Granite Hills High’s Erica Torres, top, rolls Kristina Koenning of Novato onto her back Saturday during the California Girls Invitational Tournament 122-pound final at Hanford West High School. Torres won the title. (Recorder photo by Chieko Hara)
News Page
Michaella Hutichison News and Pictures
This made print in the local paper:
http://www.dispatch.com/sports-story.php?story=dispatch/2006/02/06/20060206-D2-00.html
http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2006/more/02/06/girl.wrestling.champ.ap/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/chi-0602060097feb06,1,5741558.story?track=rss
http://www.dailypress.com/sports/dp-66873sy0feb06,0,438847.story?coll=dp-sports-local
Photos of her 4A matches:
Semifinals:
Photos: Three final match pages:
Two Alaska A.P. photos:
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By Brian Williams, The Porterville Recorder 2/6/06
HANFORD - Erica Torres spent most of the first period of the state final on her back.
But the Granite Hills High junior never panicked in Saturday's 122-pound final of the seventh California Girls Invitational Tournament at Hanford West High.
“When she put me on my back,” Torres said. “I just kept telling myself I didn't come all this way to get pinned.”
She just bridged and waited for the period to run out, but more importantly, she learned - a lot.
She couldn't help but notice that her foe Kristina Koenning of Novato High was shrieking and laboring.
The period ended with Koenning, the tourney's second seed and top qualifier out of the CIF Northern Regional, ahead 5-0. She opened the season ranked No. 2 by the United States Girls Wrestling Association at 122 pounds.
But it was clear to Torres, a surprise finalist, and her corner that momentum had shifted their way.
“She was the one shrieking,” Torres said, “which told me that she might be getting tired. Usually the people that were in my position are doing the screaming. I could also hear her breathing hard.”
Her coach, Marty Kouyoumtjian, was noticing the same. He had scouted Koenning, who came in with a 29-3 record this season, learning that she was a strong girl who tried to end matches quickly. He felt that a longer match favored Torres.
“Once the initial shock wore off and after about the first 30 seconds of her being on her back, I realized she was not going to get pinned,” Kouyoumtjian said. “Once that period ended, I knew Erica could really make a go of it. I saw that girl was laboring.
“I thought wow that was her best shot and she couldn't finish it.”
In the second period, Torres went to work.
“Come on Erica,” screamed her parents Eric and Tammy Torres almost in unison.
Torres started the period in the down position and earned a reversal midway through. From there, she rolled Koenning onto her shoulders and was awarded three points for a near fall that tied the match at 5 with one period remaining.
It was more of the same in the final period - Torres seemingly growing stronger and Koenning seemingly fading.
Torres escaped the clasp of Koenning, who was also penalized for locking her hands, and took her to the mat. The combination was enough to give Torres an 8-5 advantage with about a minute to go.
“Work it. Work it. Keep it going,” Eric Torres yelled out.
Torres was unable to stop Koenning from closing the gap to one point with a reversal, but it would not be enough.
After having her hand raised by the judge, Torres walked off the mat with an 8-7 victory and was swarmed by her coaches and parents.
“It feels great,” Torres said. “All of the hard work and everything paid off.”
Torres is the first state champion for coach Kouyoumtjian, who was not going to coach this year but decided to at the urging of his wife.
“It was a dream tournament for her and us, her mom and her dad,” Kouyoumtjian said. “I think it was good not only for us but for Granite Hills as well.
“I never thought the first state champion I would coach would be a girl.”
Kouyoumtjian went on and on about Torres, who came into the tournament with a touch of the flu and has spent most of the season troubled by nagging shoulder injuries.
“She is not weak. She is pretty strong, has good conditioning and is well-rounded,” Kouyoumtjian said. “She is mentally tough. She has good flexibility. She is really easy to coach. She doesn't argue. She doesn't complain.
“She is a coach's dream.”
Torres was glad to have first-year GHHS coach Kouyoumtjian in her corner. He is the third coach she's had in the past three years.
“After each match, he would go out and scout who I was going to wrestle next,” Torres said, “and come back and say you need to work on this. He is one of the best coaches I have had.”
Her parents echoed that sentiment.
“He focuses all of her talents,” Eric Torres said. “All we had to do was cheer. I'm just glad he came here.”
The tournament is considered the unofficial girls state high school wrestling championship because it is not recognized by the CIF, tournament director Allen Blanchard said. However, it was the first year the CIF had two regionals that qualified girls for the state tournament. Close to a 500 girls competed in the two regionals.
About 300 girls participated in the two-day invitational, which had been held the previous six years at Vallejo High. The top eight from each regional received automatic invites. The top eight on Saturday received medals.
