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UIL Wrestling Championships
Pflugerville's Billerbeck takes girls state title
By Tommy Cathey ASSOCIATED PRESS
Sunday, February 23, 2003
Pflugerville High School junior Rachel Billerbeck walked into the UIL state wrestling championships with one black mark on her record this season. On Saturday, she beat the person who handed her that loss and walked out as a state champion.
Billerbeck dominated Teri Lopez of Katy in the 128-pound semifinals, winning 8-4 to avenge the loss Lopez dealt her earlier this season. Billerbeck then pinned Kim Hernandez of Converse Judson in the championship match to become her school's first state champion.
"I wanted to prove to everyone here that I'm the only one from Pflugerville and I won," Billerbeck said. "I was out to win today and I left everything on the mat."
"She becomes a different wrestler when she's here," said Pflugerville Coach Gary Zernow. "She is physical like some of the guys."
After her victory, Billerbeck already was planning a defense of her title.
"I'm going to train this summer," said Billerbeck, who competed with a club team last summer. "I have a lot to learn and hopefully I'll be better next year. The competition only gets harder."
Billerbeck's performance helped the Pflugerville girls place 9th in the team race with 21 points. Amarillo Palo Duro finished first with 91, Amarillo Tascosa was second with 60 and San Antonio Lee finished third with 48.
In the boys bracket, Bowie's Juan Lopez took second place in the 215-pound division, losing in the championship match to Shawn Jordan of El Paso Riverside, 8-5. Lopez upset Parker Chaddick of Highland Park 2-1 in the semifinals. Lopez trailed 1-0 for most of the match, but took the lead late in the third period.
Lanier's Pat McAuley placed fifth in the 135-pound division and his teammate, Nick Ganci, took fourth in the 145-pound division. Bowie's Preston Huffington placed sixth in the 189-pound division.
In the boys team standings, Bowie was the highest Central Texas finisher, in 14th place (35 points). Highland Park won the state title with 86.5 points despite having no individual winners, followed by The Woodlands (85.5) and Coppell (75).
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Wrestling with stereotypes doesn't bother her one bit
The Baltimore Sun ,Gregory Kane 2/26/03
IN THE CONTINUING battle to prove amateur wrestling isn't just for guys anymore, Krystal Lovelist strode fearlessly to mat No. 1 at Northwestern High School Saturday afternoon.
She had just slipped out of her warm-up suit, pulled a hair-net over reddish-brown dreadlocks and snapped her headgear into place. Wearing a white T-shirt under her black City College singlet, she checked in at the scorer's table for her consolation match in the Baltimore City public schools tournament. She shook hands with her opponent, a boy from Carver High. With the referee's blow of the whistle the 125-pound match was on.
"He's trying to muscle her," a guy sitting behind me said as Carver's wrestler tried to use his upper body strength to maul Lovelist. "She can beat him if she shoots for his legs."
The guy, it turns out, knew what he was talking about. Further conversation revealed he was none other than Greg Watkins, City College's Maryland Scholastic Association champion in 1965 and 1966.
Watkins was a master technician. Guys who tried to muscle him invariably found themselves befuddled, outwrestled and totally humiliated.
City College wrestlers who came along after 1966 had to listen to coach Clark Hudak constantly talk up the legacy of Watkins and his partner in excellence, two-time MSA champion Larry McCoy. It was always "Watkins and McCoy, Watkins and McCoy," with Hudak, leading at least one wrestler to ponder how anyone could follow the Watkins-McCoy act.
Through an upper-body muscle move Carver's wrestler took Lovelist down and put her on her back. Trailing 8-0, Lovelist chose the neutral position - where both wrestlers are standing - to start the third period. With Watkins urging her to shoot for the boy's legs, Lovelist caused a brief surge of excitement among City College fans when she shot in for a single leg takedown. She couldn't finish it, but the technique was picture-perfect.
Lovelist, the team's manager last year, started wrestling three matches into this season.
"I wanted to test my endurance," she said after the Carver boy eventually pinned her and went on to take third place. "I was trying to get myself ready for the Army. I'm joining in July."
But why wrestling? Isn't this a sport for, like, well, guys?
