THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, January 24, 1996 TAG: 9601240514
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C5 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 87 lines
On Saturday, hundreds of wrestling fans will attend the two biggest dual matches involving area teams in South Hampton Roads.
But no one will be able to see them both.
Cox travels to Tallwood for a match that will decide the Beach District title, and Great Bridge visits Western Branch for a showdown that will determine the Southeastern District champion.
The bad news is that both matches are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. And while it seems a shame the host schools would conduct such climactic dual matches head-to-head, both sides are adamant that a time shift isn't even being considered.
The bottom line, it appears, is that neither expects to be affected on its bottom line.
``I'm sure we'll have a very good crowd Saturday night,'' Tallwood athletic director Bruce Phelps said.
``I expect our place to be packed,'' Western Branch coach Terry Perdew said.
Perdew has taken umbrage at the notion - raised primarily in this space - that his Bruins (23-4, 6-0 in the Southeastern) are clear underdogs against the Wildcats (19-2, 6-0). Perdew even half-jokingly suggested his team shouldn't bother to show up.
In reality, the super-competitive Perdew must love this spot. Few coaches are better at whipping their charges into an ``us-against-the-world, we'll-show-them'' lather, and suggestions, real or imagined, of the Bruins' imminent demise can only help.
For its part, Great Bridge, winner of the last six meetings in this series, is finally well-rested after a brutal early schedule and expects to have injured starters Matt DiDio (flu), Shaun Curl (ribs) and possibly even Jimmy Hawthorne (chest muscle) on the mat.
Like Great Bridge, Tallwood (11-3, 8-0), which has lost only to nationally ranked teams this season, rates an edge on paper over Cox (10-3, 8-0). But the Lions looked like favorites a year ago, until the Falcons handed them a humbling defeat.
This year, Cox has struggled in tournaments, made a quick exit from the Virginia Duals national tournament and barely survived First Colonial, a team Tallwood hammered by 33. But considering what happened last year, it's hard to believe the Lions would even consider taking the resourceful Falcons lightly.
NIGHT AND DAY: What wrestler has made the most dramatic improvement from the 1994-95 season to the present? This question was put to 16 area coaches, and while there was no consensus, there were some good arguments made for several athletes enjoying breakthrough campaigns.
The top vote-getters:
Pierre Pryor, First Colonial (3 votes): A talented but inconsistent performer who didn't make it out of the Beach District tournament a year ago, Pryor now reigns as the area's premier 135-pounder and a strong state title contender.
Pryor's diligence toward his craft over the summer triggered his emergence. Several coaches saw Pryor during the offseason and said they saw this type of year coming.
Leevi MacDonald, Green Run (3): Last year, a loss to Maury's Steve Bruner ended MacDonald's season in the regional tournament. Saturday, a victory over Bruner boosted the top-ranked Stallion heavyweight's record to 20-0.
Jason Byrum, Great Bridge (2): Two years ago, Wildcats coach Steve Martin said he didn't even know Byrum existed. When the next season began, Martin said Byrum didn't know a single hold.
``He used to make them up in the middle of matches,'' Martin said.
Byrum ended his junior year as a second-stringer. Now, with his 26-2 record - including no losses to Virginia wrestlers and a 6-0 mark at the Virginia Duals - he's emerged as the most consistent Wildcat this side of Carl Perry.
Alvin Wilson, Tallwood (2): A case of a lot of athletic ability going a long way. The two-time All-Tidewater linebacker didn't begin wrestling until last January, got in less than 10 matches his junior season then stayed away from a mat until a week before this season's opener. All he's done since is compile a 20-3 record and claim the No. 1 spot at 189 in the area rankings.
Although only one coach - his own - brought up his name, a strong case could be made for Booker T. Washington 189-pounder Kevin Harper, who went 5-16 a year ago, then broke his leg last March and worked out little over the summer. Somehow, Harper has managed to compile a 16-2 record.
SADLER UPDATE: An overtime victory Saturday boosted Booker T. Washington 112-pounder Sherika Sadler's record to 6-8 (three victories by forfeit). The junior is 0-2 against Eastern District opponents, with bouts against Norview and Maury remaining. Victories in both would mean Sadler could secure a spot in the Eastern Region tournament by simply making weight at the district tournament. A split or two losses and Sadler would need to win one district tournament match to qualify for regionals. by CNB