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WOMEN IN WRESTLING / 2006-07 USGWA Wrestling

By Kent Balio January 15,2007 - Wrestling U.S.A. Magazine

The 10th Annual USGWA National Championships will be held at Livonia Churchill in Livonia, Michigan. The date will be Saturday, March 31 and Sunday, April 1, 2007. Weigh-in
is set for Friday, March 30 at Churchill High School from 4:00 pm to 10:00 pm. High School girls who place in the TOP 12 will have a second weigh-in on Saturday evening, 30 minutes after the last match in your weight class is completed. There will be a 2 lbs. allowance for the Saturday weigh-in, any wrestler not making weight will be withdrawn from the tournament and will not be allowed on the awards stand.

Ratings - BY THE NUMBERS:

Of the 168 wrestlers rated in this year's annual edition of the Wrestling USA Magazine TOP 12 feature, they represent 33 STATES. Coach, this is when you stop what you are doing, highlight this, take it to your Athletic Director to read, then go to the Principals' office and have him read it. These two individuals are our best allies in an effort to have your State High School Athletic Association sanction a GIRLS HIGH SCHOOL STATE WRESTLING CHAMPIONSHIP, which will give more wrestlers opportunities, will certainly create more wrestling coaching jobs, and maybe even spark a greater interest in more colleges starting womens' wrestling programs. IT ALL STARTS WITH YOU, NOW!!
California leads the way with 29 girls rated, followed by Ohio (15), Michigan (13), New York (9), Texas and Hawaii (8) each, Washington (7), illinois and Kansas (6), Oregon and Pennsylvania (5), Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, West Virginia, Maine, New Jersey, Virginia (4), Oklahoma, Indiana, Alaska, North Carolina, Florida, Colorado (3), Maryland and Connecticut (2), and Arizona, Nevada, Vermont, North Dakota, Idaho, Missouri, and South Carolina (1) each.
Of the 14 girls rated #1 in their weight, 3 are from Michigan: Wrindy Shann at 138, from Sault Ste. Marie. Wrindy was the National Champ last year at 134 lbs. Samantha Gorman from Allendale and Paige Rife of Fowlerville were both runners-up at last seasons' Nationals.

Oklahoma has two girls rated #1 - Joey Miller, of Woodward, at 118 lbs. and Cheyenne Stokes of Tulsa East Central HS at 126 lbs. Miller is after her 4th title after taking first as an 8th grader. Stokes wants to get on top of the awards stand after three runner-up finishes. Nicole Woody, a senior from Odenton, Maryland, is chasing her 3rd USGWA National crown at 100 lbs. Rated first at 105 is Amy Whitbeck of Duanesburg. Amy qualified for the New York high school tournament last year. At 110, Jessica Teter of Parkersburg South HS holds to top spot after finishing second last season to Caitlyn Chase of illinois. The 114 top spot is occupied by Alaska defending STATE CHAMP, Michaela Hutchison. Tough Tatiana Padilla of La Verne, California, goes after title number three in her junior year, is rated first at 130 lbs. Suprising Adeline Gray of Denver gets the top nod at 134 after winning Nationals in her freshman year. Marina Lambert, a freshman from Virginia, grabs the number one ranking at 165. Many people will say, "Who?" But they don't know Marina Lambert lost only 5-3 to Brittany Delgado in a USGWA event in North Carolina last year - and Lambert has won 3 USGWA National titles in the Middle School Age Division. And speaking of Brittany Delgado of Fountain Inn, South Carolina, Delgado PINNED all four of her opponents at Nationals last year in a very tough division. Brittany is a junior and attends Hillcrest High School where she is coached by her father, Robert.

