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GIRLS TEAM STANDINGS

Dallas News 2/25/2001

Amarillo Palo Duro 134 1/2 Colleyville Heritage 10
Arl. Sam Houston 85 Houston Reagan 9
El Paso Hanks 85 Killeen 9
Amarillo Caprock 34 Hurst LD Bell 8
Hereford 34 Austin Lanier 8
The Woodlands 31 Oak Ridge 8
Martin 27 Scarborough 4
Waller 25 McCallum 4
Katy 23 1/2 Austin Crockett 4
Arlington 23 Mayde Creek 3
Tascosa 22 El Paso Socorro 2
Katy Taylor 22 Ridge Fossil 0
El Paso Irvin 18 Quinlan Ford 0
Houston Lee 14 1/2 Plano East 0
Arlington Bowie 14 Austin Bowie 0
Ellison 11 Coppell1

GIRLS QUARTERFINALS

95 POUNDS

Melissa Terry, Katy, bye. Vicky Morales, El Paso Hanks p. Kim Bui, Arlington Houston, 1:36. Krunchy Inthirath, Amarillo Palo Alto, bye. Ashley Wilson, Houston Scarborough p. Linda Guerrea, Houston Lee, 0:43.

102 POUNDS

Emily Medchill, The Woodlands d. Jennifer Fuller, Amarillo Palo Duro,13-1. Cyinthia Osueke, Houston Lee p. Stacy Dowell, Hurst Bell, 0:41. Angela Martinez, Arlington Bowie p. Kimberly Tyler, Killeen Ellison,4:43. Stephanie Jenkins, El Paso Hanks p. Camille Evans, Conroe Oak Ridge,1:17.

110 POUNDS

Kristen Baldon, Katy Taylor p. Jennifer Barrett, Coppell, 3:27. Astrid Gomez d. Latisha Keahey, Killeen Ellison, 4-1. Deedra Peuntes, Amarillo Caprock d. Tabitha Ramsey, Austin Lanier, 7-6. Brandi Brown, Arlington p. Cynthia Less, Waller, 0:36.

119 POUNDS

Lauren Lindsey, Amarillo Palo Duro d. Amanda Noteware, Houston Lee, 4-1. Amanda Smale, Waller d. Jessica Lopez, Austin Bowie, 13-12. Kristen Williams, The Woodlands p. Nikki Ray, Arlington, 2:59. Yvonee Fernandez, El Paso Hanks p. MissySaez, Austin Bowie, 3:15.

128 POUNDS

Kantherine Wuinonez, El Paso Hanks p. Liana Van Bose, Arlington, 1:03. Diana Mato, Katy Taylor p. Dinese Rivera, Houston Reagan, 1:03. Linse Meadoiws, Katy p. Kamika Johnson, Killeen Ellison, 3:47. Rachel Rodriguez, Hereford p. Suekoilya Shelly, Hurst Bell, 3:02.

138 POUNDS

Houston Sheppard, Amarillo Tascosa p. Valerie Hansen, Katy Taylor, 0:25. Melissa Hilliard, Houston Reagan d. Emmy Thompson, Keller Fossil Ridge,12-8. Glory Dalton, Arlington Houston d. Iris Cazares, Houston Lee, 14-2. Kim Dech, Katy Mayde Creek d.Tabitha Powell, Amarillo Palo Duro, 10-2.

148 POUNDS

Janice Gooden, Amarillo Palo Duro d. Mary Chabot, Killeen Ellison, 8-0. Marie Kristoff, Waller p. Jordan McLaughlin, Colleyville Heritage, 3:34. Brandy Killingsworth, Arlington Houston p. Emily Holleman, Katy Taylor,2:41. LaAndrea Mitchell, Austin Crockett p. Tasia Benefield, Amarillo Tascosa,1:09.

165 POUNDS

Maria Garza, Arlington Houston p. Rhianon Baskett, Plano East, 0:29. Casey Brittain, Amarillo Palo Duro p. Kisha Wilson, Killeen, 5:24. Rosa Rueda, El Paso Socorro d. Angela Whitley, Killeen Ellison, 5-4. Randi Miller, Arlington Martin d. Ana Cevallos, Katy Mayde Creek, 18-5.

185 POUNDS

Beth Cordova-Aulds p. Ember Brettman, Arlington Houston, 0:51. Nancy Garcia, El Paso Irvin p. Kate More, Katy Taylor, 2:53. Shaleb Bowie, Amarillo Palo Duro p. C.C. Crabtree, Plano East, 0:27. Desiree Garrison, Houston Lee p. Jennifer Miller, Arlington Martin, 3:52.

