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Aschenbrenner’s pin secures title for Puyallup
LENA TIBBELIN; For The News Tribune
Published: February 12th, 2006 02:30 AM
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Everyone expected a close race for the Class 4A Region II tournament title, but not quite this nerve-racking.
The Puyallup Vikings pulled out the team title when Ian Aschenbrenner pinned Juanita’s Josh Skurnik at the 3:50 mark in the 171-pound championship match.
When the referee slapped his hand to the mat, signaling the pin, the watching Vikings erupted in cheers and embraced in bear hugs.
Puyallup won with 142.5 points, taking the title from Emerald Ridge, which held a precarious half-point lead, 137-136.5, prior to the 171-pound match.
Aschenbrenner got four points for the win and two bonus points for the pin – more than enough for the Vikings.
South Puget Sound League teams dominated their Kingco counterparts with Rogers in third place with 136 points, followed by Curtis (98) and Bethel (95). In all, the SPSL South took 41 of the 56 state berths available.
Aschenbrenner was in a daze afterwards.
“It’s just so overwhelming,” he said. “The whole thing, I did all that I could.”
Puyallup head coach Bryan Bartelson had told him what was on the line before the match – a win for Aschenbrenner meant a win for the team.
“He’s the team captain,” Bartelson said. “He stayed disciplined. He did a fine job.”
For seniors, the Vikings’ title marks a turnaround for the storied program, which four years ago didn’t win a single dual meet.
“This is a program on the rise,” Bartelson said. “It’s well deserved.”
Puyallup’s Whitney Conder joined Aschenbrenner as a regional champion.
She made state history by becoming the first girl to win a regional title when she pinned teammate David Marrow at the 5:04 mark in the 103-pound final. She was also voted co-wrestler of the tournament alongside Spanaway Lake’s Jason Marshall (275).
Conder’s win was loudly cheered by the crowd.
“Whitney is the real deal,” Bartelson said. “She’s a legit wrestler, gender doesn’t matter. She comes to wrestle.”
Conder enjoys surprising people and blazing a trail for future female wrestlers. More than anything, she wants to be remembered as a wrestler, not as a girl in a traditionally all-boys sport.
“It motivates me,” Conder said. “It makes me proud. It makes me try to be humble. I just hope I can be as humble as I can be.”
She will be a No. 1 seed at next week’s state tournament, where she gets a chance to better her sixth-place finish from last year and Marrow will be right there with her.
“It’s very exciting,” Conder said. “I think all these battles make us closer.”
Puyallup qualified eight wrestlers for state, as did Emerald Ridge, which had one champion in 112-pound Nick Webster and runners-up in Justin Timothy (125), Gabe Weber (130) and Kevin Wills (140).
Rogers came in with seven wrestlers and qualified all seven to state. Kyle Foster (125), Julio Rodriguez (135), Jared Sterling (140) and Marshall Giovannini (152) won titles. Both Rodriguez and Giovannini defended their regional titles from a year ago.
The four wins for Rogers almost gave the Rams the team title, but when Graham-Kapowsin’s Brad Sweet defeated James Albert for the second straight weekend at 145 pounds, with an 11-6 decision, the Rams were out of the race.
It wasn’t for lack of trying. Giovannini twice had Bethel’s Nick Buddinger in a near-fall count pushing for a pin, but had to settle for a 14-5 major decision.
Alex Pitsch of Bethel (160) and Marshall (275) also defended their regional titles.
For Pitsch, the win meant he was back from a third-place finish at the league tournament, which had surprised some, but not himself.
“I put too much pressure on myself,” he said. “Taking third (at league) helped me to relax.”
Pitsch defeated Peyton Lane of Todd Beamer with a pin at the 3:50 mark in the final.
“I didn’t worry, I just wrestled,” Pitsch said.
Eddie Sobczak of Curtis (215) rounded out the SPSL champions with a win against Jeremy Williams of Bethel.
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Columbia River sends seven wrestlers to 3A state tourney
Sunday, February 12, 2006
By PAUL DANZER, Columbian staff writer
Camas sophomore Melissa Watkins, believed to be the first girl to win a Greater St. Helens League district championship, had her season end on Saturday. She finished sixth at 103 pounds and failed to reach state.