Don't try to convince Lovelist of that.
"Everybody thinks it's only for boys," she said. "I wanted to prove them wrong."
Among the doubters was her mother.
"She didn't believe me when I told her I was going out for wrestling," Lovelist said. "She kept saying, 'Why do you want to do that?'"
Her mother asked her to try out for the swimming team.
Her uncles said they'd believe she was on the team when they saw her wrestle with their own eyes.
Her boyfriend? Well, he had a problem with the very idea of other guys being in such close contact with his girlfriend.
Some scoffers feel the same way, figuring having boys wrestle girls will lead the males to - putting it delicately - take advantage of the situation. But that hasn't happened yet. Wrestling is a sport for roughnecks with guys who are, paradoxically, often perfect gentlemen.
The physical contact may not be a problem, but boys figuring girl wrestlers are easy pickings is a view that persists. Lovelist does her best to disabuse opponents of that notion.
"When we first get on the mat, they laugh at me," she said. "But when they tie up with me and see how strong I am, they're like, 'Whoa!"
Bernie Leneau, City's coach, is a witness to that. He has scrimmaged with Lovelist during practice.
"I was surprised by how strong she was," said Leneau.
The only downside to wrestling that Lovelist sees is cutting weight. She has to pass on the Tuesday and Thursday night dinners when her family eats out. Leneau said she weighed between 125 and 130 pounds when she started, and she has wrestled both weight classes.
She could, if she wanted, probably cut to 119, but that weight class, at City College and for all Baltimore public schools, was strictly Nelson Moody country this year. Lovelist's teammate and co-senior won the outstanding lightweight award at the citywide tournament.
It's a pity Lovelist doesn't have one more year to wrestle. Leneau figures she would have beaten some guys. Watkins, seeing her in action Saturday, felt the same way. Lovelist gave a third to the motion.
"The thing is, the boys are a lot more experienced than me," she said. "If I had one more year, I could beat some of 'em."
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Katy girls make short work of foes
TERRY CARTER, Houston Chronicle correspondent 2/23/03
THE Katy girls made a mockery of the team race at the UIL Region III
Wrestling Tournament in Allen last weekend, running off with the
championship with four individual titles and a quartet of runners-up.
It all added up to a near-perfect team score as all eight Katy
representatives finished first or second at the meet and qualified for
state competition this weekend. With Melissa Terry (10-0) claiming the
95-pound regional title, Stephanie Haver (21-1) the 119 crown, Teri Lopez (22-1)
the 128 title and Kacee Ravenburg (4-8) the 215 top honors, the Tigers are
in full crouch as the state meet looms Feb. 21-22.
Unbeaten on the year, Terry ranks No. 1 among 95-pounders, and her
season of quick victories continued at regionals. The Katy junior pinned her two
foes in a combined 2:34, which eliminated nearly 9:30 from her possible time
on the mat had each of the two matches had gone the distance.
After pinning Taylor's Dani Aming in :55, Terry chased down Langham
Creek's Ana Ramey for a pin at 1:39 to claim the 95-pound crown. Relegated to
the consolation final, Aming defeated Coppell's Sylvia Beltran, then
challenged Ramey in a wrestle-back, which the Taylor Mustang won to capture
Ramey's spot in Austin.
Haver's hard-fought 5-3 victory over Kristin Williams of The Woodlands
left both 119-pound competitors exhausted. The evenly matched pair may get a
chance to meet against at state.
Katy's dominance helped lead an overall strong showing by the
district's schools in Allen as seven of 10 regional titles went to schools from
the area, including the first six competitions in a row. Beyond Katy's
dominance, Taylor finished second in the team race with Laurie Ashby
(17-7) defeating Katy's Gabi Bruscianelli (11-7) by pin in the 102 finals and
Diana Mato (32-1) pinning Katy's Felicia Woodall (15-7) at 138. Mayde Creek's
Tosha McSloy (16-3) powered the Rams to a fourth-place finish as she
dominated the 110-pound weight class.
Katy wrestlers Bruscianelli, Mary Reddick, Woodall and Ashley Weber
placed second and will all advance to state, as will Taylor's Gesche Weiss.