215 POUNDS

Marie Hernandez, Amarillo Caprock p. Latosha Gillon, Arlington Houston,2:43. Tamara Harris, Killeen Ellison, bye. Juana Larin, Houston Lee, bye. Dyana McIntire, Amarillo Palo Duro p. Tanya Van Boss, Arlington, 1:03.

GIRLS SEMIFINALS

95 POUNDS

Morlaes p. Terry, 0:40. Inthirath p. Wilson, 0:43.

102 POUNDS

Medchill p. Oseuke, 1:35. Jenkins p. Martinez, 3:44.

110 POUNDS

Gomez d. Baldon, 3-1. Fuentes p. Brown, 5:08.

119 POUNDS

Lindsey p. Smale, 1:31. Fernandez d. Williams, 11-3.

128 POUNDS

Quinonez d. Mato, 3-2. Meadows d. Rodriguez, 17-2.

138 POUNDS

Shepherd p. Hilliard, 0:56. Dalton d. Dech, 10-2.

148 POUNDS

Gooden p. Kristoff, 3:34. Killingsworth p. Mitchell, 1:39

165 POUNDS

Brittain p. Garza, 5:31. Miller p. Cevallos, 2:20.

185 POUNDS

Garcia p. Cordova-Aulds, 1:50. Bowie p. Garrison, 1:17.

215 POUNDS

Hernandex p. Harris, 3:05. McIntire p. Larin, 0:37.

GIRLS CHAMPIONSHIP FINALS

95 POUNDS

Morales p. Inthirath, 1:45.

102 POUNDS

Jenkins p. Medchill, 2:29.

110 POUNDS

Gomez d. Puentes, 6-4.

119 POUNDS

Lindsey d. Fernandez, 5-3.

128 POUNDS

Quinonez d. Meadows, 7-5.

138 POUNDS

Shepherd d. Dalton, 6-5.

148 POUNDS

Gooden p. Killingsworth, 5:53.

165 POUNDS

Brittain d. Miller, 3-1.

185 POUNDS

Bowie p. Garcia, 0:39

215 POUNDS

McIntire p. Hernandez, 1:55.

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Bowie wrestler Martinez's state title streak halted

02/25/2001

By Rick Kretzschmar / Special Contributor to the Arlington Morning News

AUSTIN - After losing a state semifinal on Saturday, Bowie wrestler Angela Martinez told her coach, David Mudgett, that she felt like she let everybody down. Mudgett's told Martinez she didn't let anybody down and that he was glad to be along for the ride of her high school career.

What Martinez did in her career was excellent, but her disappointment missed out on being unique.

Martinez came up short in her bid to be the first girl high school wrestler in Texas to win four state championships. In a 102-pound state semifinal match against Stephanie Jenkins of El Paso Hanks, Martinez was pinned with 16 seconds left in the second period before 1,000 spectators at the UIL State Wrestling Championships at the Austin Convention Center.

Martinez did bounce back to win third place in her weight class, to go with three 102-pound state titles won between 1998 and 2000. In team standings, Sam Houston finished tied for second with El Paso Hanks with 85 points, well behind champion Amarillo Palo Duro, which had 134.5 points. It is Sam Houston's second straight runner-up finish, after winning a state title in 1999.

No area individuals won a state title, the first time since girls state championships were first held in 1997. Sam Houston's top finishers were Brandy Killingsworth (148 pounds) and Glory Dalton (138), which each finished second in their weight classes. Martin's Randi Miller also had a second-place finish at 165 pounds.

Against Jenkins, Martinez was taken down 15 seconds into the match and Jenkins got a near fall 25 seconds later for a 4-0 lead. Martinez got a takedown 20 seconds into the second period, but Jenkins got the advantage back with 44 seconds left in the second, eventually getting leverage for a pin.

Martinez beat Amarillo Palo Duro's Jennifer Fuller, 7-2, in a consolation match and then pinned Conroe Oak Ridge's Camille Evans.

"I just wasn't ready to wrestle in the one I lost. It's hard. It was one of my goals, but it happens," Martinez said. "A true champion can come back after defeat. If I would have lost the next match or the one for third place, that's failure."

Martinez defeated Jenkins two years ago, but that was in Jenkins' first year of wrestling. Mudgett said when he saw Jenkins at the Lone Star Duals in January, he thought she was pretty good. Jenkins finished a 15-0 season by winning the state title at 102 pounds.

"If we see [Jenkins] five more times, we beat her five times, but today was her day," Mudgett said. "Angela didn't disappoint anybody."

Sam Houston had an individual state champion every year since 1997. Killingsworth and Dalton came close to extending that streak.

