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Marshwood's Rix looks to make history

By RACHEL LENZI 2/12/05
Blethen Maine Newspapers

Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

There are girls out there like Deanna Rix, girls who go against boys in the confines of a 28-foot-wide circle for six grueling minutes.

But there's only one Deanna Rix. The Marshwood High senior has set the standard for a female wrestler in Maine. She earned her 100th win this season and will compete in today's Class A state tournament at the Augusta Civic Center.

Now, as her high school career winds down, she pursues the loftiest of goals in Maine and the nation -- winning a state wrestling title, and winning it against a boy.

"Placing at states, I wouldn't be satisfied," Rix said. "Winning, now that would be the ultimate."

Rix believes her chances are legitimate, and so do her opponents. After Shane Leadbetter defeated Rix for the Western Class A championship last weekend, he made what some would consider a bold prediction.

"Me and Dee Dee will be in the state final, and I foresee it being something like 1-0 or going into double overtime," said Leadbetter, who defeated Rix 1-0 in the regional final in Biddeford.

Rix isn't the first female high school wrestler with a shot to win a state title. Last week in Alaska, Michaela Hutchison finished second against a boy in the 103-pound class.

Still, the cliche is obvious in wrestling, that it's a man's world. Like women in law enforcement, engineering or in corporate board rooms, Rix is an uncommon entity.

But like women who have succeeded in male-dominated fields, Rix has had the unconditional support of the people around her: her mother, father, brothers, teammates and friends.

She also has gained respect.

"I didn't see a girl out there wrestling me," Leadbetter said. "I have the utmost respect for her, especially for her to be doing all of this in a guy's competition."

When a competitor is on the wrestling mat, gender doesn't seem to be an issue.

"If an athlete is there for the right reason, it doesn't make a difference to me," said Neldon Gardner, Hutchison's coach at Skyview High in Soldotna, Alaska. "Girls I've had have been there for the right reasons, not to find a boyfriend but to wrestle."

But there was that time in Michigan, during a boys' national Greco-Roman tournament, when Rix, then a fifth-grader, wanted to wrestle against boys but someone said no.

Other people started saying no. Soon a meeting commenced, and Rix's father, who was also and still is her coach, argued for his daughter's case.

Finally, Rix was allowed to wrestle. It's the only time she can remember that someone told her, "You can't do that."

A TITLE IX PARADOX

When someone does try to stand in her way, or even when there's the implication that someone doesn't believe in what Rix is pursuing, she simply turns the other way.

"Most people have been very supportive, but some people say girls can't wrestle or that I shouldn't wrestle," said Rix, who enters the state championships with a 23-2 record (17-1 at 130). "I just ignore that."

Still, she's wrestled primarily against boys. If she had wrestled against girls, she probably wouldn't have gotten so much attention.

Rix is a paradox of Title IX, the 1972 landmark ruling that provided equal opportunities for men and women in federally funded education programs and activities, and which paved the way for women to have their own playing fields.

Instead of benefiting from a sport such as softball or field hockey, Rix is flourishing in wrestling.

"We're coming up with all this now," said Kent Bailo, the founder of the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association in Ortonville, Mich. "We didn't do that 30-some years ago. Men decided that women didn't want to participate in contact sports, and that's why Title IX was mishandled.

"All they wanted was equal opportunity. We made up rowing, badminton, lacrosse . . . but bypassed wrestling and hockey. In the last 10 years, you see girls starting to do these (sports). Girls should have been doing this a long time ago."

When others were thinking about it, Rix was doing it. In nearly 14 years of wrestling, Rix has succeeded at just about every level.

She won two junior national wrestling championships, was twice named an All-American, traveled to China to compete against that country's top female wrestlers, was featured in Sports Illustrated as one of its "Faces in the Crowd" and entered the 2004-05 season as the nation's top-ranked female high school wrestler at 126 pounds by the U.S. Girls' Wrestling Association.

THE FINAL HURDLE

Today she will be among more than 300 wrestlers vying for a state championship in Augusta. For any wrestler to reach the state championships is difficult. On probability alone, the chances of a female wrestler reaching the championship match is even slimmer.