After pinning Adam Lafave of Clover Park in her first-round match, Watkins lost in the semifinals 14-1 to Justin Purves of White River. Brian Bayeur from Peninsula then defeated Watkins in the round to qualify for state. Washougal's Sujin Kraft-Oliver edged Watkins 11-10 in the match for fifth place.
Instead of wrestling in Mat Classic next week, Watkins will participate in the state high school championships for girls that is also held at the Tacoma Dome.
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Boss feels no shame in losing to female wrestler
RON WILMOT
COMMENT Published: February 12, 2006
Photo by BOB HALLINEN / Anchorage Daily News |
Aaron Boss might end up a Trivial Pursuit question some day: Who is the wrestler that lost to Michaela Hutchison, the first girl to win a high school wrestling championship while competing against boys?
Last Saturday, Hutchison, a Skyview sophomore, beat Boss 1-0 to win the Class 4A 103-pound championship at Chugiak High. With the crowd of 2,000 or so fans on their feet and screaming, Hutchison slowly wrenched free for the escape with 16 seconds left.
Hutchison turned to the crowd, her nose plugged to stop it from bleeding, and raised her hand. The Chugiak High gym was deafening. It was one of the most electric moments I've witnessed in sports. Everyone in attendance knew they had seen something special.
Hutchison's win has been mentioned across the country on Web sites and newscasts, and she received invitations to appear with David Letterman and Jay Leno.
Hutchison's win may open the door for more girls to compete in wrestling. Perhaps it will spur Alaska to join Texas and Hawaii in sanctioning girls-only wrestling as a varsity sport.
But nearly as important in this story is how Boss, a Colony High sophomore, reacted.
It is no big deal. He had no qualms about "losing to a girl."
"I don't look at it as I lost to a girl," Boss said. "I look at it as I lost to a wrestler."
That statement, and the respect it professes, means almost as much to the state of girls' wrestling as Hutchison's win.
Colony High coach Fred McKenney said gender is not an issue on the mat.
"We don't have male or female wrestlers," he said. "Just wrestlers.
"She is a tough little wrestler. I'd like to have her on my team."
Boss said he has not received any negative reaction from fellow students. You can imagine the cruel comments a high school kid might make.
Whoever might make such a comment, or even think it, should understand something: Hutchison would probably beat you on the mat. So would Boss.
Hutchison and Boss were clearly the best 103-pound wrestlers in the state this season. Hutchison finished with a 41-4 record and 33 pins, one short of the state record. Boss is a defending Greco Roman and freestyle state champion. Ranked No. 2 most of the season behind Hutchison, Boss finished 31-5.
Two of those losses were against Hutchison. She scored a reversal with five seconds left to win 4-2 in the Northern Lights Conference finals. Boss' other three losses came in December, at the Reno Tournament of Champions.
Hutchison comes from a family of champions. Older brothers Zeb and Eli are state champions. Older sister Melina became the first girl in Alaska to place at the state tournament (third in 2000).
Eli ended his high school career as arguably the best high school wrestler ever in Alaska. He never lost to an Alaska opponent. He won four straight state titles and a national tournament championship. He holds state records for most takedowns in a season (302, set in 2004) and most wins (53, also set in 2004). He will wrestle at Division I wrestling powerhouse Boise State University in the fall.
There is a mat in the Hutchison household where Eli and Michaela grapple. Think she learned a thing or two going up against big bro?
Hutchison has always seemed to shy away from talk about her being a girl in a sport dominated by boys. It's never seemed a big deal to her. In most cases, it's not a big deal to the boys she wrestles -- and usually beats. She just wants to be known as a wrestler.
So does Boss.
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By TERRY CARTER 2/12/06
Klein edged
The Klein boys came within one point of claiming the Region III wrestling championship at Allen High School on Saturday.
Lake Highlands edged Klein by half a point and Klein Oak and The Woodlands by 10 points.
Fine finishes
Houston-area boys teams competed well at Allen. Klein was second, Klein Oak and The Woodlands finished tied for third.