Blanchard was unsure if the tournament and the CIF regionals would be tied together next year, but he felt this was a huge step for the quickly growing girls sport.
Torres advanced to the finals by avenging a two-point loss to top-seeded Trinity Plessinger of Yucca Valley High earlier on Saturday. The two met two weeks ago in the semis of the CIF Southern Regional held in Covina.
Torres dominated the rematch from start to finish and came away with a 7-4 win.
Winning that match was huge for Torres.
“I thought oh my gosh, I can be a state champion,” she said.
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Emerald Ridge wins first crown
LENA TIBBELIN; For The News Tribune
Published: February 5th, 2006 02:30 AM
The titles keep piling up for the Emerald Ridge wrestling team.
Fresh off a second consecutive South Puget Sound League South Division dual meet title, the Jaguars won the SPSL South tournament in front of a home crowd Saturday.
Emerald Ridge won with 275.5 points, well ahead of district rivals Rogers (239.5) and Puyallup (220.5), with four individual winners and a tournament-high 10 wrestlers qualified for next week’s regional tournament with the KingCo 4A league at Inglemoor High School in Kenmore. Four state berths will be at stake in each weight class.
Puyallup also qualified 10 wrestlers for next week, with one champion – Whitney Conder in the 103-pound class. Rogers advanced seven wrestlers.
After the first day, the three teams were separated by 2.5 points, but the Jaguars ran away with the tournament Saturday.
“It was a nice surprise for us to win,” Emerald Ridge coach Jim Meyerhoff said.
It is the first league tournament title for the 6-year-old Jaguars wrestling program.
Senior Keith Schlecht defended his 160-pound title, becoming Emerald Ridge’s first two-time league champion.
Schlecht defeated surprise finalist Peyton Lane of Todd Beamer, 8-2. Lane beat state placer Alex Pitch of Spanaway Lake, 7-5, in the semifinals.
“I felt very comfortable,” said Schlecht, who was joined by Nick Webster (112), Gabe Weber (130) and Kevin Wills (140) as league champions for the Jaguars. Webster and Wills improved from second-place finishes last year.
“It’s a good way to start the postseason,” Webster said. “It feels great.”
Another happy winner was Conder, whose previous best league finish was a pair of third places. But the title didn’t come easy, as she had to wrestle Puyallup teammate and practice partner David Morrow, a sophomore.
Conder won with a 2-0 decision, earning points for an escape and a stall by Morrow in the final period.
“It’s just another step to state,” Conder said. “As long as it gets me closer to state, I’m happy.”
Graham-Kapowsin sophomore Brad Sweet made school history by becoming the Eagles’ first wrestling league champion, upsetting James Albert of Rogers, 4-3, in the 145 final.
Sweet nabbed the final two points just before time expired to defeat Albert, the defending 140-pound champion.
“He’s a great kid, great quiet leader,” Eagles coach Scott Stirts said of Sweet. “Today he came up big.”
Julio Rodriguez of Rogers (135) and Jason Marshall of Spanaway Lake (275) won their second consecutive league titles.
“Last year was fun,” Marshall said. “But this year it is also fun, you have to repeat so people know you still got it.”
The top four placers in each weight class advance to the Region II tournament, where the SPSL South No. 4 placers will wrestle in a pig-tail match against KingCo’s No. 5 qualifiers for a place in the regional tournament
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The Tomahawk Hatchet Wrestling Team finished in second place at the Lumberjack Conference Championships on Saturday, behind the Medford Raiders. Tomahawk had five conference champions, Alyssa Lampe, Anthony Lampe (fourth conference title), Nick Hagar, Dan Silvernale and Kevin Murphy.
The Hatchets will host the WIAA Regional meet on Saturday, February 11 at the Fieldhouse, with round one action at 10:00 AM. Gregg Albert and Bob Lee will have coverage on WJJQ.
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WIWrestling
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Lower Lake High School's Monica Torrey, left and Bryttani Fore are in Hanford today, Saturday, Feb. 4 to compete in the state finals for girls wrestling. Torrey is a second year wrestler and Fore is in her first year of competition on the mat.
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Wrestlers set for girls state event
By BRAD KVEDERIS, Times-Herald sports writer 2/6/06
There's no official state championship meet for girls wrestling, but make no mistake about it: This weekend's California Girls Invitational Tournament is as real as it gets.
The two-day event, which takes place today and Saturday at Hanford West High School in the Central Valley, draws all the top wrestlers in California, and Vallejo's best will be right in the mix. Vallejo High, which won the overall team championship when it hosted the tournament last year, looks to repeat some of last season's success, with three athletes in position for a run at individual titles in their respective weight classes.