"It's a very high achievement for a girl to make it to the state finals," said Gardner, who in 23 years of coaching at Skyview has only coached 12 females, all in the past 10 years. "That's a phenomenal feat, even for a boy. I wish (Deanna) the best."

Before her Western Class A championship match against Leadbetter, Rix watched as Andrea Eisenhower of Massabesic took Rix's younger brother, Matt, to overtime in the consolation semifinals of the 103-pound class.

Deanna Rix stood on the side of the mat, hands at her hips, watching intensely. Whether she was watching her brother or the next prominent female wrestler in Maine was uncertain.

She wasn't sure who to root for, either.

"I wanted my brother to win, but I also wanted (Andrea) to win," she said. "When I was a freshman, I hardly saw any girls wrestling, maybe one or two. Now some teams have five or six girls, and that's awesome."

At the end of the day, Rix leaned over to sign the shirt of a young wrestling hopeful, a girl in boot-cut jeans and a bobbing auburn ponytail.

Chances are, Deanna Rix was passing the torch.

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Rix barely falls short in bid to make wrestling history

By RACHEL LENZI Staff Writer 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. 2/13/05

AUGUSTA — All eyes were on Deanna Rix as she hung on for dear life. But only seconds away from a shot at history, Shane Leadbetter slipped out of her grasp. With four seconds remaining in double overtime Saturday night, Leadbetter, a Sanford High School senior, recorded the decisive escape point in a 2-1 win over Rix, a Marshwood senior, for the Class A state wrestling title in the 130-pound weight class.
Leadbetter thwarted Rix´s hopes of becoming the first girl in the United States to win a state championship in a state-sanctioned wrestling tournament against boys.

Leadbetter did it with all eyes on the mat, despite the fact that two other matches were going on beside them in the Augusta Civic Center. Along the mat´s edge, Rix´s younger brother recorded the match with a digital camera while reporters, television crews and spectators surrounded the mat.
"Deanna had the cameras, the reporters, everyone around her on her side," Leadbetter said. "I was going against the whole Civic Center. I wouldn´t mind losing in a state title match, but going against her, it made it that much harder. She´d be the first (girl) to win the state title, and I´d be the loser ... and that would hurt."

The pressure was equally as extreme for Rix.

"I was so nervous," Rix said. "I knew everyone was going to watch this match. I had so much pressure. I can´t even explain the feeling."

Leadbetter took a 1-0 lead by scoring an escape point in the second period. But he was called for stalling with 28 seconds left in regulation, giving Rix the tying point and setting up a one-minute, sudden-death overtime.

In overtime, it seemed no one would budge. But in the second overtime, Leadbetter elected to take the bottom position, forcing Rix to cling to him.

"I just wanted to hold on," Rix said.

Leadbetter looked up at the clock and saw the 30-second second overtime winding down.

"I took her arm, kicked her leg and pulled my arm up and tried slipping away from her," Leadbetter said. "She caught the end of my foot and I jumped back."

Then, the whistle blew, ending the match. Rix fell to the mat crying, then went to her father and wrestling coach, Matt, who consoled her.

"She really wanted it," said her younger brother, also named Matt. "She worked so hard and stuck with this. I was thinking, pin, pin. I was hoping for the best. But I´m very proud of her. So close to winning ..."

Rix´s pursuit of a landmark victory was meaningful for John Bapst´s Elizabeth Lutz, who competed at 112 in Class C but did not place.

"It means we´re getting somewhere in society," Lutz said. "Supposedly we´re equal, but some people still don´t believe that."

Lisa Nowak, who wrestled at Mt. Ararat and who coaches at the Hyde School in Bath, was on hand to witness Rix´s attempt at history. In 1996, Nowak appealed to the state´s Human Rights Commission, facilitating the ruling that girls had the right to wrestle boys in interscholastic competition and eventually facilitating Rix´s pursuit of a state title.

"What a way to end her season," said Nowak, the first girl to wrestle competitively against boys in Maine. "If you´re going to go down like that, double overtime´s a way to go. But she came out and she looked ready to work, ready to do business."

Of the six girls who qualified for the state meet in all classifications, only two advanced past the first two rounds. Wiscasset´s Kristi Pearse finished third in Class C at 103, defeating Lisbon´s Jeff Cossar 8-1 in the consolation final.