Killingsworth had a 5-0 lead in her title match against Janice Gooden of Palo Duro, but trailing 5-4 with 12 seconds left, Gooden charged into Killingsworth for a takedown and pinned her with seven seconds left.

Dalton had a 5-3 lead in her match with Houston Sheppard of Amarillo Tascosa, but Sheppard slowly worked for a three-point near fall, getting it with 20 seconds left for a 6-5 win. Killingsworth did medal for the third straight year, winning a title in 1999 and finishing third last year.

Sam Houston's state title hopes may have died in the first round, when Ember Brettman (185) and Latosha Gillon were upset.

"I was tired in the third period, but I felt comfortable until the last 20 seconds when she got me down," Killingsworth said. "After what happened in the first round, I knew we wouldn't win. It's something for our team to fight for. Get the gold back next year."

Miller had Martin's best girls finish, but her cautious strategy cost her against a good defense by Palo Duro's Casey Brittain in their title match. A shoot by Miller with 12 seconds left couldn't pull Brittain down, and Miller fell, 3-1. A senior, this was Miller's lone season for Martin.

"I feel good about winning, but I waited too see what she did first," Miller said. "I would tell future Martin wrestlers to attack."

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Hanks takes 4 wrestling titles

Times staff report 2/25/2001

El Paso high school wrestlers turned in another strong performance Saturday at the Texas state wrestling championships in Austin, coming home with three state titles in the girls' division and three more champions in the boys' division.

It was an especially strong tournament for Hanks High, with three Hanks girls and one boy winning state titles. It was also a special tournament for Eastwood's Alex Piñon, who was the tournament's lone repeat champion. Piñon won the state title at 103 pounds last year, then came back to win at 112 this year.

In the boys' competition, Piñon defeated Edwin Hernandez of Carrollton Turner 11-2 in the 112-pound finals. Ysleta's Fidel Gonzalez defeated Jake Jackson of Hebron 10-6 in the 119-pound division. Javier Bautista of Hanks defeated Jimmy Woodford of The Colony 18-7 at 135 pounds.

In the girls' competition, Vicky Morales of Hanks defeated Krunchy Inthirath of Amarillo Palo Duro to win the 95-pound state title. Stephanie Jenkins of Hanks stopped Emily Medchill of The Woodlands to claim the 102-pound championship. And Katherine Quiñonez, also of Hanks, defeated Diana Mato of Katy Taylor for the 128-pound state championship.

Three El Paso boys reached the finals, but could not quite get the victory. Doug McBride of Bryan defeated Irvin's Paul Hyska 9-3 in the 130-pound weight class. Justin Wood of Austin Westlake barely escaped Jarett Bolton of Hanks, taking a 10-9 decision in the 145-pound weight class. And Brandon Chancler of Canyon Randall defeated Aurelio Valdez of Andress 12-4.

Nancy Garcia of Irvin reached the finals of the 185-pound weight class, but was beaten by Chaleb Bowie of Amarillo Palo Duro.

Overall, Hanks finished fourth in the state in the boys' competition and third in the state in the girls' team race. Rockwall High won the boys' state title, with Arlington Martin the runner-up and Canyon Randall in third. Amarillo Palo Duro won the girls' state team title, with five individual champions. Arlington Sam Houston was the runner-up for the second consecutive year, with Hanks third, Amarillo Caprock fourth and Hereford fifth.

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Lady Dons easily take state title

By STEVE BELVIN
Globe-News Sports Writer

AUSTIN - The Palo Duro Lady Dons came, saw and conquered. It's just a surprise they conquered so quickly.

The nation's No. 1-ranked Lady Dons came into the UIL state wrestling tournament as the favorites. Saturday at the Austin Convention Center, they humiliated the rest of the field and had the tournament won before the finals even started.

The Lady Dons easily won the tournament with 131points. There was a second-place tie between Arlington Sam Houston and El Paso Hanks with 85 points each. Hereford and Caprock tied for fourth place with 34 points each.

The boys individual and team championships were being determined at press time.

The Lady Dons had the tournament won before the championship round started because they qualified six individuals into the finals. Ironically, the only one that didn't win a gold medal was the defending state champion, Krunchy Inthirath.

Inthirath, who suffered a pinched nerve in her neck in a semifinal win, was pinned in the finals by Vicky Morales of El Paso Hanks in three minutes, 26 seconds. Still, the 95-pound senior was a happy wrestler.

"I won a gold medal last year so that kind of makes it even. I'd much rather win a team championship anyway," said Inthirath. "I had beaten her all seven or eight other times I had wrestled her but to lose this time was tough. I pinched my nerve in the semifinals and I could only move my neck so much. When the match was over, everyone was telling me to keep my head up, but I literally couldn't keep my head up."