Cinco Ranch was sixth, followed by Westside in seventh, and 10th place was taken by Cypress-Fairbanks.
Taylor girls advance
In the girls' Region III competition, Katy Taylor snt four champions to the state tournament Feb. 24-25 at the Delco Center in Austin.
Courtney Hole, Lara Hamilton, Venus Barron and Adele Kurt took top honors. Katy ISD wrestlers won seven of 10 girls titles.
Individual finishes
The Woodlands' Eric Spjut (50-1) at 112 pounds and Colin McElroy (33-2) at 135 ran the table as regional champions.
Cinco Ranch (three) and Klein Oak (two) also sported multiple regional champions.
Cinco Ranch won with Jamie Sheets (34-2) at 140, Matt Harris (41-1) at 160 and Will McNair (38-2) at 180.
Returning state champion Shane Doughman (41-1) at 119 and Blake Allen (46-1) at 125 led Klein Oak with regional crowns. Klein's Taylor Couch (36-4) stopped a Panthers championship trio with a 17-4 win over Klein Oak's Josh Wisnoski (25-9) in the 152 final.
Brooks unbeaten
Klein's Lindsey Brooks (40-0) at 148 pounds is the only unbeaten female wrestler in Region III.
Kristi Smith of Brazos (24-1) suffered a shoulder injury in the 148-pound championship bout against Brooks.
TERRY CARTER
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Golden girl qualifies for state
By By KENT MINCER The Daily Sentinel
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Brooke Sauer was crying when she walked off the mat after her third-place match in the 103-pound division of the Class 4A Region 3 wrestling tournament at Grand Junction High School.
Granted, she had just lost the match 8-5 to Alex Johnson of Ralston Valley, but those weren’t tears of disappointment she was shedding.
They were tears of joy.
By placing fourth in her weight division, the Golden senior knew she had earned one of the first two Colorado state tournament berth by a female.
As it turned out, a girl from the Class 5A Region 3 meet also earned a state berth Saturday.
Sauer never set out to be a trailblazer. All she wanted to do was wrestle.
“It should be every wrestler’s dream,” she said of wrestling in the state tournament.
Entering the regional tournament with a 24-10 record, she received a bye in the first round and won her second-round match Friday afternoon, pinning Conifer’s Colter Hines in 2 minutes, 46 seconds.
That put her in Saturday morning’s semifinals, where she lost to top seed Cutter Garrison of Montrose by technical fall.
Her berth in the state tournament was all but solidified when she won her consolation match with a 22-second pin of Josh Wamboldt of Eagle Valley.
While Sauer, Golden’s student body president who sports a 3.6 grade-point average, was wrestling for third place, Wamboldt won his fifth-place match. That assured Sauer of, at worst, the fourth and final state seed in the weight class.
Wrestling is in Sauer’s blood. Her father, Dave Sauer, is Golden’s head coach, and he didn’t have to do much in the way of encouraging his daughter.
“I was coaching the kids’ program (in Golden),” Dave said. “She’d always tag along. I told her ‘sit over there.’ I’d look up and she was wrestling.”
When she reached the seventh grade she told her father she wanted to wrestle.
“I said, ‘OK, get it out of your system,’ ” Dave said. “(She) didn’t. It’s the best thing that ever happened.”
Despite some early setbacks, Brooke kept at it.
“I usually got my butt kicked,” she said.
Last year, she placed sixth in the 103-pound division of the regional tournament. It was then that she realized she was only a few steps from qualifying for state.
Brooke hit the weight room — hard. Five days a week she was improving her upper-body strength; three days a week she practiced wrestling.
She went to a national summer tournament in Fargo, N.D., and, ironically, didn’t fare well against the female competition.
Dave can’t decide whether he’s more proud of her as a father or as a coach, although he draws the line when they enter the wrestling room. There he’s the coach.
“She’s tough,” he said. “She’s very intelligent. She knows the sport as well as me or anybody else. She’s a student of the sport.”
Come Thursday at the Pepsi Center, class will be in session on a much larger stage.
“It feels really good,” Brooke said of being one of the first two female state wrestling qualifiers. “After four years of busting my butt, it finally paid off.”