Coach EJCfraordinaire
Back in 2000, Dave Storm from Spencer, Iowa and his family were coming back from a wrestling tournament with their two kids Paige and Brock when they decided to make a stop at Gilbert, Iowa to check out Iowa's 1st USGWA Girls State tournament. And to let their daughter know that there are other girls out there that wrestle as well as her. At the time Paige was in 4th Grade and wasn't allowed to wrestle in the tournament because of the age limit that was posted. Dave was impressed with what he saw at this all girls tournament. Little to his knowledge Gilbert, Iowa had an all-girls wrestling team and had about 12-15 girls that were on it.
After the tournament there were some other coaches that were standing around talking about possibly starting a girls team in their conununities. "I really didn't give it much thought as I was listening to the
other coaches talk about maybe starting a team," says Storm.
As Dave and his family left the tournament that day he picked up some information on the up coming USGWA National tournament in Lake Orion, Michigan. Dave and his wife Tori looked over the information and thought what the heck, Paige had been wrestling against boys her whole life, why not give the girls tournament a try. And after going to the national tournament Dave was hooked. "I couldn't believe how many girls were there." And that's when it hit him, geez why not give this girls team thing a try back home and see what happens.
While at the national tournament Dave had his camcorder in hand and taped as many matches as he could during the two day event, and gathered as much information as he could from talking to other coaches and girls that were at the event.
That 2001 season Dave had a plan in place to see if there was any interest in girls that wanted to wrestle in Spencer, other than his daughter if given the opportunity. Spencer High School has about 700 students in grades 9-12.
When asked Storm says, "I did what I think that any other father would or should do for their daughter. I supported her in her wrestling and thought that why not try to start a team so that my daughter has a choice in a few years if she wanted to continue to wrestle that she could still do so if she didn't want to wrestle on the boy's team or against boys. When she got to high school level we would have a girls team in place and she could just wrestle girls or do both."
"Yep, people thought I was crazy when I told them what his plans were, but it didn't
stop me." ,
Storm started to talk to girls at his high school that he taught at, about three weeks before boy's wrestling season started.
Dave was talking to every girl that he thought that would be interested in wrestling. "Hey would you be interested in wrestling if we had a all girls club here at the high school and we only wrestled girls? That was my mistake," Storm says. "I thought that I could figure out what girls would and wouldn't wrestle just by looking at them." Storm got a lot of funny looks from girls and some said they would think about it. Storm wasn't sure what was going to happen, so he put up posters around the high school and the middle school that there would be an informational meeting after school in a couple weeks for any girl wanting to be a part of our club. He also had them flood the morning announcements with the informational meeting date. And he kept talking to every girl he saw.
"I remember the day of the meeting I had all my handouts for the girls, my TV with the videos I had shot at the USGWA Nationals of girls wrestling the year before playing. I wasn't sure what I would get for a turn out, says Storm. I remember telling my wife that if I got a dozen girls to come to the meeting I would be happy. Well much to his surprise there were about 25 girls that showed up 1 WAS PUMPED:" Storm said. And then when I was done with the meeting one of the girls asked when the 1st practice was. To be honest I hadn't even thought about it yet. I remember being so excited that I said, "Tomorrow night" at 6:00 after the boys get done. Meet by the wrestling room door."
So the following night after the boys high school practice was oyer and the boys were leaving the wrestling room the girls were waiting at the door. They started marching in and marching in and when they were all in the wrestling room I couldn't believe how many girls were there. Fifty-three Middle school and high school girls in all had shown up and out of those fifty-three, not one of those girls that I had personally talked to or had tried to recruit had shown up to the practice. It just goes to show you that you just never know what type of girls are interested in the sport.
"Now what wrestling coach wouldn't want to have 53 boys show up for wrestling practices:' Storm says. "With that many girls out and none of them having any experience I was in need of some assistant coaches fast! Well of course I had a bunch of the boys from the high school team who were more then happy to help out:' Storm laughs.
I called my brother to help out and a couple other assistant coaches that I had coached with over the years, then I went and looked at who we had on the team, and noticed that there were a couple of the girls that had fathers or brothers that had wrestled in the past at Spencer. So I asked if they wouldn't mind helping out. I even had a lady who was a classmate of mine from high school who's brothers had all wrestled and her son was a wrestler. She jumped on board and got on the mat with the girls.
Over the course of the first season and having to move practice time from after the boys where done after school to 6:00 a.m. three times a week, and having to get out of your warm bed on those cold Iowa winters, the numbers dropped off and at the end of the season come nationals time we had 31 still out.
Since that time Spencer girl's teams numbers have varied anywhere from 31 to 12 girls a season, and always has many other girls from towns outside of Spencer and the state of Iowa to come and practice with his team.
Over the years Storm has started an All Girls Tournament that he hosts at the same time as the Spencer Youth Tournament. His girls club hosts the USGWA Great Plains tournament in Spencer.
In 2001 Spencer Girls Club and Gilbert Girls Club, had Iowa's first All Girls Dual meet. Storm also helped put together "Team Iowa:' to wrestle in the first USGWA National Team Duals. He is also actively involved with running the Iowa Girls State meet in Gilbert.
Over the years while taking his kids to youth tournaments and coaching the high school level, Storm would seek out girls and their parents that were wrestling. He'd get phone numbers, addresses, e-mail, and hand them information about women's wrestling in Iowa. He'd tell them to spread the word to other girls in the state. Storm has compiled a mailing list of a couple hundred girls from Iowa and surrounding states. He sends out mailing to girls about upcoming tournaments, and information that comes his way from other coaches. Storm also takes care of blocking rooms for all the Iowa girls at National Events.
Storm has put on camps for girls from Iowa. With the help from parents around the state they have come up with a Iowa girls wrestling web page, singlets for Team Iowa, as well as for his own Spencer team Storm, fathers, and coaches that help out from Spencer, are always willing to jump in and help coach other girls from around Iowa at events if they need a coach in their corner.
Storm thinks it's important to get the parents involved as much as possible. He has dads come up and coach and help out with practices, coaching their daughters at the tournaments. He also gets the mothers involved as much as possible with fund raisers to help pay for the girls' expenses for tournaments, running of the team's checking account, finding rides to tournaments, and picking out warm-ups. Other things the mothers help with are planning of concessions for the tournaments, and selling Spencers girl's T-shirts that say, "Who Says Chicks Can't Wrestle!", and many other items.