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Today's Sports
Doubly good: Wilson defends wrestling title
By Evan Ren 2/23/03
Killeen Daily Herald
AUSTIN — If one is to cap a 67-match winning streak, what better way to
do it than with a second-straight state championship?
Ellison's Kisha Wilson, the Texas State 185-pound girls wrestling
champion, successfully defended her title Saturday in the Austin Convention
Center — pinning Shaleb Bowie of Amarillo Palo Duro 59 seconds into the second
round.
For Wilson, who was 38-0 as a junior and 29-0 this year, the match was
her longest of the season.
"It feels even better than the first time," said Wilson, who finished
with an 81-4 career mark. "When I got out there, I had a little bit of
doubt, but after a little while, I knew I had it."
Scoring three two-point takedowns and a two-point near fall in the
first period, Wilson repeatedly had Bowie in trouble through the use of a
simple trip maneuver.
After scoring another takedown with the same technique, Wilson, ahead
10-0, pinned Bowie with a head-and-arm move.
"Kisha is at the point where she really doesn't need to go into a match
with a game plan," Ellison coach Dean Schaub said. "She takes what moves are
available and they come pretty quick for her."
Wilson's teammate, Joseph Sheffield, wasn't quite as fortunate in his
first appearance at the state meet.
Sheffield, who blitzed through the first two rounds of the boys
275-pound division with pins of Dallas Samuell's Kevin Jacobs and Austin Lake
Highland's Andrew Feige, was himself pinned by top-seeded Nathan Fox of
Amarillo in Saturday's semifinal.
Sheffield was later pinned by Zach Trammel of Fort Worth Riverside and
finished the night with a loss to Jerry Duran of El Paso Coronado for
fifth place.
The result of that match came after press time Saturday.
"I didn't expect to get this far, so I'm happy," Sheffield said. "But
at the same time, I'm a little disappointed that I didn't get to the finals."
Killeen's other top male hopefuls, 171-pound Chris Jenkins and
103-pound Chris Fajkus, both of Harker Heights, were both eliminated, posting 2-2
and 1-2 records respectively.
At press time, boys champions included Lou Perez of El Paso Hanks at
103 pounds, Patrick Huff of Katy Taylor (112), Joe Comparin of Euless
Trinity (119) and Sean Glassel of Conroe The Woodlands (125).
In other action, Heights' Jessica Godbold finished in a tie for fifth
place with a 1-2 record in the girls 95-pound division.
Godbold, who was pinned by eventual state champion Stormy Grear of
Amarillo Palo Duro on Friday, came back to defeat Southlake Carroll's Tiffany
Larriba with a second-round pin on Saturday. Godbold was later eliminated from
the consolation bracket by Brittany Kimball of Frisco, losing via pin with
35 seconds left in the match.
Shoemaker's Rosea Grady was another fifth-place finisher — winning one
of three matches in the girls' 215-pound class.
Grady, who pinned Katy's Kacee Ravenburg 55 seconds into her first
match on Friday, was pinned by Monica Coleman of Arlington Sam Houston on
Saturday and eliminated when she was disqualified for stalling versus Katy
Taylor's Gesche Weiss.
Coleman went on to place second to San Antonio Lee's Lisa Obregon.
Other girls champions included Amarillo Tascosa's Angel Diaz at 102 pounds,
Arlington Lamar's Brandi Brown (110), El Paso Hanks' Kim Quinonez (119),
Pflugerville's Rachel Billerbeck (128), L.D. Bell's Suekoilya Shelly (138),
Palo Duro's Annie Thomas (148) and Lee's Christina Rodriguez (165).
Palo Duro took the girls team title with 91 points, followed by Tascosa
at 0 and Lee at 48. Ellison was 10th with 23.5 points; Heights was 27th
with three.
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UIL STATE WRESTLING MEET
Trinity seniors wrestle way to state titles
By Heidi Pederson 2/23/03
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
AUSTIN - Both Trinity High School athletes competing in the championship finals at the UIL state wrestling tournament on Saturday found themselves in familiar situations.
Trojans seniors Joe Comparin (119 pounds) and Kyle Herrington (130 pounds) found that their respective opponents in the finals were the same rivals they had faced in the region finals. But fortunately for Herrington, this time the outcome was different.