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Brownfield makes history
Campbell County senior is first girl to qualify for state tourney
BY RYAN ERNST | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER 2/12/06
Fifty-five boys and one trail-blazing girl qualified for the state wrestling championships during Saturday's Sixth Region tournament at Simon Kenton.
Although she didn't win a regional title, Campbell County senior 103-pounder Priscilla Brownfield became the first female in Kentucky history to qualify for the state tournament by finishing third in her weight class. The top four wrestlers from each class advance to state.
"This has always been my dream ever since I started wrestling (as a sophomore)," said Brownfield, who will wrestle at Cumberland College next year. "... I set a high goal for myself. Now if another girl comes along she'll say 'wow, I have to go that much farther.' "
Brownfield defeated Scott eighth-grader Steve Supe 3-2 to advance to the third-place match, which she won 5-3 over Robbie Vaughn of Simon Kenton.
Ryle won its second straight team title, beating out second-place Simon Kenton 211-200. The Raiders led both Simon Kenton and third-place Campbell County by 11 points heading into the finals, then held their lead by capturing four individual titles - Bryan Peace (130 pounds), Mason Reid (171), Greg Ashworth (189) and Steve Bodenbender (275). Still, less than 40 points separated the top four teams.
"This is the closest the top teams have been in a while," Ryle coach Tim Ruschell said. "Last year we won by six points, so you never know. It came all the way down to the finals. But we knew it was going to be close again. It's a good thing."
Peace, a sophomore, became just the second wrestler in Ryle history to win three straight regional titles. He beat Ben Rust of Campbell County 6-4 in overtime.
"Hopefully," said Peace, ranked No. 1 in the state, "I can make it five straight by the time I'm done wrestling at Ryle."
Rust and Peace set the stage for another great finals match between Ryle and Campbell County - defending state champion Rob Aylor vs. Brian Wilson for the 145-pound title. Aylor beat Wilson in the 140-pound state championship match last year, but this season Wilson is 3-0 against Aylor, including Saturday's 8-4 victory.
For his efforts, Wilson, a senior, was named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler.
"(Aylor) is still really tough every time," Wilson said. "It's always close."
Simon Kenton, led by individual champions Dusty Brown (119), Josh Cooper (152) and Austin Cooper (160), qualified a school record 12 wrestlers for the state tournament.
Scott, led by individual champs Gabe Supe (112) and Daniel Thueneman (140), qualified a school record 10 wrestlers. The victory marked Thueneman's second straight regional championship.
Other individual champions were: T.J. Bates (103), Rashad Brown (125) and Dale Stone (215) of Conner and Kyle Griffith (135) of Campbell County.
The state tournament begins Thursday in Frankfort.
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Jackets are back on top
High School Wrestling
Eastern Shore News 2/1//06
EASTVILLE - There is little debate that the Northampton wrestling program is the top team on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. Northampton is the first local school to start a wrestling program and the only local wrestling team to boast of a state championship (1995).
The Yellow Jackets, however, slipped to a third place finish last year as Nandua climbed to the top of the district standings.
With last year's finish still fresh on everyone's mind, the Yellow Jacket wrestlers went to work this school year with renewed dedication. It showed Wednesday night as the Yellow Jackets won eight weight classes en route to the 2006 Eastern Shore District wrestling championship.
It was an historical night for Northampton with Nicole Beasly becoming the first female wrestler to win an individual weight class title in the history of high school wrestling on Virginia's Eastern Shore. She won the 103-pound weight class. Other Yellow Jacket wreslters winning titles Wednesday night included Thomas Heath (112), John Hickman (130), Derek Davis (140), Ryan Rock (145), Jeremy Ayersman (152), Richard Evans (160), Sherman Rogers (189).
Winning weight classes for Nandua were Derrick West(119), Quenton Parker (125), Brennan Waldorf (140) and Zack Mallette (171).
Arcadia did well in the heavier weight classes with Montego Johnson (215) and Robbie Harris (275) winning district titles.