Though Rix fell short of her ultimate goal, she still achieved plenty.

"She worked her whole life for this," Nowak said. "She definitely deserved the championship. Even bigger than that, she´s an inspiration . . . to the other girls who could see how far she made it.

"I think, secretly, everyone wanted her to win, for what it all means."

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Breaking barriers

By Paul Schofield
TRIBUNE-REVIEW
Saturday, February 12, 2005

HERSHEY -- Janice Caputo insists what she did Friday was nothing special, but by any measure, she made history.
The 38-year-old single mom from Moon Township became the first female in the state to officiate in the PIAA Team Wrestling Championships.

Caputo, a 12-year veteran of the sport, officiated four matches yesterday at the Giant Center, and from all indications, she performed admirably.

"I had no hesitation bring Janice in for the simple fact that she was the No. 1-rated official in District 8 (Pittsburgh City League) on their recommended list," said Dr. Robert Lombardi, PIAA associate executive director. "She worked in a WPIAL section qualifier about two or three years ago and did well.

"Across the board, we have female starters in track, men who officiate girls field hockey, and women who work boys volleyball matches. A good official is a good official regardless of race, color or creed. We never cared."

Caputo is only one of eight women in the state who officiate wrestling matches. She is a member of the Pittsburgh Chapter.

"The Pittsburgh Chapter is very good, and we work together," Caputo said. "(Veteran) Fred Ambrose is a wonderful mentor, and it was good to work with a veteran like Roy Phillis. I've had a lot of growing pains."

Caputo got into officiating thanks to her son, Angelo. She would take him to a lot of first-year Junior Olympic tournaments and was not pleased with the way matches were called.

"My son decided he liked the sport of wrestling, and being a single parent, I did what I could to be a part of that for him," Caputo said. "So, I'd go to the wrestling room and watch the coaches, and then I took my son to a couple of tournaments, I really wasn't happy with some of the calls that I saw. I thought maybe there was a way for me to get out there, and I did."

And while she son decided to quit wrestling before entering sixth grade, Caputo was hooked as an official.

Caputo worked her first varsity match 11 years ago, and she said she was a nervous wreck before the match.

"It was a Moon-Hopewell match," she said. "I was nervous at first, but I said this is why I got into the sport. I really enjoyed it. These boys work hard, harder than any other athletes."

She continued to train and learn from her fellow officials the Pittsburgh Chapter. That hard work and dedication earned herself a trip to Hershey.

Phillis, her officiating partner for the tournament, said he didn't know what to expect since he'd never worked with her before.

"It was like working with anyone else, you had to get a feel of what they do," Phillis said. "She's done a great job. I'm glad I got the opportunity to work with her."

"She's handled herself very well," Lombardi said. "I think she was a little nervous to start, which I'm glad. As all athletes, you have little butterflies. She was ready and she cared. Her movement was good, her judgment was sound and her signals were clean, crisp and decisive. No one questioned her."

And while Caputo insists she didn't break down any barriers yesterday, she said getting the opportunity is a huge privilege.

"I was nervous the very first time I stepped onto the mat," she said. "But I didn't want to let Roy down, I didn't want to let the wrestlers down, and I didn't want to let myself down. It took me two bouts to calm down.

"Hopefully, this is a stepping stone for me. Some people might have wondered if Janice could handle the bigger bouts. I think I can."

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Newport's Akiyama repeats

Here is the Knights homepage:

2005-02-06
by Lena Tibbelin
Journal Reporter

Newport senior Leilani Akiyama pulled off the repeat, winning at 130 pounds, successfully making the jump from 112 pounds. Akiyama, a two-time state participant, has battled injuries throughout the season and wasn't cleared to wrestle until early January.

``She does such a good job stepping up to whatever challenge is in front of her,'' Newport coach Michael Chenoweth said.

Akiyama pinned J.D. Schultz of Interlake late in the first round in a match when she used more judo moves than she would have liked. The 22-time national judo champion speculated that her excitement of being in the final made her use her throws more.

``I pictured myself wrestling more,'' Akiyama said. ``I tried too hard to shoot then just use my throws.''