Comparin beat Arlington Bowie's Chucky Rogers 3-2 at the Austin Convention Center to win his second state crown. Herrington defeated Azle senior Shelby Lauderdale 11-6 to capture his first state title.
Herrington, whose older brother won a state title for Trinity last year, said his region loss to Lauderdale provided extra motivation in Austin. It was Herrington's only loss this season.
"I think [the loss] ended up being good for me. It showed me I wasn't the best wrestler like I thought I was," Herrington said. "This time I tried to stay on my feet. Last time he kept scoring on the switch, so this time I let him up after I took him down."
Herrington and Comparin were two of four boys champions from the Fort Worth area. In the biggest upset of the tournament, Azle's Chas Skelly beat Highland Park's Keegan Mueller 6-0 in the 140-pound final. Mueller beat Skelly in last year's 130 final and was the heavy favorite in Austin. Lamar junior Will Rowe won the 145-pound crown.
Skelly was selected as the outstanding wrestler for the boys tournament. L.D. Bell senior Suekoilya Shelly was selected as the outstanding wrestler for the girls after winning the 138-pound title. Shelly beat Hereford's Astrid Gomez 3-2 in double overtime in that final. Lamar's Brandi Brown won the girls 110-pound crown.
Highland Park won the boys team title with 86.5 points over The Woodlands (85.5). Trinity was fourth (66), and Azle was fifth (60). Amarillo Palo Duro won the girls title with 91 points.
Trinity senior Roger Miller took third at 135 pounds. Colleyville Heritage's Brady Tarbush was fourth at 140 pounds, and Argyle's Josh Martz was fifth at 130.
Shelly said her title gave her extra satisfaction. She had been the top-ranked wrestler in the state at 128 pounds during the regular season, but at the region tournament she was forced to wrestle at 138 because the Bell girls didn't have enough time to cut weight. Bell coach Bo Medley had not been aware that the girls were wrestling on the first day of the two-day region tournament and had brought along the girls the first day only to watch the boys.
Boys champions
103: Lou Perez, El Paso Hank's; 112: Patrick Huff, Katy Taylor; 119: Joe Comparin, Trinity; 125: Sean Glassel, The Woodlands; 130: Kyle Herrington, Trinity; 135: Brad Medchill, Conroe The Woodlands; 140: Chas Skelly, Azle; 145: Will Rowe, Lamar; 152: Jake Jackson, Hebron; 160: James King, Rockwall; 171: James Aston, Katy; 180: Matt Tiffin, Katy Cinco Ranch; 189: Clay Kehrer, Rockwall; 215: Shawn Jordan, El Paso Riverside; 275: Nathan Fox, Amarillo.
Girls champions
95: Stormy Grear, Amarillo Palo Duro; 102: Angel Diaz, Amarillo Tascosa; 110: Brandi Brown, Lamar; 119: Kim Quinonez, El Paso Hanks; 128: Rachel Billerbeck, Pflugerville; 138: Suekoilya Shelly, L.D. Bell; 148: Annie Thomas, Amarillo Palo Duro; 165: Christina Rodriguez, San Antonio Lee; 185 Lakeshia Wilson, Killeen Ellison; 215: Lisa Obregon, San Antonio Lee.
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Beeville reaches new high at state wrestling tourney
Trojan grapplers set school record at UIL championships
By Scott Farrell Special to the Caller-Times
February 23, 2003
AUSTIN - Saturday's UIL Wrestling State Championships finals closed more than just the season for Beeville coach Terry Foster . It was an end to an era, a phase in the young program's history. It ended in record-breaking style.
Beeville tallied a school-record 22 points, good for 28th place in the two-day tournament at the Austin Convention Center. Manuel Flores became the second Trojans wrestler to earn all-state honors with a sixth-place finish at 130 pounds. The senior paralleled the program's rise, moving from the junior varsity roster to all-state status during the past three seasons. He reached the semifinals in Friday's opening rounds, which allowed him to shrug off two consolation losses on Saturday.
"This is one of the best accomplishments in my life," Flores said. "Last year I messed up and didn't get past regionals. I wanted to set a pace for the rest of the team this year. We stayed together, and we finished together."