Storm feels that he is only doing what any father of a wrestler would do by getting involved with his own kids as well as others that share the same interest. Don't be selfish, strength is in numbers, do what you can and help the sport grow.
Storm says if you think about it, who are the ones that are usually hauling kids and sitting in a crowded gym all day at these youth wrestling tournaments on the weekends? It's the moms. He feels that if every girl that goes through his Spencer Club has a positive experience with wrestling that someday when those young ladies get married and have children of their own, they will have knowledge of wrestling and are likely to sway their kids (girls or boys) towards wrestling. Its a win-win situtation for everyone involved.

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Girls make their mark in wrestling

By Dan Watson / Sports Writer 1/14/07

There have always been a lot of reasons for Natasha Phinney to simply not wrestle.

First and foremost, she's a girl, and that made her foray into the “most difficult sport in the world” even more of a challenge.

There were the critics, the lack of facilities, the money-factor, the 5 a.m. practices and the travails of travel.

And then there's that one thing that told her to keep fighting. Quite simply, she loves it.

“Just because I'm girl, that doesn't mean I love the sport any less than a guy,” Phinney said.

For Righetti High's first-ever female wrestler, it was never about proving the boys wrong. But, boy did she.

She never stood on a soapbox, but her actions have left quite a wake - just two years after convincing coach Dutch Van Patten she could compete, female participation has snowballed. This season, Righetti formed its first-ever female varsity wrestling team, and the first such group on the Central Coast. Coach Autumn Jennings is training 12 girls, using her own story as inspiration - and it's 10 years the elder.

And while the world is changing, Phinney never meant to be one of the mavericks either, proving it only takes one person to make tremendous change. Soon, she might lead the international charge.

The current Fresno State undergraduate was in Colorado Springs recently, more specifically, the Olympic Training Center. America's foremost female wrestling coach was also there, testing 70 female athletes during a 10-day camp. Some might even stick to the 2008 Olympic roster, a team that made its Olympic debut in 2004.

