinnell (So., 152); Richard Madson (So., 160).
Outlook: Schultz' 16-13 record is the best among the returnees, but the well-coached Chiefs are usually better on the mat than they are on paper. Spruill says his troops have great discipline and potential. Sounds like he's got another district title contender.
COX Coach: Jud Stokes
Last season: 16-4 overall; 7-2 district
Impact wrestlers: Andy Simons (Sr., 119); Jesse Correll (Sr., 145); Mohammed Youssofi (So., 171).
Outlook: Save for Simons and Correll, both of whom have enough to contend for a state title, experience is scarce among the Falcons. Then again, Cox always seems to come up with someone good. Stokes expects to pay for the lack of veterans early, but he also thinks he's got enough to challenge expected frontrunner Tallwood by season's end.
OCEAN LAKES Coach: Jack Harcourt
Last season: 6-9 overall, 3-6 district
Impact wrestlers: R.J. Davis (Jr., 135); Mike Ernest (Sr., 140); Nick Harcourt (Sr., 152); John Vaughan (Jr., 171); Bill Tyson (Sr., 215).
Outlook: The Dolphins, no pushovers in their debut season a year ago, should be even more difficult to handle with eight returnees and a core of game newcomers. Add the fact that Harcourt, rarely given to hyperbole, speaks glowingly about this group's potential and pencil in Ocean Lakes as one of the area's surprise teams. Individually, regional runner-up Davis and district champ Ernest should contend for state placings.
PRINCESS ANNE Coach: Mike Benzel
Last season: 6-11 overall; 3-6 district
Impact wrestlers: Bobby Julian (Sr., 171); Jon Garner (Sr., 140); Jason Halpin (Sr., 160); Ray VanNostrand (Jr., 135); David Sutton (Jr., 119), Billy Booth (Sr., 152).
Outlook: Benzel, who takes over for Wayne Bright, inherits an experienced team which battled through brutally tough schedules the past two years. The payoff could come this season. The Cavaliers' handful of tournament standouts includes the technically sound Julian, sixth in the state a year ago at 160 and an definite state title contender.
BAYSIDE Coach: George Parker
Last season: 7-13 overall, 1-8 district
Impact wrestlers: Richie Amacio (Sr., 112); Fred Jasmin (Jr., 135); Shawn Moore (Sr., 130); John Fuller (Jr., 275); Jose Araiza (Jr., 189).
Outlook: Slow but steady improvement figures to continue for the Marlins, who thanks to experience in several weight classes should no longer have to settle for being ninth in the 10-team league. Amacio, Jasmin, Araiza and Jason Seay are all region contenders. The key for Bayside's dual-match hopes rest on finding suitable replacements for a graduation-depleted middle-weight core.
GREEN RUN Coach: Wayne Gibson
Last season: 3-9 overall; 2-8 district
Impact wrestlers: Leevi MacDonald (Sr., 275); Clay McIntryre (Jr., weight undet.); Eric McMurray (Sr., weight undet.); James Stolle (Sr., 171-189).
Outlook: Stallions will field a young team for the third straight year; freshmen will be counted on heavily. Gibson will have a better feel for his team's chances once he sorts out a congested middle-weight group that includes McIntyre, McMurray, Frank Lavoie and Shaun Swertzer. MacDonald is potentially one of the area's best heavyweights.
KELLAM Coach: Kevin Michaels Last season: 4-14 overall; 1-9 district
Impact wrestlers: Dustin Howell (Sr., 103); Jason Boswell (Jr., 125); Ed Stockunas (Sr., 140); Brian Whetzal (Sr., 130-135).
Outlook: One year after advancing to the regional duals semifinals, the bottom fell out on the Knights. Their climb back to respectability will hinge on the development of freshmen John Williams (135), Howard Holzmacher (171) and Mike Dawson (112), more solid wrestling from regional qualifiers Howell and Bowell and the emergence of untested performers (Bill Berg at 215 and Bill Steege at 275) in the upper weights.
SALEM Coach: Mike Taylor
Last season: 7-5 overall, 6-3 district
Impact wrestlers: Romon Copeland (Sr., 125); Mark-Lovie Buenaventura (Sr., 103); Doug Clark (Fr., 145)
Outlook: Graduation ravaged the once-mighty Sun Devils. The crafty Copeland, third in the region a year ago, should again wrestle deep into the postseason. by CNB