"I'm proud of all our wrestlers, especially those who went up a weight class to help the team," said Northampton head coach Brian Harman. Going up one weight class this season were Alex Kennedy, Gregory Harman and Sherman Rogers.
"Winning is nice, but what means the most to me is seeing all the former wrestlers and fans coming back to support our program.," said Harman. "I thank the parents for their support and for lending us their sons and daughters. The parents really help me with the program."
The entire championship round Wednesday night was filled with excitement. It got started in the 103 weight class with a girl winning the title and didn't subside until the heavyweights came off the mats.
Nandua's Quenton Parker and Zack Mallette, along with Northampton's Derek Davis were the only wrestlers to successfully defend their district titles.
Last year's weight class winners Mark Ward of Arcadia, Ben Hammer and Nick Rich of Nandua all fell in the championship round.
Northampton's Richard Evans met Hammer in the finals of the 160-pound weight class. Evans got the upper hand early with a takedown and three near fall points. He held that advantage until the final period when Hammer scored four points to make it close. Evans won by decision with a four-point advantage.
Close decisions also were recorded in the 125-pound weight class where Nandua's Parker defeated Arcadia's Ward in a battle of defending champs, the 130-pound weight class where Northampon's Hickman defeated Nandua's Jeremiah Pleitez and in the 135-pound weight class where Nandua's Brennan Waldorf downed Northampton's Deondre Walker.
Team standings: 1 - Northampton (203), 2 - Nandua (173), 3 - Arcadia (95).
Individual weight class: championship round: 103 - Beasly (NOR) pinned Belote (NAN), 3:48; 112- Heath (NOR) won by forfeit over Whatley (ARC) 119 - West (NAN) pinned Said (NOR), 1:52; 125 - Parker (NAN) dec. Ward (ARC),4-2; 130 - Hickman (NOR) dec. Pleitez (NAN), 13-11; 135 - Waldorf (NAN) dec. Walker (NOR), 14-12; 140 - Davis (NOR) pinned Swift (ARC), 1:03; 145 - Rock (NOR) pinned Holden (NAN), 1:26; 152 - Ayersman (NOR) pinned Iseman (NAN), 5:27; 160 - Evans (NOR) dec. Hammer (NAN), 8-4; 171 - Malette (NAN) maj. dec. Harman (NOR), 16-5; 189 - Rogers (NOR) dec. Robinson (NAN), 15-8; 215 - Johnson (AC) pinned Rich (NAN), 4:48; 275 - Harris (ARC) pinned Baily (NAN), 2:33.
Semi-finals: 112 - Heath (NOR) pinned Knock (NAN), 2:29; 119 - Said (NOR) pinned Andrade (ARC), 27 sec.; 125 - Ward (ARC) dec. Atkinson (NOR), 6-3; 130 - Pleitez (NAN) inj. default White (ARC); 140 - Swift (ARC) dec. Rogers (NAN), 16-15; 152 - Iseman (NAN) dec. Snyder (ARC), 9-4; 160 - Harman (NOR) dec. White (ARC), 6-5; 189 - Rogers (NOR) pinned R. Snyder (ARC), 2:36; 215 - Rich (NAN) pinned Kennedy (NOR), 3:30; 275 - Baily (NAN) dec. West (NOR), 10-8.
• Nandua will participate in the Region I Sectional Tournament on Feb. 18 at Lafayette High School in Williamsburg. The top four wrestlers in each weight class will then participate in the Region I Wrestling Tournament at Tabb High School in Yorktown. The top four wrestlers in each weight class at Tabb will then go to the State Group AA Wrestling Tournament in Salem on March 3-4.
• Northampton and Arcadia will participate in the Region A Wrestling Tournament, scheduled for Feb. 25 at Arcadia High School in Oak Hall. The top four wrestlers from each weight class will advance to the State Group A Wrestling Tournament at Salem on March 3-4.
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These girls can wrestle, too
Gender Bender
By GREG MERRITT 2/11/06
GREG MERRITT PHOTO |
A total of three young ladies joined local high school wrestling teams this season. Northampton claimed two with Nicole Beasly (103) and Mandy Barnes (119). Arcadia also had a girl on the wrestling team, Martina Andrade (119).