“It's the greatest honor for a woman wrestler,” Phinney said. “It's an upcoming event that many people are not that familiar with. I'd love to represent the country.”

If not for their stubbornness, Phinney and Jennings would have been shut out.

But they WERE stubborn, breaking the female stereotypes and fostering hope for a new class.

It hasn't been easy.

Breaking the barrier

Since she was 3 years old, Phinney has defied those who told her to stay out of the “boys sport.”

Phinney watched her uncle wrestle for Righetti and waited for the day she might have the same chance.

“Dutch said there was no way he could let me wrestle. ‘You're uncle would kill me,'” Phinney recalls him saying. “Please give me an opportunity, I said. After three years of begging, finally my senior year, he gave me a chance.”

She wasn't guaranteed a spot on the team, but Van Patten allowed her to, as he put it, “see what we do here.”

At the time, Phinney didn't know a single move. However, she played soccer for three years at Righetti - two on junior varsity and one on varsity as a midfielder.

“I loved the sport, I was even on traveling teams and all-stars,” Phinney said. “But if I had to choose between them, I'd choose wrestling.”

That senior year, she did, dropping soccer to practice with the boys.

“It was the hardest thing I've done in my life,” Phinney said. “But I loved it.”

Phinney practiced with the boys and competed in separate girls tournaments.

“When we had spots, they could fill in,” Van Patten said of boys tournaments. “If there was a spot open and they were the next one on the depth chart, they would go.”

Though no varsity female wrestler has attended a boys tournament, it is not uncommon at the freshman and junior varsity levels.

Erika Barragan was the second female behind Phinney to make the varsity team - she had previously wrestled in a number of boys tournaments at the freshman and JV levels.

“With seniors, it's hard to break the team,” Van Patten said. “It's hard to beat even our No. 2 guy.”

Barragan is now an assistant coach to Jennings and her upstart Warriors.

Jennings got her start in the Winter of 1992 at Santa Ynez, the Pirates' first female wrestler. Like Phinney, she was a newbie to the sport, stumbling with the moves and terms her junior year. And like Phinney, she had to convince the boys she belonged.

Jennings did them one better. She made first-string.

Wrestling when they wouldn't

Jennings is a self-confessed “tomboy.”

She played on the boys water polo team - a squad with a number of other girls - and was on the swimming team.

One day, she came to a realization while training with one of the wrestlers.

“I was kicking his butt,” Jennings said.

Jennings soon made her mark, and broke the first-string boys varsity team before the end of her junior year.

“The coaches supported me and I was friends with the guys,” Jennings said. “At tournaments and league matches, the guys from the opposite team would refuse to wrestle me. So I automatically won.”

Yet, she would do anything to hit the mat.

At the time, she wore long hair, and remembers waiting for CIF approval.

“I think they were kind of purposely delaying approval,” Jennings remembers.

Santa Ynez coach John Pevis took matters into his own hands.

“What do you think of cutting your hair,” Pevis asked Jennings.

“Don't do a total half job,” Jennings replied, adding. “His best wasn't very good.”

And her parents weren't thrilled when she returned home from Christmas break with two broken fingers.

“They weren't very into it,” Jennings said. “They didn't think I should be doing it.”

In college, Jennings couldn't keep doing it because there were no female teams.

After junior college, Phinney also attended a university that did not field a female team. But like so many obstacles before, that didn't stop her.

Searching until she's found

After taking first place in her high school weight class in Regionals and third in California, Phinney was ready to tackle college.

She received a scholarship to wrestle at Lassen Junior College - where there was a female wrestling team. Soon she was waking up before 5 a.m. to start one of three daily practices.

“We're not trying to prove to other people were capable,” Phinney said. “I just love the sport. I could care less if Joe Schmo thinks I'm capable.”

In one year, she had also completed 42 units, enough to transfer to Fresno State.