She will be joined at regionals by fellow Kingco champions Zac Raasch (112), Taylor Sole (140) and Jesse Hampton (160) as Kingco champions. The Knights went 4-for-4 in the finals.

``We focus on peaking in the end,'' Newport coach Mike Chenoweth said.

The Knights finished fourth as a team, which was a little disappointing, Chenoweth added.

``We wanted to take a shot at the title as a team,'' Chenoweth said. ``It didn't pan out.''

Raasch improved from a second-place finish at league last year.

``It feels good to win something,'' Raasch said.

Sole survived a 17-15 overtime drama against Issaquah's Brandon Hill in the final.

``It was exhilarating,'' Sole said. ``It's the best feeling of my life.''

Leilani akiyama

newport

* Grade -- Senior.

* Sport -- Wrestling.

* Accomplishments -- Akiyama won the 3A Kingco title in the 130-pound division at Saturday's meet. She pinned J.D. Schultz of Interlake in 1 minute, 54 seconds. It was her second Kingco title; she won the 112-pound division last season.

* Favorite class --ASPEN, advanced health.

* What is the one sport you would love to try playing -- and why? -- ``Because wrestling season is in the winter, I wish I could go up to the mountains and snowboard. I haven't been up for about five years. I miss it.''

* Did you know? -- Akiyama placed third at the judo Olympic Trials last year and, in wrestling, she's qualified for state twice. She is involved in the HIV/AIDS community with ASPEN. After high school, Akiyama is considering training at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., for both judo and wrestling.

Leilani akiyama

SCHOOL: Newport

SPORT: Wrestling

VITALS: 5-5, 130-pound senior

WHAT SHE DID: Akiyama won the 130-pound weight class at the 3A KingCo Championships, pinning her opponent at 1:52 in the first round for the league title. She improved to 13-2 this season after missing a month of competition while recovering from surgery on her left leg. Akiyama won the KingCo 112-pound title last year before jumping up three weight classes this season. "I don't like cutting my weight," Akiyama said. "I just decided I could compete at 130, and it's worked out fine."

HOW SHE DID IT: "I try and go into each match with an attitude that every opponent will be tough," Akiyama said. "That way, I know I have to wrestle my best every time. For me, it doesn't matter how much experience my opponent has because all the guys are strong, so I have to stay focused all the time." In the KingCo finals, Akiyama caught her opponent with a throw when both were on their feet.

WHAT SHE'LL DO NEXT: Up next is the regional wrestling meet at Sedro-Woolley and hopefully on to state for the third consecutive year. Next fall, Akiyama has an opportunity to train in both judo and wrestling at the U. S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo., but she's also considering attending the University of Washington and studying medicine.

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EASTSIDE REGIONAL WRESTLING: At a glance - CLASS 4A REGION II

2005-02-11

* Where: Puyallup High.

* When: Matches begin Saturday at 10 a.m. Finals are slated tentatively slated for 5:30 p.m.

* Admission: $7 adults, $5 students with ASB

* Format: Eight-man brackets, top four in each weight class advance to Mat Classic.

* Returning champions: Rogers (team); Kraig Wilson, Rogers (103); Alex Pitch, Spanaway Lake (won 145 last year, will wrestle at 152); Mikey Sewell, Inglemoor (won 152 last year, will wrestle at 160).

* Notable: SPSL South No. 4 will wrestle Kingco No. 5 in the pig-tails for a tournament berth and a first-round matchup against the Kingco champions in the opening round. Last year, SPSL South won 13 of 14 pig-tails, Eastlake's Dom Michaud (275) was the lone exception for Kingco. ... Puyallup's Whitney Conder is back at 103, qualifying for her second consecutive regional tournament.

* Outlook: Eastlake has the potential to make a run for the team title with seven Kingco champions and a tournament-high 11 wrestlers. Eastlake twins Doug (189) and Steve Rowe (215) both improved to 30-3 when they won league last week. ... Along with Eastlake, Rogers (10 wrestlers) and Emerald Ridge (8), Puyallup (8) and Bethel (8) all could challenge for the title. ... Two-time defending state champion Mikey Sewell is going for his third regional title. He is 32-0 this season, 103-3 in his career. ... Some of the tougher weight classes should be 130, 152 and 160 as each bracket has four regional returners. ... The potential final at 215, between Steve Rowe of Eastlake and Taylor McCluskey of Decatur could be a treat. Last year, Rowe pinned McCluskey in the second period for third place.