Other Palo Duro champions were Lauren Lindsey (119), Janice Gooden (148), Casey Brittian (165), Shaleb Bowie (185), and Dyana McIntyre (heavyweight). Gooden, Bowie and McIntyre all won by pins.

It was an especially sweet win for McIntyre, who last year went into the meet ranked No. 1 in the state and finished third. This year she beat defending state champion Marie Hernandez of Caprock in the finals, pinning her in 1:55.

"Last year I made some stupid mistakes and they came back to haunt me," said McIntyre. "This year I worked hard. Nelson (Palo Duro coach Steve Nelson) pushed me hard. I was prepared to come here. They always kid me about never smiling. They say I always have on my game face. I had my game face on when I got off the bus. I don't think anybody's worked as hard as me to win this state championship."

Getting to state was something new for Lindsey. She and Bowie are only sophomores.

"I didn't know if I would make it here," said Lindsey. "This was kind of a surprise. All of us worked hard for this state championship. It's been fun and this team has brought us all together."

Nelson said that even though his team had the meet won before the finals started, there was still plenty of will for his finalists to win gold medals.

"At this point, I was more interested in them winning gold medals for themselves because when you've worked as hard as they did, they deserve it. I still hurt for the kids when they don't win," Nelson said. "When you walk into a state championship ranked No. 1 in the nation, somebody is going to be whipped and probably it wasn't going to be us.

"We were very relieved after the semifinals knowing that we had already won the championship. It's a good feeling. PD hasn't won a state championship in anything since 1956 when they won in boys basketball.

Other state champions from the area were Hereford freshman Astrid Gomez (110), who defeated Caprock's Deedra Puentes 6-4. Gomez took a 4-1 lead but Puentes battled back to tie the score at 4-4 late in the match. The Hereford freshman scored two points in the last 30 seconds to secure the win.

The other local state champion was Tascosa's Houston Shephard. She took a 6-5 win over Laurie Dalton from Arlington Houston. Houston finished the season with a 15-2 record and Dalton finished 18-6.

"I got caught in a cradle and it cost me four points," said Shephard. "Then I broke out of it and got here in the pinning position for the rest of the match. I couldn't get her shoulder quite down to the mat so I just held her there until the time ran out."

In the boys competition, several area wrestlers were wrestling in the finals at press time Saturday night. Leading the way was Guillermo Sanchez (125) of Randall. Sanchez defeated Matt Sanders of Rockwall 9-4 in the semifinals to advance to the finals.

In the 140-pound division, Ricky Valdez of Caprock will take on Chet Graves of Dumas in an all-area final. In the semifinals, Valdez beat Joe Aslan of Rockwall 7-3, while Graves edged Jimmy Gray of Boys Ranch 11-10.

In the 152-pound division, Ryan Chanclor of Randall will put his unbeaten mark on the line against Aurielo Valdez of El Paso Andress. Chanclor got to the finals by beating John Sherrill of Austin Bowie 8-5. Trent Kincanon (160) of Tascosa wrestled Ryan Auerman of Colleyville Heritage.

In the 171-pound division, it is also a Texas Panhandle final, pitting Kyle Edwards of Randall against Bryan Turner of Dumas. Edwards won his semifinal match 4-3 while Turner won his match by a pin.

In the 180-pound division, Kenny Holmes of Caprock wrestled Clay Kehrer of Rockwall. The other two area wrestlers making it to the finals were Marc Sursa (189) of River Road and Matt Podzemny (215) of Tascosa.

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Not just for boys / Girls wrestling catching on in Texas

Houston Chronicle; Houston, Tex.; Feb 22, 2001;
JEFF JENKINS, Houston Chronicle correspondent;

At 119 pounds, Amanda Noteware doesn't appear to be much of a threat.

But the moment the Lee senior steps on the wrestling mat, a transformation occurs.

"It's hard to explain," Noteware said. "When I'm wrestling, it brings out my aggressive side. I really like the physical part of it. I like the fact it requires me to be in shape. I like everything about it."

Noteware, a first-year wrestler, is ranked No. 2 in the state in her weight class with a 28-3 record. A qualifier for the UIL State Wrestling Championships on Saturday at the Austin Convention Center, Noteware is one of the increasing number of Houston-area girls who are taking up wrestling.

Since its inception as a UIL sport three years ago, wrestling has enjoyed steady growth. Even though numbers are on the rise, barely more than a dozen schools offer girls programs.

Among the schools with girls wrestling are Bryan, Furr, Katy, Katy Taylor, Klein, Klein Forest, Klein Oak, Lee, Mayde Creek, Oak Ridge, Reagan, Scarborough, The Woodlands and Waller.