“The reason I went to Fresno State was that I heard it was a powerhouse for wrestlers,” she said. “I thought, what a great place to start a female club team.”

Despite posting bulletins and offering to teach females how to wrestle, Phinney received little response.

Yet, her never-say-die attitude landed her on a club program at San Jose State.

The San Jose State team is composed of a number of girls who attend other universities that do not field female squads.

And then she hit it big. While competing in an event for San Jose State, USA Wrestling National Women's coach Terry Steiner spotted her talent and sent her an invitation to the Olympic Training Center.

Without the necessary funds to pay for the trip, Phinney set out to raise the money. Her story inspired a number of Santa Maria businesses and city council members, who contributed to her dream.

And all the while, her story also inspired Righetti to act on a growing interest.

Hoping for more

When Jennings applied to teach at Righetti, she threw in that she could “maybe coach one sport.”

“The principal's eyes lit up, seeing I was once one girl on the guy's team,” Jennings said. “One day after they offered me the job, Dutch called and said ‘Would you like to coach girls wrestling?'”

Jennings was hired three years ago to teach art, but she also took an assistant coach position on the boys freshman wrestling team. She moved up to the JV team and saw a growing number of girls trying out.

Righetti pulled the trigger.

“She's getting her feet wet and I've been trying to help her out,” Van Patten said. “It's her first year as head coach and there are some trials and tribulations.”

Funding has been the biggest trial, according to Jennings. Participation has not been.

“We're hoping for up to 20 to 25 girls next year,” Van Patten said. “I think a lot of girls were interested in the past and didn't want to wrestle.”

In the future, she hopes for three girls in each weight class - for now, the Warriors cannot field all the classes.

Jennings also hopes the CIF will sanction the State Championship. As of now, the CIF only sanctions the regional tournaments.

She hopes for the girls and guys wrestling seasons to be different - allowing easier access to facilities and shared coaches.

She hopes parents will kick their reservations to the curb.

“Parents are a little nervous,” she said. “They're thinking about what it was like when they were in high school and there was no female wrestling. It was a guy sport, but we're slowly changing the attitude.”

And while Jennings keeps Phinney's fight alive at Righetti, the long practices, fund-raising and traveling continue for those that persevere through college.

Nevertheless, the Warriors' maverick has her eyes set on Beijing 2008, while her love for the sport grows that much greater.

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Crushers 16th in Classic
Garza’s fourth at 235 pounds leads VHS at 65-school event

By MARTY JAMES, Executive Sports Editor
Sunday, January 14, 2007

Audrey Garza wasn’t about to let two injuries — a strained medial collateral ligament and bruised kidneys — and the pain that is associated with those slow her down.

“This is my house. This is Vintage,” said Garza. “I love wrestling and I’ll keep doing it. I’m not going to let that pull me back.”

Garza showed great courage and heart in taking fourth place — the highest finish by a local athlete — in the 235-pound division of the ninth annual ASICS Napa Valley Girls Classic at Vintage High School on Saturday.

After a bye, she pinned Cardelian Parker of Hogan at 4:23, lost by pin to Stephanie Rodriguez of Salinas at 1:38, then pinned Shawnita Beck of San Leandro at 39 seconds, and lost to Kristin Ramirez of Denair, 6-3.

“I can say is that I wrestled the hardest that I could, but it was just not my day,” said Garza, ranked fifth in the state by the California Girls Wrestling Association. “Just the conditions of my injuries, I’d say I’m proud of taking fourth. But if it wasn’t for these injuries that I have, I would have probably been a lot better.”

Garza was limited in her mobility, but continued to advance in her bracket and produce a 2-2 record.

“She’ll be back,” said Vintage coach and tournament director Jim Lanterman. “She’s tough. She’s a very tough young lady.”

A field of 190 wrestlers from 65 high schools in California and Nevada competed in 14 different weight classes over two days in the ASICS-sponsored all-girls double-elimination tournament, one of the largest in the country. Hogan won the team championship and Vintage, the host school with 11 wrestlers, finished 16th. Vintage, ranked 12th in California at the end of last year, has seven first-year wrestlers.

