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St. Rita tips rival at wire

By Reid Hanley
Tribune staff reporter

February 29, 2004

MOLINE, Ill. -- No matter how you figured it, the St.
Rita and Providence wrestling teams were about as
close as you could get.

Coming into Saturday night's Class AA team dual
finals, St. Rita had a dual meet victory over the Celtics
and won the Catholic League championship with Providence
second. Providence defeated St. Rita in the Dvorak
Invitational and the Geneseo Invitation. That dual meet
was tied 22-22 and came down to the seventh criteria of
most near fall points. That's close.

It wasn't much of a surprise the two teams advanced to
the finals at Wharton Fieldhouse Saturday. And it was
no surprise the teams fought to the last match for the
state championship with St. Rita winning 27-22 for its
second straight title.

"This was such an unbelievable dual," said St. Rita
coach Dan Carroll, whose team defeated Glenbard North
37-18 in the semifinals. "You have to hand it to
Providence. They are there every year. I'm just real proud of
our kids."

The unbelievable part was no exaggeration. St. Rita
(25-1) found itself down 22-4 after losing six of the
first seven matches. Only state champion Albert White's
major decision got in the way. The Mustangs then won
seven straight matches--three by a single point--to win
the title.

Scott Sands' 3-2 victory over Class AA 189-pound
champion DeAndre Nunn gave them the sense that it could
happen. Heavyweight Fred Deramus gave the Mustangs a
24-22 lead with a 1-0 victory over Tim Jay, setting up the
final match between Providence's Ron Uccardi and St.
Rita's John Starzyk at 103 pounds. A Starzyk takedown
with 26 seconds left gave him a 3-1 victory and St.
Rita the title.

"I went out there to beat him," said Starzyk, a
freshman who finished with a 49-6 record. "I saw the lead we
had, so I went out there to do my best. That's what I
gave all season.

"I definitely thought we could win. From 152 on up,
we're unbelievable. It's just great how they came
through for us."

Providence (24-2) built its lead to 22-4 after Marty
Engwall's pin of Brian Carey at 145. State champion
Sean Reynolds scored a major decision over Gerry Starzyk
at 140. Things looked good for Providence, which
defeated Dundee-Crown 35-30 in the semifinals.

"There was some great wrestling," Providence coach
Keith Healy said. "We got a good lead. I was hoping for
one more win somewhere along the line, but we didn't
get it. [St. Rita] did a nice job. They kept their
composure. I give them a lot of credit."

Excitement wasn't limited to the Class AA championship
match. After Starzyk won his match, all eyes turned to
the third-place battle between Glenbard North and
Dundee-Crown. It came down to the 103-pound match between
Glenbard's Caitlyn Chase and D-C's Colin Spence.

Chase, a sophomore, scored a takedown in overtime for
an 11-9 victory to seal a 30-25 Panthers victory.

"Of course I was nervous, I was nervous the whole
dual," she said. "I knew it would come down to this. I
didn't realize it was overtime, the whole match flew by
so fast. This is one of the best memories because I'm
with my team."

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You go, girl: GBN grabs 3rd

By Gary Larsen Daily Herald Correspondent 2/29/04

MOLINE - St. Rita successfully defended its Class AA
crown and Providence Catholic placed second, but the highlight moment of
the entire team state tournament on Saturday might have belonged to
Glenbard North's Caitlyn Chase.

In overtime of the final match between Glenbard North
and Dundee-Crown,with her squad leading 27-25, 103-pounder Chase lit up
the entire gym with a takedown against the Chargers' Colin
Spence, putting third-place hardware in her school's trophy case for the third
consecutive year.

"I just listened to my coach," Chase said. "He told me
to throw,and he never tells me to throw. I hadn't really taken
a good shotall match, and I figured it was coming up. I'm just
really happy formy team. I didn't want to let them down."

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First losses put D-C in fourth

By Tom Kupfer Daily Herald Correspondent 2/29/04

MOLINE - Don't call it Mission Impossible.

More like Mission Unfinished.

"Our kids fought hard but this isn't what we came here
to do," saidDundee-Crown coach Al Zinke after his team finished
fourth in theClass AA team state tournament Saturday night.
"Obviously, it's notwhere we wanted to finish."

Glenbard North's Caitlyn Chase finished on the
shoulders of her teammates, carried off the mat at Wharton Fieldhouse
after edging D-C's Colin Spence in overtime at 103 to secure a
30-25 win in the third-place contest.

