THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Saturday, December 30, 1995 TAG: 9512300493
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 56 lines
Despite another dominant wrestling performance, Great Bridge's Carl Perry insisted he ``still has a long way to go.''
At the rate he keeps improving, by the time you read this, he may already be there.
Perry rolled to his second tournament most outstanding wrestler award in less than a week, the highlight of a record-setting performance by the Wildcats in the 17th annual Hornet Holiday Classic at Deep Creek.
Great Bridge finished with four champions and 274 1/2 points, six more than the previous high.
``We did a halfway decent job at the Mid-Atlantic Classic (where Great Bridge finished second last weekend), and we put on a great performance here,'' Perry said. ``At the Virginia Duals (Jan. 12-13), we should really be ready to rock and roll.''
Perry improved to 17-0 this season by overwhelming Cary's Joshua Spencer in a 3:53 technical fall in the 130-pound final.
``He's the best guy I've ever faced,'' said Spencer, a Kentucky state champion a year ago who took a 21-0 record into the final. ``He really knows what he's doing. I see why he's No. 1 in the nation.''
Bruce Fowler (119), Michael Harper (152) and Jason Byrum (160) also won titles for Great Bridge. Twelve of the 14 Wildcats placed in the top three.
But while the overall title went to Great Bridge, Friday's finals belonged to Paulsboro, the tiny (435 students in grades 9-12) New Jersey school which is gunning for a national-record tying 14th consecutive state title. The Raiders were 5-2 in the championship round - 5-0 against Great Bridge.
``They've got a great program, but my guys weren't intimidated,'' Paulsboro coach Paul Morina said. ``We went after them.''
David Givin (103), Seneca Cooper (135), George Wilson (140), Jason Brown (145) and Jermaine Ruffin (275) placed first for Paulsboro, which finished with 221 points.
Tallwood (third with 158 1/2 points) had seven top-three finishers, including Mike Mercado, the defending Group AAA state champ who shook off a 103-degree fever to tech fall Paulboro's Demien Green.
Had Perry not been around, most outstanding wrestler honors most likely would have gone to Rock Hill's Nick Dibenedetto (14-0), who notched his third tournament title of the month by pinning Great Bridge's Eric Leonard in 1:31.
Gloucester's Joey Legg (125) and Jason Beach (189) also won their divisions. ILLUSTRATION: CHRISTOPHER REDDICK
The Virginian-Pilot
Tallwood's Mike Mercado (on top) routed Paulsboro's Demien Green
21-5 to win the 112-pound final of the Hornet Holiday Classic.
by CNB