CLASS 3A REGION I

* Where: Sedro-Woolley High.

* When: Matches begin Saturday at 10 a.m. Finals are slated for 5:30 p.m.

* Admission: $7 adults, $5 students with ASB

* Format: Eight-man brackets, top four in each weight class advance to Mat Classic.

* Returning champions: Sedro-Woolley (team); Derek Crouter, Sedro-Woolley (103); Jason Costello, Squalicum (won 112 last year, will wrestle at 125); Nathan Decker, Sedro-Woolley (won 119 last year, will wrestle at 130); Michael Lomsdalen, Sedro-Woolley (won 125 last year, will wrestle at 140); Patrick O'Neil, Sedro-Woolley (won 130 last year, will wrestle at 135); Cody Leifheit, Ferndale (171).

* Notable: 3A Kingco, Northwest, Wesco and Cascade Conferences combine for one of toughest regional tournaments in the state this weekend. ... Host school Sedro-Woolley is the defending state champ and had 13 wrestlers in the finals at the Northwest District tournament. ... 3A Kingco only qualified three wrestlers in each weight class.

* Outlook: It will be tough, nobody is knocking off the Sedro-Wolley from its throne. But with combined efforts, several other schools can poke holes in the Sedro-Woolley's armor and nab state qualifiers. ... Mercer Island's Jesse Johnson (215) is undefeated with a 31-0 record, in a weight class where three of last year's top six placers return. ... Cedarcrest's David Howard win against Patrick Janicki at the 152 final at last week's district tournament quieted the gym. Another Howard-Janicki final is likely again. ... Newport's Leilani Akiyama (130) will try to qualify for state for a third time. She's already the only girl in state history to get to Mat Classic twice. It will, however, be an uphill battle for Akiyama, who has defending state champion Decker on the other side of the bracket. ... Chris Yncera (145) of Issaquah hopes to improve upon last year's third-place regional finish. In Yncera's bracket is newly crowned Northwest district champion Jordan Frisbee, a sophomore from Sedro-Woolley.

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Hawley wins 4th title, and so does Southwick

Sunday, February 13, 2005
By LARRY PHUNG
lphung@repub.com

WILLIAMSTOWN - Four years. Four weight classes. One champion.

Gateway Regional senior Andrew Hawley added yet another line to his already impressive resume yesterday at Mount Greylock Regional High School, becoming only the 10th wrestler to win four Western Massachusetts titles.

"It's amazing," said Hawley, who was named the Most Outstanding Wrestler at the Division III sectional meet. "I'm just glad to have my friends here with me.

"I've put so much into wrestling," he said. "My whole life is about this sport."

This is what the whole season has been about," said first-year Gateway coach Verne Lariviere, whose younger brother, Sam, was the region's first four-time champ.

"I'm looking forward to bringing him (Hawley) to states, and all-states, and hopefully after that, New Englands."

Hawley wasn't the only one to join exclusive company yesterday. Southwick-Tolland Regional won its fourth straight Division III title with 223 points, becoming the first school in the region's history to do so.

"We train so hard just for this tournament," said Southwick sophomore Luke Woodman, who was one of two individual champions. "All year, this is what we work for, Western Mass.

"The coaches push us, the captains push us. The team's united, and we work as a team."

Mount Greylock finished second with 205.50 points, followed by South Hadley (173.50), Hoosac Valley (149.50) and Belchertown (145.50).

Wrestling at 130 pounds, Hawley dominated his finals match against Northampton's Matt Masi, winning 14-1

"He's a real strong 130," Hawley said. "I knew I match up pretty good against him, (but) he's a great wrestler."

Hawley cruised through the early rounds, pinning Hoosac Valley's Steve Senay in 2 minutes, 28 seconds, and Athol's Justin Houle in 1:29, before tech-falling Mount Greylock's Matt Clement 18-0 in the semifinals.

The senior won his first title at 103 pounds in 2002, then moved up to win at 112 as a sophomore. Last year, he claimed title No. 3 in the 125- pound class.