All three girls won matches during the season and helped their team fill weight classes.
Their participation proves that girls can compete and win at the high school level against boys.
With Beasly winning her weight class this year it may provide other young ladies the inspiration to give wrestling a try.
According to Northampton head coach Brian Harman, there also is a wrestling league in Virginia just for girls. So young ladies can try for state titles just like the upcoming state tournaments in Salem.
Local coaches are willing to help, so if you are a young lady with an interest in wrestling, give your school's wrestling coach a call.
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S.J. woman accepts challenge of coaching wrestlers
Saturday, February 11, 2006
By LYFORD M. MOORE
For the Courier-Post
LYFORD M. MOORE/Courier-Post |
EVESHAM
As the assistant wrestling coach at DeMasi Middle School, Irene Romanelli's about as inconspicuous as a three-legged dog.
She can't hide, even if she wanted to.
While it's no longer unusual for boys and girls to wrestle competitively, it's highly unusual to find female wrestling coaches -- either as the head coach or the assistant. Once discovered, people just naturally are taken back.
Romanelli doesn't mind.
"My gender's been amusing in a lot of situations," the 42-year-old Collingswood woman and 20-year special ed teacher said. "When some of the other coaches come in and see me they're like, "Oh, are you the AD?' Or, "Oh, are you the manager'?
"I say, "No, I'm the coach, come on in.' "
Having just completed her first season at DeMasi, a season that saw the team finish with an 8-3 record, one of the best since the school introduced wrestling 10 years ago, Romanelli says it was she who approached head coach James Guth and inquired about the job. She told him she didn't have any wrestling experience, but that she had coached before, including one stint as an assistant boys' softball coach.
Guth, now in his fourth year as wrestling coach at DiMasi, said welcome aboard and hasn't regretted it.
"If I can keep her next year I will," the 36-year-old Medford Lakes resident said. "Not having any past experience makes her a good assistant because I can coach wrestling and she can get the paperwork done. She jumps right in. And she's also good with the kids. They respect her, they listen to her. In fact, I think they probably listen to her more often than they listen to me."
To the best of his knowledge, Romanelli is the only female wrestling coach at the middle school level in either Camden or Burlington counties, Guth says.
While several of the boys on the 27-men squad rolled their eyes when initially informed they'd be getting a woman, it didn't take long for Romanelli to win them over.
"She's a good coach," said 13-year-old wrestler Tim Albertson. "She gets us ready for the matches."
Romanelli attributes a large chunk of her team's acceptance of her to Guth, a teacher at DeMasi Elementary School.
"His support of me sort of carried over to the kids and their parents," she said. "His approach was basically, "Look, if she didn't do this we wouldn't even have had a season.' "
Guth needed someone to get practices started, preferably someone from DeMasi Middle School, which gets out for the day roughly an hour earlier than he does at DeMasi Elementary.
That someone turned out to be Romanelli, a person not accustomed to saying no to new challenges. Turns out she was the only person to step forward.
Michael Zdep, 15, says he might not be on the team today if it weren't for her.
"We probably wouldn't have had a team this year if it hadn't been for her, and for that I'm grateful," he said, adding that he has no complaints with having to obey a woman's instructions.
Since Romanelli signed on, the 5-foot-1 assistant coach has made it a point to listen attentively whenever Guth addresses the squad -- either at practice or at meets. As a result, she notes, she now finds herself far more knowledgeable about wrestling than ever before.
Though her assistance doesn't include any hands-on coaching, she contributes nonetheless.
"I know a lot now," she said. "I know a lot of the moves. I know enough now to say things like, "Hey, you were reaching back on that or whatever, and that's why you were pinned.' I can actually contribute."
She's also picked up a lot of the terminology and phrases indigenous to wrestling.
"Now I can say things like "work it, work it' or "keep it, keep it,' " she said laughingly.
While the lady is most appreciative of Guth's support, she's not above tooting her own horn once in a while, either.
"I think I've gained some respect on my own," she said. "I mean, I've been teaching for 20 years, so regardless of the context, I think I'm fairly skilled at relating to kids. This is just another venue of the classroom, another setting."