D-C entered the final bout down by 2 points but seemed
poised to win as Spence controlled most of the action and led
9-4 with about 30 seconds left. But her takedown/near fall tied it
and her shot nine seconds into OT netted another takedown.

The outcome meant a down finish for the Chargers, who
started the meet unbeaten but wound up 25-2 after edging Grant
33-28 in their opener and losing 35-30 to Providence Catholic in the
semifinals.

"We didn't lose for two years, and then we ended with
2 losses," said D-C 119-pounder Tim Hayes, the Chargers' only
three-time winner on the day. "It's really hard. I'm not satisfied. I
wanted so much more. We should have been in the finals."

One of Hayes' triumphs was instrumental in D-C
reaching the medal round: an 8-5, come-from-behind triumph over Grant's
Jimmy Kennedy in the opener.

Like he did at sectional, when he missed weight at
103, Kennedy moved up two classes to 119. The reigning state champ
at 103, Kennedy was ahead 5-2 early in the third and nursed a 1-point
lead into the closing moments before yielding a takedown and back
points while losing his first match of the year.

"Kennedy went up two weights, and he went up against a
three-time state qualifier," Zinke said. "He didn't go up against
a slouch. I don't care if you're a state champ at one weight, when
you jump two weights that's a big difference."

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Chase, Panthers take third place

By Gary Larsen Daily Herald Correspondent 2/29/04

St. Rita defended its Class AA crown and Providence
Catholic placed second, but the highlight moment of the entire team
tournament in Moline on Saturday might have belonged to Glenbard
North's Caitlyn Chase.

In overtime of the final match between Glenbard North
and Dundee-Crown, with her squad leading 27-25, Chase, a 103-pounder,
lit up the entire gym with a takedown against the Chargers' Colin
Spence, putting third-place hardware in her school's trophy case for the third
consecutive year.

"I just listened to my coach. He told me to throw, and
he never tells me to throw," Chase said. "I hadn't really taken
a good shot all match, and I figured it was coming up. I'm just
really happy for my team. I didn't want to let them down."

The Panthers advanced to the third-place mat after
beating Granite City 31-30 in the quarterfinals, then falling 37-18 to
eventual champion St. Rita in the semifinal round.

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Tomahawk girl makes more history

By Dave Lubach 2/28/04
Sheboygan Press staff

MADISON — Tomahawk’s Alyssa Lampe was only supposed to be a feel-good story at this year’s WIAA State Individual Wrestling Tournament.

But the groundbreaking sophomore had her sights set higher than just becoming the first girl to qualify for the tournament. She wanted to win a match.

She did that Friday morning, while television cameras and most of the eyes in the Kohl Center gazed upon her.

Lampe improved to 33-10 with a 7-5 victory over East Troy freshman Braden Mayotte in the Division 2 preliminary matches at 103 pounds.

"That was my goal, and I guess I accomplished that," said Lampe, who later in the afternoon was pinned by Lodi’s Jake Madigan in 1:23.

Lampe, 15, has been wrestling for about eight years and finished second in last year’s girls state tournament.

Her introduction before the match drew more than the average cheers a wrestler normally receives at such an early stage of the tournament.

She also received a nice ovation following the match, before greeting a media throng usually reserved for four-time state champions on a Saturday night after the finals.

Lampe’s feat has made her a role model in Tomahawk.

Three girls have tried the sport in the city’s youth program because of her. But she doesn’t consider herself anything more than just another athlete on the mats.

“I don’t think about it,” she said. “I’m just a wrestler wrestling with other wrestlers.”

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First female wrestler to qualify for state wins initial match

(Published Saturday, February 28, 2004 12:34:27 AM CST)

By Todd Sommerfeldt/Special to the Gazette

MADISON-All Alyssa Lampe has wanted to do is prove that she is a good wrestler.

The Tomahawk High School sophomore, of course, already accomplished that fact by becoming the first girl to qualify for the WIAA state individual wrestling tournament.

But there was another step to take on Friday morning, and the 103-pounder successfully climbed it by earning a 7-5 decision over East Troy's Braden Mayotte in a Division 2 preliminary match at the Kohl Center.

"I showed (everyone) I'm actually a good wrestler," Lampe said between her preliminary and quarterfinal matches late Friday morning. "I showed I can wrestle an opponent of my level."

With cameras on her from the moment she stepped on the Kohl Center floor until she left with a victory in her possession, Lampe didn't let the pressure of the historic moment shake her.

"I don't really think about that," said Lampe, who never trailed against Mayotte but had to hold off a reverse in the closing seconds to win. "I just see myself as a wrestler wrestling other wrestlers."