"Probably my brothers, Aaron and Tyler - they got me into it," Hawley said when asked the reason for his success in the sport. "And (former Gateway coach Chuck) Margarites. He's the biggest person I've looked up to.

"He's done so much for me. He's almost like a second dad. And my new coach, he stepped up, too."

"He was good from the second he stepped into the room," said Margarites, who was in attendance, along with both Aaron and Tyler. "But this didn't happen by accident. He worked his tail off.

"From freshman year to (now), every summer has been filled with offseason wrestling. He's earned all the accolades he's getting today."

Southwick secured the team title after the consolation round, with four wrestlers reaching the finals and three more placing in the top four.

Woodman then won his finals match at 140 pounds, as did junior Craig Maddy at 145.

In 2004, Southwick edged Northampton by 2½ points, becoming just the second team in Western Massachusetts history to win without having an individual champion.

"It feels nice," Southwick coach Ed Martinez said. "We would take it either way, but it was nice to have some champions this year."

Woodman needed overtime to take a 9-7 decision over Hoosac Valley's Matt Kolis.

"It was a struggle," he said. "We were both fighting real hard."

Maddy, meanwhile, won in regulation, beating Belchertown's Chris Kielbasa 7-3 in the finals.

"He's one strong kid," Maddy said of his opponant. "He beat me earlier in the year, so I really wanted to get him. Plus, I (was) the No. 3 seed, so it was good to come from the underdog spot."

Cory Stork (125 pounds) and John Viel (135) also advanced to the finals, while John Durham won his consolation finals match at 160 pounds.

Shawn Ricupiro (119) and Corie Gauthier (130) were the others to reach the consolation finals.

"The team came through for us," Maddy said. "Southwick has no standouts. The real champions come from losing your match and getting third. Those guys really deserve the credit."

The 112-pound featured standouts Jeremy Wolfe of Mount Everett and Nikki Darrow of Mount Greylock. Wolfe claimed his third career title, and his second at 112 pounds with an 8-3 decision over Darrow.

"I had butterflies a few hours before, but I knew once the match started, I'd get really pumped," said Wolfe, a junior. "Having the possibility of being a four-time champ, you've got to be a three-time champ first."

Darrow, arguably the most successful female wrestler in the region's history, was wrestling in her second career final. In 2003, she became just the second female to reach a title match.

"It's different (wrestling a girl), of course, but she's really good," Wolfe said. "I'll give her credit for that. She's no pushover."

"That's probably the most action-packed match we've ever had," Darrow said. "It's usually only two points apart. Obviously I wanted to be in the finals, but you don't want to finish second."

Mount Greylock's Jon Girard took a 15-4 major decision over South Hadley's Nate Recoulle at 119 pounds to earn his second Western Massachusetts title. Jeff Brodeur (152 pounds), Tony Quagliano (189) and Mike Williams (heavywieght) also took home individual titles for the Mounties.

"I thought we did real well," Mount Greylock coach Ray Miro said. "I think dominance shows up next week (at states), as far as individuals go. Southwick's goal is to do well here; our goal is to do well at states."

Northampton's Pat Gleason won his second career title, pinning Franklin Tech's Patrick Jernigan at 215 pounds. Hoosac's Craig Field (171) also repeated, beating Belchertown's Tucker Lauber, 6-3.

Other individual champions were Seth Cable of Hoosac Valley (103), Matt Dempsey of Mount Everett (125), Brian Gouin of South Hadley (135), and Jeff Fleury of Belchertown (160).

Williams, the heavyweight champion, had the most wins in the least amount of time. South Hadley coach Randy Fuller was named coach of the year.

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Carroll freshman gets leg up on wrestling opponents

Leg strength comes largely from riding in equestrian events

06:04 PM CST on Saturday, February 12, 2005

By RICK KRETZSCHMAR / Special Contributor to The Dallas Morning News

Carroll freshman Jordan West succeeds in handling wrestling opponents
despite the fact she weighs only 93 pounds. That's due in part to the
fact

she's accustomed to handling much more weight – one-half ton or more –
in equestrian events.