However, the only program with a complete girls squad - wrestlers in all 10 weight categories - is Lee.

That depth enabled the Generals, who qualified five wrestlers for state, to compile a 12-0 record in dual meets this season.

"We beat the Katy and Klein schools and everyone else in Houston," said Lee coach John Vogt said. "It was a great first season for our girls, but we were the only one with a full team. That gave us an advantage."

Katy coach Tim Ripperger noted he was able to fill eight of the 10 slots.

"We didn't have anyone at 185 and 215 pounds," said Ripperger, who led the Tigers to a seventh-place finish at state a year ago. "Sometimes, it's tough to fill the heavier weight classes."

Katy Taylor coach Todd Hart, whose Mustangs are favored to finish in the top 10 at state, said it can be a challenge keeping girls interested.

"We finished the year with only seven wrestlers," Hart said. "We always have a few who quit. It happens every year."

Ripperger has his own theory why girls wrestling is taking time to catch on.

"I think some girls have the impression that wrestling is easy, like P.E.," Ripperger said. "But after they try it, they discover it's a legitimate sport like volleyball or basketball. It's requires athleticism."

"You have to have strength, determination and guts," added Katy junior Linse Meadows, ranked No. 1 in the state at 128 pounds. "A lot of girls say they want to wrestle, but they won't come out for the team. It's not for everyone."

Old attitudes about wrestling not being feminine have deterred some girls from wrestling. But Hart believes the sport has a solid future.

"People need to remember we've only had girls wrestling in Texas for three years," Hart said. "It's still relatively new."

Vogt commended the UIL for sanctioning wrestling and, in particular, making it separate for the girls.

"As far as I know, Texas and Hawaii are the only states with girls wrestling. Most states have girls competing against boys," Vogt said. "The fact girls have their own sport here in Texas is a big bonus. It's going to help the sport grow even more. It's just going to take awhile."

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Three area wrestlers claim state titles

By BILL HARRISON , Houston Chronical 2/24/2001

AUSTIN -- Three Houston-area boys captured titles in the UIL State Wrestling Championships on Saturday at the Austin Convention Center.

Winning in the finals were Katy Taylor sophomore Patrick Huff, Bryan senior Doug McBride and Oak Ridge junior Mike Martinez.

Huff ran his record to 49-0 by beating Chucky Rogers of Arlington Bowie 11-5 for the 103-pound championship. McBride (48-0) coasted past El Paso Irvin's Paul Hyska 9-3 at 130 pounds. Martinez improved to 30-2 with a 4-1 victory over Arlington Sam Houston's Malala Tai at 275 pounds.

Katy Taylor coach Todd Hart attributed Huff's successful run to getting focused early on.

"Patrick's been working hard," Hart said. "He placed fifth last year and he set his goal that he wanted to do better than he did as a freshman. He wanted to win. (The team) did well. I was disappointed in some of the outcomes, but it was tough competition."

Katy senior Adam Wilson (23-2) finished second after Amarillo River Roads Marc Sursa pinned him at the 2:40 mark of 189-pound final. Four area wrestlers entered fifth-place consolation matches, and two wrestlers from The Woodlands -- 112-pound sophomore Brad Medchill (43-2) and 180-pound junior Ivan Pinney (40-9) -- took away wins.

Houston-area girls, who notched three first-place finishes last year, were shut out of the top spots, but Katy junior Linse Meadows and The Woodlands freshman Emily Medchill earned second-place honors.

In perhaps the best match of the girls finals, Meadows tied Katherine Quinonez of El Paso Hanks at 5-5 in the last 12 seconds of the third period to earn an overtime period in 128-pound competition. But Quinonez's takedown ended the match 7-5, handing Meadows, who finished third in last year's tournament her first loss of the season (19-1).

Medchill's run was ended at the 2:29 mark, pinned by 112-pound champion Stephanie Jenkins of El Paso Hanks. The loss was also Medchill's first (20-1).

Three of the eight area girls in the third-place consolation matches walked away with medals, including 119-pounder Kristen Williams (30-6) of The Woodlands, 138-pounder Valerie Hansen (26-4) of Katy Taylor and 148-pounder Marie Kristoff (16-3) of Waller.

In team competition, the boys title went to Rockwall, 79-77 over Arlington Martin. On the girls side, Amarillo Palo Duro won five of the 10 weight divisions for 134 points to 85 for runners-up El Paso Hanks and Arlington Sam Houston. The closest Houston-area team finishers were The Woodlands girls, sixth with 31 points, and the Oak Ridge boys, 13th with 35.