Monica Gonzalez - the sister of former boys state champion Bobby Gonzalez - was the only local wrestler to take first place at last month's CIF Northern California championships, where she won the 158-pound division. The Apaches' Lauren Knight (138 pounds) and Angie Miller (146) both finished second in their weight classes at that meet, and rematches with their past opponents look to provide some of the highlights this weekend.
As Vallejo coach Mike Minahen explained, his team should have a good idea of what to expect once it gets to Hanford, as most of the top wrestlers have already seen each other at the bigger tournaments this season.
"There's some girls that they probably haven't seen from Southern California, but they've seen all the top girls from Northern California. And some of the girls from Southern California have been at the tournaments with us," Minahen said. "For example, Lauren lost by two points to a girl from San Diego, and she won the Southern California regional. On the bracket, I think they're supposed to meet in the semifinals, so that's a key semifinal for her."
Minahen also pointed out Jennifer Fernandez at 98 pounds as another top-three contender, and has hopes that Mary Jane Fernandez (103, seventh at the
NorCal meet) and Jennifer Avelino (108, sixth) can earn medals by finishing in the top eight.
The Vallejo High contingent will take a different route to the tournament than their neighbors at Hogan: Minahen and his Apaches depart from Vallejo at about 6 a.m. today, but coach Ric Manibusan and his Spartans made the trip Thursday night to avoid any logistical challenges before today's noon weigh-in.
For Minahen, getting up at 4:30 a.m. and making the three-hour drive on the morning of the meet was a better option than spending an extra night away from home.
"It's just, well, paying for three hotel rooms that aren't necessary if we went down (Thursday night)," he said. "This way, the kids get to sleep in their own beds. They're used to getting up at the crack of dawn anyway."
But the Hogan coaches decided that leaving a little extra time for the unforeseen - and for team bonding - was the way to go.
Hogan's top contenders are Krystalle Alcantara (103 pounds, second at NorCal meet) and Jessica Ortiz (112 pounds, third). But both face a tough road to the top: Alcantara will have to get through defending state champion Jazzy Green of Santa Monica, while Ortiz will likely face Stephanie Lopez of West Covina - who, although she's only a freshman, was the national champion as a middle schooler last year.
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Twice is nice: Vallejo girls take state title
Wrestlers win 2nd straight championship
By J.P. HOORNSTRA/Times-Herald sports writer 1/6/06
For the first time in the event's six-year history, the Vallejo High girls wrestling team did not host the California girls Invitational Wrestling Tournament, the sport's unofficial state championship. It didn't matter.
The Apaches won their second team title in as many years Saturday, distancing runner-up Terra Nova 124.5-82 in the Central Valley town of Hanford. Jennifer Fernandez, Lauren Knight and Monica Gonzalez each won individual weight-class titles, and Vallejo cemented itself as the premier girls wrestling program in the state.
"It's outstanding," head coach Mike Minahen said in a telephone interview from Hanford. "What a tribute to the girls that are so tough that they compete every day, wrestle hard every day with the girls and the boys in our mat room. It just means a lot to the whole program."
Fernandez was an underdog to take first at 98 pounds, but "pulled off one of the most amazing upsets I've ever seen," Minahen said.
Trailing Michelle Jimenez of Oak Grove (San Jose) 8-0 after one period, the sophomore came back over the next four minutes for a 12-8 win. This after Fernandez beat No. 2 seed Gabi Solis of Castro Valley to reach the final.
Knight pinned Hana Palamalu
3 minutes and 52 seconds into the 138-pound final. The senior finished the tournament 5-0 with pins in all five matches.
Gonzalez upset the fourth-ranked wrestler in the nation, Katrina Wilborn of Helix (San Diego) in the 156-pound final. Her 3-minute, 58-second pin was the third of the tournament for the sophomore.
Angie Miller (146 pounds) placed fourth for Vallejo, which became the first back-to-back champion in the event. Of the eight Apache competitors, a remarkable three return home with state titles.
Hogan head coach Ric Manibusan was far from disappointed with his squad's 74-point, fourth-place finish. Senior Jessica Ortiz (108) took second place after losing a tough 12-8 decision to Stephanie Lopez of West Covina in the final. It was only the second time Ortiz had lost to a girl this season.
Three other Spartans placed: Erin Russell (126) was fifth, Krystalle Alcantara (103) took seventh and Holly Moala (189) took eighth.
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By Appeal-Democrat 2/6/06
Sutter High freshman Ariel Green took sixth at the girls state wrestling championships held Friday and Saturday in Hanford - finishing 4-3 in the tournament.