West was 11-7 entering Saturday's Region II wrestling meet, in which
she finished third and qualified for the state meet. Teammate Tiff Larriba,
a o-time state qualifier, said she has been impressed with West's
performance.

This is your first year in wrestling. How did you get interested in it?

My brother, Perry West, he got me interested. I thought it would be a
lot of r faces smashed into mats and get their arms and legs
bent in awkward positions. Has there been much pain involved?

I haven't been in a lot of pain this year. Tiff Larriba has taught me a
lot of moves. I like physical sports.

What do you like about wrestling?

I like it because whether you win or lose, it's all up to you.

Where are you strongest?

In my legs, because I ride horses.

Why do you get strength from riding horses?

That's how you lead horses. You use your legs to nudge them and give
them little kicks. You use a lot less of the bridle than you think.

When do you ride horses?

In competition. I participate in events where you follow a course and
jump over obstacles.

What's the best you've done in equestrian events?

I've won a region championship for the Beginner II level.

How long would you like to compete in equestrian events?

I would like to make the Olympics someday.

How long would you like to wrestle?

I'm not sure. I don't know how good I am yet.

How is participation in girls wrestling these days?

It's getting bigger, and that's pretty exciting. We didn't have a lot
of 95-pound wrestlers in this region, though. We only had five, and four
qualified for state.

What other sports would you recommend for people your size?

They can swim, too. They can run cross country, but I don't want to do
that.

What are your goals for high school wrestling?

This year, I hope to win a couple of matches at state. Next year, I
want to make the state semifinals, maybe the finals.

What weight class will you compete in next year?

I'm confident that I can stay at this weight.

E-mail rkretzschmar@dallasnews.com

MEET JORDAN WEST

School: Carroll

Class: Freshman

Sport: Wrestling

Notable: West helped Carroll win the District 10 title, and she
finished third at Saturday's Region II meet, qualifying for state. This is
West's first year of competitive wrestling. West also rides equestrian horses.

Jenny Franco isn't exactly an imposing figure.

The Hanks High School wrestling captain possesses a small frame, a
delightful smile and a casual demeanor that couldn't be mistaken for
any sort of maliciousness.

But at the Region 1 Wrestling Championships on Saturday at Bowie High
School, Franco was anything but tranquil.

The senior plowed through her competition and emphatically pinned River
Road's Ashley Underwood 36 seconds into the first period of their
119-pound championship match to win her first regional title and earn her first
trip to the state tournament.

"I love it, since it's my first one and it's my last year," Franco said
of her crown. "It's awesome that there's four of us going to state."

Joining Franco on the trip to Austin will be Awbrey Lowe (102 pounds);
Jamie Gonzalez (185); and Christine Ybarra (215). Lowe and Ybarra both won
their respective classes to help Hanks lead El Paso girls with gold medals.
Their efforts netted a third-place finish with 103 points. Defending state
champion Amarillo Caprock finished first with 125.5 points and Eastwood
was second with 123.

The Troopers were led by 165-pound defending state champion Tressa
Yocum, Eastwood's lone gold-medal winner. But as astounding as Yocum is, the
day belonged to Hanks, who surprised many with their run.

"I'm really proud of them," Ybarra said of her teammates. "We take time
to look at our mistakes and correct them. I'm just happy."

On the boys side, defending regional champion Canyon Randall won the
team title with 191 points. Dumas was second with 134.5 points, and Amarillo
Tascosa was third with 130 points.

Girls qualifying for the state tournament by virtue of their finish
are: Montwood's Nicole Silva (95); El Paso High's Bethany Piña (110);
Socorro's Norma Rueda (128); and Andress' Kristen Rod-riguez (148).

Boy qualifiers are: Eastwood's Angel Medina (103), Alex Aguirre (135),
Justin Rios (160), Miguel Garcia (180) and Eddie Noriega (275);
Coronado's Logan Davis (112); Franklin's Danny Caraveo (119) and Robert Guzman
(215); Ameri-cas' Kevin Jury (125); Socorro's Abel Borunda (125) and Chris
Cerros (189); Hanks' Anthony Valenzuela (130) and Jacob Valdez (135); Del
Valle's Alex Grijalva (140); and Fabens' Danny Ontiveros (189) and Eric Saucedo
(215).

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