THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, December 22, 1995 TAG: 9512220549
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 62 lines
Granby's Chris Martin is getting mighty greedy these days.
The 1995 Group AAA state runner-up won at 145 pounds Thursday during the second annual South Norfolk Holiday Invitational, giving him three tournament titles in less than three weeks.
As soon as he's satisfied winning championships, he'll let us know.
``I want it all,'' said Martin, who also won at the Western Branch Invitational two weeks ago and the Newport News Invitational five days ago. ``And as long as I keep working harder, I expect to keep getting better.''
Martin's finals victory Thursday - a second-period pin of Lafayette's John Wright - had added significance as it also put the eighth-ranked Comets over the top for the team title.
The Comets (163 1/2 points) finished with three champions, one less than defending champion Lake Taylor (154). But while the Titans' points came primarily from its ``Four Horsemen,'' the Comets got big points up and down the lineup, particularly on Wednesday, when they recorded 13 pins and two technical falls in the first two rounds.
John Lee, who decisioned Oscar Smith's Rodney Worsley at 135, and Anthony Allen, a 10-9 winner over Green Run's James Stolle at 189, joined Martin on Champions' Row for Granby.
Lake Taylor's Paul Jimenez (103), Tremaine Baker (125), Lionel Davis (130) and Kenny Hessler (140) came in with a combined 26-2 record, and each added three more victories to their totals by rolling through their divisions. Jimenez prevailed with a 10-2 decision over Currituck's Mark Gilbert; Baker won by fall over Currituck's Ryan Cerrano; Davis pinned Granby's Brian Jones and Hessler outdueled Currituck's previously unbeaten Ryan Lowe.
Lowe, a sophomore who placed third in the North Carolina 2A state tournament a year ago, had won his first 16 matches this season. Still, Hessler, fourth in the Virginia Group AAA tournament last season, was still mildly disappointed at winning by a mere 8-2.
``I feel like if I didn't dominate, I didn't do my best,'' he said. ``But Coach (Russell Flynn) said he was satisfied, and he doesn't say that too often after my matches. If he was satisfied, I guess I did all right.''
Churchland only finished sixth but did more with less than anyone else. The Truckers sent only five wrestlers to Oscar Smith but came away with four champions, one third-place finisher and a Most Outstanding Wrestler award.
Tiree Murphy (119), sophomore Mike Allen (152), James Worrell (160) and Orlando Morton (171) all won titles for the Truckers. Murphy, a defending South Norfolk champion, decisioned Granby's Rueben Waites in the final and was named the meet's top performer.
In other finals, Oscar Smith's Gary Lewis, a South Norfolk runner-up last year, shut out Currituck's Jeremy Walker in a 3:20 technical fall at 112; Lafayette's Pierre Cotton improved to 12-0 with a 5:28 fall over Granby's Antwaine Dowe at 215; and Green Run's Leevi MacDonald, the Newport News Invitational's Most Outstanding Wrestler, decisioned Lafayette's Max Lennon, 9-1, at heavyweight.
Prior to the finals, event organizers presented a plaque to referee Harper Donahoe, the Franklin High School principal and a coach and official in the area for over 20 years who was working his last athletic event. by CNB