Green was 4-0 after Friday's competition, and it took some of the best and most experienced wrestlers in the state to show the young Husky what it takes to be among the elite.
Green lost to the top- and fourth-ranked wrestlers in the 114-pound class, but was never pinned. Each of her losses came to either a senior or junior.
“She has a bright future ahead of her,” Sutter coach Dennis Richardson said. “She's only a freshman. Now she has to get into the weight room and work.”
Green also showed her grit after biting through her tongue on Friday, and suffering eye and lip injuries on Saturday.
“She wrestled tough all weekend,” Richardson said. “She finished all her matches.”
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Wrestling: Redwood finishes seventh at state behind Esterheld
Staff Report 2/6/06
HANFORD - Kristen Esterheld is fortunate, but not pleased that the girls state wrestling championships are not a no-holds barred competition.
In the Redwood High junior's heavyweight championship match a move was used more customary for the likes of George "The Animal" Steele than any respectable behavior for a lady. Esterheld was holding a 5-4 lead after an escape late in the match and maintained control with a cross-face hold when her opponent Paloma Basaulco of Arroyo Grande bit her and was ejected for doing so.
"I was frustrated that the ref disqualified her because I wanted to wrestle," Esterheld said. "It would have been a good match between us and that is not the way I wanted to win. She's going to be at nationals and I hope I get to go against her again."
Esterheld led the Giants team to a seventh-place finish against a field of more than 100 teams.
"It was awesome to finish seventh because some of the teams had like 20 girls and we only had five of us," said Gina Warren, Redwood's second highest finisher in fourth place.
Warren lost her opening match in the 114-pound division to the eventual champion from Half Moon Bay, but then won her next five to reach the third-place match which she lost in overtime on a double-leg takedown.
"As far as I'm concerned, her improvement is 10-fold and incredible," girls wrestling coach Steve Sanner said. "She is getting better every week and I expect to see her go to nationals this year to see how she stacks up."
Warren isn't sure if she will attend nationals in March, but Esterheld and Novato's Kristina
Koenning, who placed second in the 122-pound class, are expected to go. Koenning finishing 4-1, winning her first three matches by pin before falling 8-7 in the finals.
"It wasn't anything particular she did wrong, but there are still things to work on," Sanner said. "She is still moving forward, but sometimes one mistake can allow the other girl to capitalize and that is what happened. This is good for her. It gives her focus and a benchmark for where she needs to be for the next tournament."
The top girls will wrestle at Western Regionals in Reno next month.
The other girls from Redwood to score points were: Karen Fisher (108, 2-2), Caitlin Stanton (118, 1-2) and Christina Brown (138, 1-2).
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By Melissa Burnsed 2/2/06
Wildcat wrestler Sarah Combs attempts to get an inside hold on her opponent during a recent match. |
Athletes come in all forms and there are some sports that seem as if they are designed exclusively for males or females. That used to be how it was for wrestling, but lately that barrier is being broken by young ladies who aren’t afraid to show their courage and determination on the mat. For a very select few the 2004 Olympics, that sanctioned women’s wrestling for the first time, were like waving the green flag for entering the competitive ranks.
Baker County has some of those committed young women and Wildcat Wrestling Head Coach Joe VanVactor has welcomed them into his mat warriors fraternity. Coach V’s program has had girls on the team for the past two years. While it started out as a means of filling out the lower weight classes and not sacrificing forfeit points to their opponents, the ladies on this years Cats team are vital contributors to the squads success.
VanVactor calls them "proud, tough competitors who are still very feminine off the mat. They really are learning a lot and the other teams know that they have to battle if they want to defeat them."
This season there are four ladies on the team including Sarah Combs, Kristen Smith, Brittany Dale and Crystal Lucas. Because of their hard work and dedication they all earned berths in the Florida High School Female State Finals this year. Only Combs and Smith were able to make the trip last weekend, but they represented Baker County well.
Competing in the 160 pound weight class, Combs claimed the third place finisher spot for the entire state in her sophomore year. "She has a good shot at doing even better next year if she sticks with it. She is physically very strong and also a very committed wrestler," said VanVactor.
In her second year with the Wildcats, Sarah got hooked on wrestling after her older brother Colby joined the team. "I looked up to him and wanted to do everything he could do. Not to outdo him, but just to prove that a women is just as capable as a man. Then I discovered I love it. Wrestling is so much fun and it keeps you in great physical shape," she said.
Smith echoes those sentiments and added, " Wrestling gives you great confidence in your abilities and forces you to build up your stamina. It actually helps me as a competitive cheerleader, even though some of my friends think it is weird."
