THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, February 22, 1996 TAG: 9602220447
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 83 lines
Barring a sudden cold front, the Eastern Region tournament, to be held today through Saturday at Churchland, will be the first major wrestling tournament this year that won't be postponed or altered because of weather.
A heavy snowfall throughout the East Coast in mid-January forced one college team and one high school to withdraw from the Virginia Duals. More snow resulted in the Eastern Region and Group AAA state duals being shortened from two days to one. And all four of the region's district tournaments were delayed by still more snow.
But while forecasts indicate the regionals should go on as scheduled, the unusually tough winter could affect the quality of wrestling. Three of the four district tournaments didn't end until late Monday - with the Peninsula District extending until Tuesday - giving wrestlers little time to prepare for what has typically been the most competitive of the state's four Group AAA regions.
``I think you're going to see a lot of cautious wrestling,'' Ocean Lakes coach Jack Harcourt said. ``You could see a lot of people wrestling not to lose instead of wrestling to win. That could hurt them.''
The tournament begins today at 4 p.m., with quarterfinals at 7 . Semifinals will be held at 7 p.m. Friday, consolation finals at 5 p.m. Saturday and championship bouts at 7 p.m.
ATLANTA-BOUND: Harcourt's 10-year affiliation with USA Wrestling will pay dividends this summer. He'll sit matside during the wrestling competition in the 1996 Olympics.
The Ocean Lakes coach will assist one of the competing teams at its training venue and will escort the athletes and their coaches to and from the mat for the Greco-Roman and freestyle tournaments, which run July 27-Aug. 1. Harcourt performed similar duties during the 1995 World Championships, also in Atlanta, and was selected for the Olympics based on his work there.
``I feel like this is a reward for a lot of the time I've put into wrestling,'' Harcourt said. ``I mean, I won't get any money for (working the Olympics) and I'll be staying in a high school they've turned into a dormitory, but I'm just happy to get the opportunity to participate. For me, it's a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.''
EASY ROAD: Since no Granby wrestler was seeded lower than third in the five-team Eastern District district tournament, all 14 Comets qualified for regionals as soon as they made weight. And because some teams didn't have full lineups, only five wrestlers who competed in the tournament failed to make the region cut.
This explains how Booker T. Washington 112-pounder Sherika Sadler, who went 0 for 2 in the district tournament, will become the first girl to compete in the regional tournament.
Sadler probably won't catch any more breaks. Her first-round opponent today is defending state champion Mike Mercado of Tallwood.
STATE CHAMPIONSHIP: By avoiding a scheduling conflict, Cape Henry will play host to the strongest field in years when the Virginia Independent Schools Wrestling Association state tournament is held Friday and Saturday.
The VISWA tournament is usually scheduled the same weekend as the National Prep Championships, a more attractive event for elite private-school wrestlers. This year, however, the national tournament will be held next weekend, allowing Cape Henry coach Pete McCoy to predict that virtually every college-caliber private-school wrestler in the state will be in Virginia Beach Friday.
The event is returning to Hampton Roads for the first time since 1992, when Norfolk Academy played host. McCoy expects more than 400 wrestlers from 27 schools to take part. First-round matches begin at 1 p.m. The finals are scheduled for Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
Returning champions include Norfolk Academy's Ryan Ingram (112) and Clay Weisberg (a two-time winner now wrestling at 119).
BACK POINTS: Great Bridge 130-pounder Carl Perry needs three victories to break the state record for career wins. Centreville's Jeremy Ferry (1992-95) won 156 bouts; Perry has 154 heading into today's Eastern Region first-round encounter with Princess Anne's Ray VanNostrand. If form holds, Perry's third match would come against Beach champion Jason Boswell of Kellam. ... Western Branch's Sean Sanderlin will go for his 100th career victory in a first-round match against Kempsville's Dan MacDonald. ILLUSTRATION: RANKINGS
[For a copy of the list, see microfilm for this date.]
by CNB