Lampe was pinned by Lodi's Jake Madigan in 1:23 in Friday afternoon's quarterfinals. She will come back to compete in consolation matches.

Lampe certainly wasn't allowed to fit in as part of the crowd on Friday.

She was the only wrestler brought into the Kohl Center media room for an interview with the masses, and her every move on the mat brought an uproar from the crowd.

"Maybe next year, another girl will qualify," said Joe Kaster, former Craig High wrestling coach and current editor of The Crossface, a publication that covers state wrestling. "And then she'll just be another part of the bracket."

Lampe took Mayotte down 33 seconds into the match and took him down again late in the period for a 4-1 lead.

She also registered a key takedown just before time expired in the second period for a 6-3 lead.

Trailing by a 7-5 score, Mayotte started to break free from Lampe's grasp and started to turn her for a reverse. Before he could gain control, time ran out.

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Another milestone for girl wrestler

By JOE SHINNERS
Special to the Journal Sentinel
Posted: Feb. 27, 2004

Madison - Alyssa Lampe set another milestone Friday morning and remains in the running to make some more history at the individual state wrestling tournament at the Kohl Center.

Lampe, a sophomore from Tomahawk, last week became the first girl to qualify for the state tournament. On Friday, she became the first girl to win a match, advancing out of preliminary competition into the Division 2 quarterfinals at 103 pounds.

Lampe improved her record to 33-10 with a 7-5 victory over East Troy freshman Braden Mayotte (36-15) in the preliminaries.

In the quarterfinals, however, Lampe was pinned by fifth-ranked Lodi freshman Jake Madigan (42-3) in 1 minute 23 seconds.

"He was really strong," Lampe said. "Obviously, he is good because he took first place in his sectional, but I didn't know he was that strong."

Lampe can still become the first girl to earn a state place, as she remains alive in the wrestleback for fifth place. She will face sixth-ranked Mosinee junior Jered Kern (36-3) in the first round of consolations.

Lampe must win one more match to place in the top six and make it to the awards podium as the first girl to earn a place at state.

"Being down here was a good experience for next year," she said. "Knowing what the crowd is like. Hopefully, I will do better tomorrow."

Her coach, Kurt Weyers, was happy with how Lampe handled the pressure.

"She's just a tremendous student-athlete for Tomahawk High School," Weyers said. "She's done everything right. She's gained some valuable experience for herself only being a sophomore. (She) has a chance to come down here the next two years. We're extremely proud."

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WIAA state wrestling: Female wrestler has a blast

By Dennis Semrau
February 28, 2004

Alyssa Lampe was honored to make WIAA history Friday when she became the first female to compete at the individual state wrestling tournament.

But Lampe didn't stop there. The Tomahawk sophomore beat East Troy's Braden Mayotte 7-5 in a Division 2 103-pound preliminary round match.

"It was a lot of fun. I got a lot of congratulations from everybody," said Lampe (33-11), who was later pinned in the quarterfinals by fifth-ranked Jake Madigan of Lodi in 1 minute, 23 seconds.

"He was really strong," Lampe said of Madigan. "Obviously, he is good because he took first place in his sectional, but I didn't know he was that strong."

Lampe jumped out to a 4-1 lead against Mayotte (36-14) and then used her quickness to maintain control of the match to the roar of an appreciative crowd.

Aiming to become the first girl to earn a medal at state, Lampe is alive in the wrestleback round for fifth place. She will face sixth-ranked Mosinee junior Jered Kern (36-3) a consolation match.

Lampe must win one more match to place in the top six and become the first girl to earn a place at state.

"Being down here was a good experience for next year," she said. "Knowing what the crowd is like. Hopefully, I will do better tomorrow."

Ranked second nationally at 100 pounds in girls wrestling, Lampe also competes in cross country and track and field.

"The running helps my endurance. I can go the full six minutes because of cross country," said Lampe who finished 33rd at the WIAA Division 2 state meet last fall.

Tomahawk wrestling coach Kurt Weyers said Lampe handled the experience of being a trailblazer better than anyone could have expected.

"In north-central Wisconsin, everyone knows Alyssa Lampe is for real. They've been losing to her for five, six, seven years," he said.

Weyers said Lampe gained some respect by winning a match at state.

"I thought she wrestled outstanding despite the pressure and the adversity of being the first female wrestler at the state tournament," he said.

"She's gained some valuable experience for herself only being a sophomore. Alyssa has a chance to come down here the next two years. We're extremely proud."