Kristen picked up her first pin during the state tournament and called the experience a great opportunity to meet others who share her competitive spirit. "After doing battle with the boys all season, it was different to face off with other girls. Apparently the sport is really popular in schools in the southern part of Florida," she said. Because there are limited females who compete in North Florida, the Baker ladies are part of the boys team.
The girls families were hesitant at first about their joining the team, but have since come around and are very supportive. Their fellow Wildcats treat them as just another member of the team and have gotten used to the teasing from other schools. "The guys weren’t too sure about it at first, but now they kinda keep an eye out for the girls and try and teach them better techniques. They really get excited when the girls win. It just hasn’t been any problem," said VanVactor.
The young ladies both plan to continue their wrestling careers next season and will be cheering their teammates on at the boys district tourney this weekend.
While down in Kissimmee for the state tournament, Combs and Smith got to meet one of their role models. 2004 Olympic Silver Medalist, Sarah McMann congratulated the girls on their effort and posed for pictures with the Wildcat wrestlers.
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NEC mat not strictly for the boys anymore
A Bruce McClimans column...
ASHTABULA -- When a team like the Geneva Eagles takes over a wrestling tournament as it did on Saturday, it can make for a long day in sports. That’s when a sportswriter has to come up with a different angle to keep his readers interested. There are only so many questions one can ask.
This is when the savvy and experience of my colleague, Karl Pearson, came into play. He mentioned that there were two girls involved in what has been strictly a boys tournament since its onset.
"I believe this is the first time there have been females in this tournament," Pearson said.
NEC Tournament director Jim Brady and several other long-time observers agreed.
So it was off MORE
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Caprock teams take district mat crowns
By Jeremy Heath 2/4/06
jeremy.heath@amarillo.com
Caprock made a clean sweep of the District 5 Wrestling Meet, taking home the boys and girls titles in front of about 600 on Friday at the Caprock Activity Center.
Twenty years removed from their last state title, the Caprock boys racked up 213 points and advanced 10 wrestlers to next weekend's Region I Meet at El Paso Bowie. The two-time defending state champion Lady Longhorns racked up 150 points and advanced 11 to the regional tournament. The top two finishers in each weight class advance to regionals.
"It's fulfilling because we spend so much time working with both groups," Caprock coach Scott Tankersley said. "It takes everybody working together to make something like this happen. I'm speechless."
The Amarillo High boys finished second (162 points), Tascosa was third (134), and Palo Duro was fourth (126). The Tascosa girls finished second (85), AHS was third (72), and PD was fourth (52).
On the boys side, the 135-pound final proved to be a thriller. Tascosa's Collin Brown and Caprock's Chris Brown squared off in a rematch of last year's regional final - a match in which Collin Brown held off Chris Brown for the win.
This time, it was Chris Brown who would leave the gym with bragging rights. Collin Brown had a 6-1 lead midway through the second period, but Chris Brown closed to within 6-5 at the end of the period. Chris Brown tied it at 6-6 in the third when Collin Brown was called for an illegal hold. Collin Brown allowed an escape with 34 seconds left, electing to go for the takedown rather than give up the escape late. Collin Brown took a shot with 15 seconds left, but Chris Brown got him turned over and picked up the pin with 11 second remaining.
On the girls side, it was the 102-pound final that had the crowd on its feet. Caprock's Lisa Martinez took a 4-1 lead into the final period against Amarillo High's Bethany Courkamp. Courkamp fought back to tie it at 5-5 at the end of regulation. Both wrestlers battled for position for the first half of the one-minute, sudden-death overtime period before Martinez was able to work her way around behind Courkamp for the takedown and the 7-5 win.
District 5 Wrestling Meet
Girls
Team Standings
1. Caprock 150. 2. Tascosa 85. 3. AHS 72. 4. PD 52.
Regional Qualifiers
95: 1. Erin Ramon, CHS. 2. Toni Cortez, AHS. 102: 1. Lisa Martinez, CHS. 2. Bethany Courkamp, AHS. 110: 1. Angel Diaz, THS. 2. Daffney Barbosa, CHS. 119: 1. Chelsea Colarelli, CHS. 2. Whitney White, AHS. 128: 1. Brandi Kenyon, PD. 2. Jamie Overton, CHS. 138: 1. Stephanea Hignight, CHS. 2. Sarah Alpar, THS. 148: 1. Maci Alvarado, CHS. 2. Tyra Taylor, THS. 165: 1. Kayla Reed, THS. 2. Tara Mayez, CHS. 185: 1. Marissa Schrepel, THS. 2. Mercedes Gonzalez, Caprock. 215: 1. Claudia Cera, CHS. 2. Marchay Coffey, AHS.
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