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Hanks girls in third place after Day 1
Bingo Favela
Special to the Times
Saturday, February 11, 2006
The No. 3 Hanks girls wrestling team got off to a good start in the Regional 1 wrestling championships Friday at Bowie High school, qualifying four out of five wrestlers to the semifinals of the championship bracket and putting itself in third-place with 39 points.
Amarillo Caprock (63.5) and Hereford (47) sit in first and second place, respectively, after the first day.
"I'm real excited ... what more could you ask for?" Hanks coach Anthony Carter said. "My girls have matured so much since last year. We were inexperienced, now they finally understand their abilities and mechanics."
Hanks' Carol De Santos won the 95-pound weight class by pinning Monica Castañeda from Coronado in 38 seconds, despite being seven pounds underweight.
"I see being underweight as an advantage because most girls think I'm going to be easy, but I just tell myself to prove them wrong," De Santos said.
Fellow Knight Ashley Rizo defeated Amarillo High's Whitney White in the 119-pound division.
"It doesn't matter if you win or lose, just as long as you give it your best fight," Rizo said.
Janie Gonzalez, also of Hanks, won the 165-pound class, pinning Valerie Serrano of El Paso High at 1:56 of the first round.
"Last year, I placed third in regionals and seventh in state," Gonzalez said. "Now I want to come back and do even better."
The final Knight to advance was last year's state champion, Awbrey Lowe, who defeated Amarillo High's Bethany Courkamp at 102 pounds.
No. 1 Socorro is in fourth place with 33 points and had three wrestlers qualify for the semifinals, including last year's state runner-up, Norma Rueda.
Rueda beat Stephanie Han of Irvin in the 128-pound class.
"I feel a lot more pressure now since I went to state last year," Rueda said. "Last year, I always thought about this year. Now there is no next year."
The Bulldogs also had Crystal Quijas (165) and Teresia Carreon (215) advance to the semifinals.
Socorro coach Rene Barreras said he felt his team had a little bit of pressure being the No. 1 team in the city.
"We felt a little pressure, but this is our first year with a full team, so I'm really impressed," he said.
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Champs of the mat: Centennial defeats FHS for girls district championship
JIM DONOVAN, Staff Writer 02/10/2006
The Centennial Titans wrestling program came away with a championship and second-place finish after the district wrestling meet concluded Feb. 11.
Centennial's girls team claimed the top spot, one ahead of Frisco, and the Titans finished second behind only The Colony.
"We kind of expect to win with those girls," Centennial head coach Mike Eaton said. "It's nice because we are missing two state qualifiers from last year. We had a couple of girls do pretty well, so we are looking at regionals to get a little better."
Eaton added it's nice to win the district tournament, but his wrestlers are focusing on the upcoming regional and state meets.
Lene Wood (95), Emily Martin (102) Bre McNeil (110), Christina Wall (128), Hannah Bailey (165), and Sarah Lewis (215) each won their respective district titles for Centennial.
Maliha Mithan, Cassie Padro, Ashley Lee, and Kaitlyn Brussow also qualified for the regional meet.
Eaton felt that his boys team could have defeated The Colony if only a few more wrestlers could have scored a couple more points.
"None of our kids have more than two years' experience, and we were close to winning the tournament. We hope to have better luck next year," he said.
Isiah Ortega (119), Polo Rivera (135), Brent Holtrop (171), Matt Crook (189), Josh Spicer (215), and Cameron Nauta (275) comprised the six district championship wrestlers for Centennial. The Titans had more champions (six) than any other team at the meet.
"It was an exciting tournament for us," Eaton said. "We had a couple kids win the tournament that weren't seeded to do so. But we have come a long way and it's nice to be competing for a championship."
Frisco, despite not winning a team championship, fared quite well in the individual competitions. Head coach Chuck Brown qualified two wrestlers and one alternate on the boys team and all 10 of his girl wrestlers.
Jason Mefford claimed the Raccoons' only boys district championship at the 160-pound weight class. Jake Dykema was the runner-up at 189-pounds, and Jared Zander placed third at 152-pounds and qualified as an alternate.