"I feel like I'm graduating with our senior wrestlers," Foster said. "I came to Beeville when our seniors were freshmen, so we've gone through this process together getting this program going. It's a great group of kids and now, we've made a mark at state."
Two of Beeville's other qualifiers, juniors Freddy Chamberlain at 119 pounds and Mark Cruz at 125, fell in the consolation quarterfinals.
Ray made a dent in the girls tournament when Janelly Gallegos reached the second consolation round in a difficult 95-pound bracket. Four of the eight wrestlers in the bracket entered the tournament with two or fewer losses on the season. Gallegos earned her first win in two state tournament appearances with a third-period pin in her first bout of the day.
Gallegos took control early, scoring a takedown 20 seconds in to the match. A takedown by Katy Taylor's Dani Aming cut Gallegos' lead to 4-3 going into the third period. Gallegos put Aming on her back again and earned the pin in 4:19.
Katy's Melissa Terry advanced past Gallegos in the second consolation round en route to a third-place finish.
"I was more prepared at state this year," the senior said. "Even though I lost I know I've accomplished something."
Gallegos' win earned three team points and placed Ray in a tie for 27th-place overall.
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Hanks brings home 2 wrestling titles, Riverside another
Pablo Villa 2/23/03
El Paso Times
|
Kelly West / Associated Press |
AUSTIN -- Some call it championship Saturday. Some even call it bracket-buster Saturday. But for Kim Quiñonez,the final day of the 2003 Wrestling State Championships will be known as Redemption Saturday.
Quiñonez capped her successful career at Hanks with her first state title, joining fellow El Pasoans Lou Perez of Hanks and Shawn Jordan of Riverside as state champions.
Quiñonez earned a 9-4 major decision over Amarillo Palo Duro's Lauren Lindsey to win the 119-pound championship. The win erased years of shortcomings, a weight disqualification in 2001, and a subpar performance at regionals in 2002 that kept her from reaching the state tournament.
"It feels great," Quiñonez said. "I finally get my state title."
She did it in heroic fashion.
Lindsey, who beat Quiñonez twice previously this season, appeared to be heading for a third win in the second round. But an escape by Quiñonez knotted the score at 2-2 going into the third period. That's when Quiñonez turned it on.
After giving up an escape, the senior took Lindsey down and earned back points. That, coupled with a technical violation point and another takedown, was too much to overcome.
"It's unbelievable," Hanks girls' wrestling coach John Scheetz said. "I'm so happy for her. Every drill, every practice, it all paid off here."
Quiñonez said something else helped, too.
"It's state," she said. "This is it. If I didn't do it here, I wouldn't get another chance."
There was no need to tell that to Perez.
Hanks' senior 103-pounder knew the stakes going into his championship final against Vernon's Mickey Sharp. He was the returning champion. And he wrestled like it.
Sharp, who received much praise for his upset victory over top-ranked Danny Ruiz in the quarterfinals, was no match for Perez. The senior muscled Sharp, whom he previously beat at the regional final in Amarillo, into submission. Perez pinned the freshman 28 seconds into the third round, equaling his feat of last year, when he pinned every competitor he faced in the state tournament.
"It feels pretty good," Perez said. "I think (Sharp) got a lot better from the last time. He beat (Ruiz), and that makes me feel like I beat the better man."
For Hanks coach Anthony Carter, it was more than another state champion under his coaching.
"This is sweet," Carter said. "This is the first time I've had a male two-time state champion. He beat a quality opponent. He's been with me four years and it's sad to see him leave Hanks. But I know this is not goodbye forever. He was certainly motivational for us."
Riverside's Jordan had his own motivation.
The senior added another side note to his storied career as a Ranger by capturing his first state championship. Jordan beat Austin Bowie's Juan Lopez in the 215-pound final with an 8-5 major decision. He ended his senior season with an undefeated record at 19-0.
"It feels pretty good," Jordan said. "I'm allowed to go to my girlfriend's house now. My parents said I couldn't go if I didn't win here."
Jordan, who will play football for Louisiana State University this fall, had a bit of trouble against Lopez. But he said his win should prove his athleticism, and his thirst for competition.
