THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 15, 1995 TAG: 9512130132
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 27 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 59 lines
Two nationally ranked powers will settle the matter of which wrestling team is truly the best in Virginia Saturday when Great Bridge hosts Grundy at 4 p.m. at Oscar Smith High.
The Wildcats, ranked 11th nationally by USA Today, have 13 Group AAA duals or individual state titles in the past 10 years. The Golden Wave, USA Today's No. 15 team, are nine-time Group AA state champs.
``If someone's going to beat us in Virginia, it'll be Grundy,'' Wildcats coach Steve Martin said.
The teams also feature arguably the most passionate and sizable followings among state wrestling teams, the main reason why the match was shifted from 1,400-seat Great Bridge to 3,800-seat Oscar Smith.
The teams have split their two previous meetings, with Grundy prevailing in a tournament and Great Bridge taking their lone dual-match appearance at the Virginia Duals in 1993.
The previous year at the Duals, fans from both sides heckled the organizers when they failed to pit the teams against each other.
``This will be a match for the fans,'' Martin said. ``I can't predict the results, but I know it's the biggest match in this area in 10 years.''
Martin said the last match of this magnitude occurred in 1986, when the Wildcats snapped Cox' 70-match winning streak.
Fireworks between the wrestlers themselves could also emerge. According to Martin, wrestlers from both teams have been pointing toward this match - not to mention each other - for months.
``They always wrestle each other on summer teams,'' Martin said. ``Their kids start talking, our kids start talking . . . everyone's going to have something to prove out there.''
The background of the coaches adds further sizzle to Saturday's matchup. Grundy coach Kevin Dresser was a senior at Iowa when Martin arrived as a freshman. Dresser then coached Martin as a graduate assistant for three years.
Grundy returns 11 wrestlers from a year ago, three returning state champions - Hurshel Justis (112), Doug Adkins (119) and Stephen Hartford (140) - and six others who placed in the top six in Group AAA. Another Golden Wave wrestler, heavyweight Lock Owens, is a Cadet All-American.
The Wildcats will be led by 130-pounder Carl Perry, a returning state champion and the nation's top wrestler at his weight, according to one publication. Bruce Fowler (119) and Travis Woodhouse (135) placed at state a year ago, while Jimmy Hawthorne (125) was third in Group AAA two years ago but sat out much of last year with an injury.
``We're expecting a huge crowd, but it wouldn't matter to my guys if only one person showed up,'' Martin said. ``This is just one of those fun rivalries to have.''
Also on Saturday, the Great Bridge Middle School team will host Grundy's junior high squad at 10 a.m. And at 2 p.m., the schools' junior varsity teams will hook up at Oscar Smith. by CNB