Brandon Snow and Kameron Miles both finished fourth in their respective weight classes.
"Jason's performance was big," Brown said of Mefford who is 46-8 on the season. "He has wrestled really well this season. He is right there with the best we have ever had here in Frisco in our short four-year history."
Brown said both Mefford and Dykema have a realistic chance of qualifying for the state competition.
"If you go by predictions, they are right there on the edge of making it to state," Brown said.
Kristen Strickler (119), Vanessa Epps (138), Alana Griego (148), and Alyssa Frye (185) each won their respective weight division's district championships for Frisco.
"Alana probably had the best performance," Brown said. She defeated Centennial's Ashley Lee for the first time this season after Lee defeated her in each of their two previous matches. "She has wrestled really well since we came back from semester break ... and that was the difference for us."
Natalie Fulton (95), Christen Bennet (102), Brandi Blades (110), Whitney Newman (128), April Burns (165), and Danielle Zepeda (215) also qualified for the regional.
The girls team was defeated by Centennial by the equivalent of one match.
Both Brown and Eaton understand that Frisco and Centennial's wrestling teams are two of the best in the state and their real competition begins at the regional.
"It makes it really hard to judge anything. This weekend will really be the test for us," Brown said. "Now you'll see a little depth from both teams because of all of these other schools."
More than 30 teams will be represented in the boys regional tournament and more than 15 in the girls competition. The regional tournament begins today at Arlington Martin and will continue with the championship round at 1 p.m. Saturday.
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Hudson grappler makes all the right moves
Amanda Feagley, the squad's lone female, qualifies for a regional competition.
By MIKE TOMPKINS
Published February 9, 2006
HUDSON - Amanda Feagley is a rarity. The Hudson junior is the lone female wrestler on her team. In addition, she is one of only a few participants in Pasco County, and one of only a couple hundred in the state.
Even more awe-inspiring is the fact that after last weekend's third-place finish in the 112-pound class at the Class 1A, District 6 meet at Pasco, Feagley qualified for the Region 2 meet this weekend at South Florida Community College in Avon Park.
Sebring High School is the host.
From a confidence standpoint, the qualification couldn't have come at a better time. Despite the accolade, Feagley is in arguably her toughest season as she missed the first two months to a back injury suffered late last year.
She is a 112-pounder, but due to a plethora of wrestlers in that class, Feagley has spent much of her mat time at 119. She also hurt her neck during a Naples dual-meet tournament when she had a move used on her that was so illegal, she was awarded victory.
And just two weeks ago, prior to the girls state meet in Osceola, she was diagnosed with vertigo, where one experiences dizziness due to a disturbance in balance. Despite all of that, Feagley has battled to a 7-11 record since coming back from the injuries just after Christmas.
She skipped the conference meet, as she does every year, to participate in the girls state meet, where she went 5-2 and finished fifth in 112. All of her wins were via pin, and it was her third consecutive top-five finish at that meet.
"I just do my best against the guys," said Feagley. "When I beat them, they cry. It's no big deal. One of the big things that gets me is when a coach yells "You're going to lose to a girl.' It really upsets me.
"That's one of the biggest things that gets to me when they say that, but I'm getting better. I actually lost a match at the Naples tournament because of it. I was beating a guy in points, and there was, like, seconds left, and he pinned me after his coach started yelling that."
Feagley's work hasn't gone unnoticed.
"She's come a long way," said Dana Bentley, the Cobras coach since 1997. "She was hurt, but now she's to the point where we can take her to matches and expect her to win. I really didn't expect (the third-place district performance). But she works well with the guys, and at the class that she's at, she has a lot of practice partners. She works hard and the boys respect that."
Feagley, who ran track for the Cobras as an underclassman, recently resumed modeling. She has modeled periodically since 12, appearing as a runway model and in advertising. She said she just got a job for a lighting company, and that she's at a crossroads.
"While I'm on the mat," she said. "I just think about winning. But when I'm away, I realize that I could get hurt doing it. And the modeling is starting to pick up, where I'm getting paid jobs now.
"If I had to choose, I don't know what I'd pick. I'd like to say wrestling, because that's what I think about before I go to bed at night."