“They pay the price like everybody else does when they learn how to wrestle,” Lanterman said of his young team. “Right now they’re going against some veteran girls, and with something like this all the veterans show up because this basically is a standard for the rankings in the state right now.”

MVP awards were presented to Victoria Anthony, a 103-pound wrestler from Marina, and Marina Piccolotti, who wrestles in the 146-pound division for Terra Nova-Pacifica. Individuals medaled to seventh place and placed to eighth.

“It’s been really fun with having that many teams that showed up,” said Lanterman. “The word has gotten out that the tournament is run well, it’s efficient and it has amenities that they like in a tournament. It’s just grown.”

The tournament, the first National High School Federation event for girls in the U.S., was founded by Lanterman and Carl Murphree, a former VHS and Napa Valley Wrestling Club coach who is now the head women’s wrestling coach at Missouri Valley College. It’s the oldest prep girls tournament in the country, is the largest of its type and considered one of the marquee events in girls wrestling. Past attendees have included numerous state and national champions as well as several members of Team USA and the Olympic team.

“These were two days of tough wrestling,” said Bob Musante, a Vintage assistant coach.

Two Napa High wrestlers, Alyx McChesney and Samantha Gardner, finished in fifth in their respective weight brackets. Vintage’s Rebecca Medeiros was sixth and Heather Farace was seventh.

McChesney, returning from MCL and anterior cruciate ligament injuries that kept her out for six weeks, went 4-2 at 138 pounds, one of the largest brackets. After a bye, she lost to Amberly Saferno of Wood by pin at 3:17, beat Kathy Cecelli of Etna 8-4, beat Holly Thein of Paradise 1-0, pinned Alexandrea Woody of Hogan at 1:26, lost by pin at 2:53 to Moriah Fernandez of Live Oak, and pinned Josara Pipetone of Salinas at 3:39.

“It was tough, but in the end I’m glad I got fifth,” said McChesney, a junior who also plays water polo. “It was really tough at the same time, because I wrestled against girls that have been wrestling four or five years, and this is my first year. I wasn’t sure what to expect — I just came in and tried my hardest. It was pretty intense. I knew there were going to be girls here from all over. I knew it was going to be hard.”

Gardner, a freshman, went 3-2 at 132 pounds. She won 7-3 over Monica Sanchez of West Campus, defeated Katrina Dajano of Milpitas 10-5, lost to Samantha Phillips of Manteca by pin at :50, lost by pin at 1:56 to Chelsea Grasseschi of Castro Valley, and won her last match, 8-5 over Angelica Westlake of Petaluma.

“I was surprised with how many girls came out,” said Gardner. “I didn’t think that many people would show up. The competition here was really hard. I’m excited. I can’t wait until next year.”

Medeiros lost by pin at 1:27 to Lulu Morrar of San Leandro, beat Lilana Gonzalez of Windsor by pin at 4:05, lost to Angela Vyvony of Del Campo by pin at 20 seconds, and lost by pin at 51 seconds to Holey Moala of Hogan at 189 pounds.

Farace drew a bye at 114 pounds, then lost by pin at 1:09 to Bailey Brandy of Spanish Springs, beat Crystal Estrella of Santa Monica 11-9, defeated Dhaynae Capurro of Pittsburg by pin at 2:50, and lost to Frankie Silva of Pittsburg by pin at 5:46.

For Vintage, Jean Rabaino (154) was 0-2, Melissa Cortes-Garcia (235) was 0-2, Stephanie Garcia (138) was 0-2, Chelsi Aguayo (126) was 1-2, Megan Mortan (122) was 0-2, Alexis Soto (114) was 0-2, Sarah Michlek (108) was 0-2, and Abrah Saunders (108) was 0-2.

Justin-Siena’s Cecilia Jojola (118) was 1-2 and Luisa Jojola (122) was 0-2.