"I think people will see me as more of an athlete," Jordan said. "I think it shows that I like to compete and win."
For the trio, that was Satruday's key word -- win.
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Mustang quiets critics of decision to wrestle
HIGH SCHOOLS
Ryan Pink 2/21/03
El Paso Times
When Burges' Crystal Carrillo decided she wanted to wrestle instead of play softball this season, the school had high expectations for the athletically talented junior.
But in her first season wrestling for the Mustangs, Carrillo made Burges history by becoming the first Lady Mustang to compete in wrestling at the state level, exceeding even the most optimistic expectations.
"I knew she was a competitor," Burges wrestling coach Jeff Himelspach said. "I just didn't think it would be this quick. This was a pleasant surprise."
Boasting a 23-7 personal record and a second-place finish in regionals this season, Carrillo has dominated the 102-pound weight class in El Paso and led the Mustangs to a third-place finish in District 1-5A.
Carrillo's success this season has quieted any questions about her decision to hang up her bat and glove and walk away from Burges' defending bidistrict champion softball team and take her chances on the wrestling mat. Not that Carrillo had any doubts of her own.
"I just like contact sports," Carrillo said. "I have a lot of fun wrestling; I was brought up pretty tough and I really like the competition. I just love (wrestling.)"
The state meet, which takes place in Austin, will begin today with weigh-ins at 3 p.m., followed by the first round of girls' competition.
Expectations are once again high concerning the wrestler's performance this weekend.
"I don't like to lose -- that's just who I am," Carrillo said. "It's a little tougher for me being a girl -- people view girls' wrestling different -- but I think girls can (wrestle) just as good as the guys -- sometimes better."
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El Paso wrestlers leave Austin with heads high
Pablo Villa 2/23/03
El Paso Times
Kelly West / Associated Press |
AUSTIN -- There were three El Paso area wrestlers who claimed state titles Saturday at the UIL Wrestling State Championships. That left the 41 others who participated in the tournament disappointed.
It wasn't a completely successful day for the city's grapplers, but their coaches would have you believe that their efforts weren't all for naught.
"These kids have nothing to be ashamed of," said Andress coach Ricardo Flores after Joel Gonzalez, his 125-pounder, faltered in the consolation final against Josh Hines of Sam Houston. Gonzalez would silently walk away from his moment of angst. But he would reappear at the award presentation to give his opponent one last note of adulation.
"Good fight, man," Gonzalez said to Hines. "Congratulations. You deserve it."
The senior closed his career with a fourth-place finish and also, Flores said, a resolve that will bolster his success off the mat.
"These kids learn a lot here," Flores said. "They go up against the state's best and they learn a lot about themselves. There's nothing that they shouldn't be proud about."
That notion seemed to sit well with other consolation finalists.
Socorro's Edgar Diaz finished his career with a third-place state finish.
Diaz beat Lanier's Nick Ganci to claim his bronze medal in the 145-pound class. And despite not getting the finish he wanted, he was still upbeat about the experience.
"I wanted that first place," Diaz said. "But I'm happy with this."
Hanks' Reggie Armstrong also finished third, by beating Amarillo Caprock's Kenny Holmes in the 180-pound consolation final. Franklin's Justin Reyes earned a fifth-place finish in the tournament.
But while reaching the second-day finals may be a stellar feat, a loss in the round could be a stinging reminder that defeat doesn't come with any frills.
Hanks' Diana Reveles best demonstrated that in her 165-pound championship final.
Reveles put forth a fanatical effort against San Antonio Lee's Christina Rodriguez. But Rodriguez staved off Reveles enough to earn an official decision over the Hanks senior after the overtime period. Reveles could only sit and cringe at the surreal notion that her year of work had been expunged in one match.
"She fought," Hanks girls wrestling coach John Scheetz said. "She didn't really lose to her. Sometimes you come up a little short."
But nonetheless, El Paso wrestling has given more fodder to its status as a city of champions.
"I think, as a whole, we represented well," said Hanks coach Anthony Carter, who was named the Texas State Wrestling Coach of the Year. "We always have a couple of state champions. I think we're pretty well respected here."