Christine Alcantara (98) of Hogan, Victoria Anthony (103) of Marina, Brianna Hendren (108) of Rancho Cotate, Jazzy Green (114) of Santa Monica, Katrina Perez (118) of Buhach Colony, Haylee Childs (122) of Scotts Valley, Christina Hernandez (126) of Oceanside, Samantha Phillips (132) of Manteca, Angie Miller (138) of Vallejo, Marina Piccalotti (146) of Terra Nova, Monica Gonzales (154) of Hogan, Stevie Ratto (165) of San Leandro, Paloma Basulto (189) of Arroyo Grande, and Norma Garcia (235) of Hanford West won individual titles.

Vintage goes to the CIF Northern California State Championships Jan. 19-20 at Liberty-Brentwood and the California Girls Invitational Jan. 26-27 at Hanford West.

Those going to the U.S. Girls Wrestling Association NorCal Championships (March 3-4 at Springstowne Middle School-Vallejo) and the USGWA National Championships (April 1-2 at Churchill High of Livonia, Mich.) will represent the Napa Valley Wrestling Club.

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Girl wins mat title; Smith sparkles

By JOHN VRANCIC, For the Mining Journal 1/14/07

KINGSFORD — Manistique High School’s Sammy Jenerou had to wait a long time to walk onto the wrestling mat in Saturday’s Ray Mariucci Invitational Tournament.

She made the eight-hour wait well worth her while, however, pinning West Iron County’s Luke Wooley 3 minutes 38 seconds into the 103-pound title bout.

“It made for a long day,” said Jenerou, the top seed among three wrestlers in her weight class. “We’ve been here since about 8 a.m.”

Jenerou is believed to be the first girl to earn a gold medal in the tournament’s 44-year history.

Wooley gained his championship-round berth by pinning Ezekeil Torres of Milwaukee Bradley Tech in 3:19.

“I was rooting for the West Iron kid,” said Jenerou, who received a opening-round bye and pinned Wooley for the third time this season. “Once he reached the finals, I knew what to expect.”

Gladstone repeated as team champion with 149 points. The Braves were followed by Iron Mountain (1251/2), Bradley Tech (1201/2) and Kingsford (116). Manistique was the highest Superiorland finisher, taking sixth at 861/2.

Ishpeming-Westwood’s Erich Smith was selected Outstanding Wrestler for the second straight week, taking all three of his matches by pin on Saturday. The senior grappler has 610 career takedowns, placing him fifth on the all-time list, according to the Michigan High School Athletic Association.

Joe Warren, a world champion Greco-Roman wrestler in 2006, holds the state record at 746.

“My goal was to set the career takedown record, but I won’t get that (746),” Smith said. “Realistically, I have a shot at second, which is 664.”

Smith earned his latest title by pinning Marquette’s Abe Afshar 3:04 in the 189-pound final.

“He’s like poetry in motion,” I-W coach Hares said. “He dictates what he’s going to do and opponents don’t seem to have a choice in what he’s doing.”

Negaunee’s Tony Barrette captured the 171 crown, pinning I-W’s James Manier in 1:58.

The senior grappler took an early 5-0 advantage, but Manier got as close as 5-3 with an escape and takedown.

“I felt he (Manier) was going to get the takedown, although I tried to avoid it,” Barrette said. “Fortunately, I got a reverse right away (to make it 7-3). ”

Manistique’s Bill Wood remained undefeated this season, taking a 12-5 decision from Kingsford’s Chris Carlson at heavyweight.

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Local report: Cross, Soquel edge Aptos

GIRLS WRESTLING 1/14/07

Scotts Valley freshman Haylee Childs won her fifth tournament title of the season when she beat Hanford's Justin Neves 5-2 in the 122-pound weight class final at the Ninth Annual Napa Valley Classic.

Childs [17-1 overall] advanced to the final by record pins in consecutive matches, boosting her fall total to 13. She's ranked No. 1 in her weight in the state.

Childs competes in the California Interscholastic Federation Northern Regional tournament next weekend at Liberty High in Brentwood.

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