News Page
Season had its share of highlights, standouts
The Times-Tribune 02/21/2006
Girls on the mat
At Montrose on March 19, the seventh annual Pennsylvania Girls Wrestling State Championships Open will be held. Weigh-ins and registration are scheduled for 7 to 9 a.m., with wrestling to follow at 10.
The United States Girls Wrestling Association offers competition to any female wrestler age 5 and over. There are four divisions: Elementary School (grades K-5), Middle School (grades 6-8), High School (grades 9-12) and Women’s Collegiate Open (any female age 18 and over).
The following Saturday, March 25, Jersey Shore High School will host the sixth annual Colonial States Championships.
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Olympic women wrestlers from USA and China to hold feature matches at Arnold Wrestling Challenge in Columbus, Ohio, March 4
Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
02/21/2006
In addition to top youth wrestling competitions already announced, there will be special exhibition matches between world-class women wrestlers from the United States and China as part of the first annual Arnold Wrestling Challenge, set for March 3-5 in Columbus, Ohio.
Two U.S. women wrestlers who won medals at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece, silver medalist Sara McMann (Iowa City, Iowa/Sunkist Kids) and bronze medalist Patricia Miranda (New Haven, Conn./Sunkist Kids), will take part in the series of exhibition matches.
McMann will compete against Xu Haiyan, the 2002 Asian Games champion. Xu, who is 21 years old, was fourth at the 2002 World Championships, and a bronze medalist at the 2002 World University Championships. These athletes compete at 62 kg/138.75 lbs.
In addition to her Olympic medal, McMann was a 2003 World silver medalist and a 2005 World bronze medalist. McMann, who is 25 years old, won a gold medal at the 2003 Pan American Games, and boasts four U.S. Nationals titles during her career.
Miranda.will battle Ren Xuecheng, the 2005 World Champion at 48 kg/105.5 lbs. Ren, who is 20 years old, was also a 2005 Asian Championships gold medalist.
In addition to her Olympic medal, Miranda was a 2000 World silver medalist and a 2003 World silver medalist. Miranda, who is 26 years old, also won a gold medal at the 2003 Pan American Championships, and has captured three U.S. Nationals titles during her career. She is currently attending Yale Law School, and returned to the mats this year after over a year away from the sport.
There will be a number of matches between the women wrestlers, all scheduled during the day on Saturday, March 4. Approximate times for the exhibition matches are 11:00 am, 4:00 pm and 6:00 pm (exact times subject to change).
The two Chinese athletes in the special matches are part of a team of top Chinese women wrestlers who are coming to the United States for joint training with the U.S. women’s national team. These are among the most powerful women’s wrestling nations in the world, as China placed second and the United States placed third at the 2005 World Wrestling Championships in women’s freestyle wrestling.
The First Annual Arnold Wrestling Challenge is part of the multi-sport Arnold Sports Festival, held March 3-5 at the Greater Columbus Convention Center. The wrestling event will feature the USA Wrestling Ultimate Challenge Series for wrestlers between 9 and 15 years of age and the USGWA Wrestling Challenge for females, elementary school through college age.
In addition, a series of other special wrestling opportunities will be presented during the weekend.
Clinics will highlight the Arnold Wrestling Challenge. They will include technique clinics by Olympic Gold Medalist Rulon Gardner. Gardner won a gold medal in Greco-Roman at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia, and added a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece.
Motivational clinics will be presented by Dr. Chris Stankovich, champion athletic consultant, and Kyle Maynard, author of “No Excuses.” Maynard has received tremendous national publicity for the sport of wrestling based upon his ability to compete in wrestling in spite of having congenital amputation, a rare condition where he was born with no limbs below the elbows and knees.
On Sunday morning, from approximately 11:00 to 11:30 am, Miranda, McMann and several of the Chinese women’s wrestlers will give a short technique clinic prior to the start of the women’s competition.
The Rotary Club of Columbus will award two $1,000 college scholarships, one each to the top boy and girl wrestler. The top six wrestlers in each weight class will also win awards.
To Register & Volunteer
Forms are available online at www.arnoldsportsfestival.com, click on “wrestling”.
Wrestlers competing in the Arnold Wrestling Challenge will have access to all Arnold Fitness EXPO events with their paid event entry fee. Parents and wrestling fans will be charged $10 for EXPO tickets, which also includes access to all Arnold Fitness EXPO events. Tickets are available at the Columbus Convention Center the day of the event or at Ticketmaster at (614) 431-3600.
For more information visit the following websites:
www.arnoldsportsfestival.com
www.arnoldclassic.com
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Men and women USOEC wrestlers compete at Olympic Challenge in Marquette, Mich., Feb. 20 Erin Phipps USA Wrestling
02/22/2006
Wrestlers from the United States Olympic Education Center (USOEC) at Northern Michigan Univ. recently competed in the 2nd Annual Olympic Challenge - International Edition on Feb. 20 at the Superior Dome in Marquette, Mich.
The tournament featured matches between the USOEC women’s freestyle team and the Czech Republic, as well as matches between the USOEC men’s Greco-Roman team and the U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program.
The USOEC women’s team dominated the wrestlers from the Czech Republic, winning four of the five matches.
At 48 kg/105.5 lbs., Liz Short (Lombard, Ill./USOEC) was defeated by Eva Krejsova, 0-1, 1-0,1-0.
At 59 kg/103 lbs., Sharon Jacobson (El Cajon, Calif./USOEC/Gator WC), ranked No. 5 on Women’s Team USA, defeated Martina Zyklova, 2-2, 2-3, 4-2. In 2004, Zyklova placed seventh in the European Championships and placed sixth at the Junior World Championships in 2003.
At 55 kg/121 lbs., Amy Borgnini (Terre Haute, Ind./USOEC) battled Sarka Andriova. Borgnini, who is ranked sixth on Women’s Team USA, won the bout 1-0, 4-3. Andriova placed ninth in the 2005 European Championships.
In the 72 kg/158.5 lbs. bout, Randi Miller (Arlington, Texas/USOEC) had the only pin of the night, taking down Nina Sklenkova in the third period. Miller ranks No. 4 on Women’s Team USA and Sklenkova previously placed second in the 2002 European Cadet Championships and sixth in the 2004 European Junior Championships.
In the featured women’s match of the night, the No. 2 wrestler on Women’s Team USA, Mary Kelly (Mahomet, Ill./USOEC/New York AC) faced Lenka Martinakova. Kelly, who has medaled on the Cadet, Junior and University levels, defeated Martinakova, 2-0, 4-1.
The U.S. Army team, based in Fort Carson, Colorado, boasts some of the top ranking wrestlers in the country. The Army team had a strong showing in the men’s Greco-Roman wrestling, winning five of the six matches.
In the first match at 96 kg/211.5 lbs., Adam Wheeler (Lancaster, Calif./USOEC/Gator WC) defeated Albert Sankey by disqualification. Wheeler currently is ranked No. 2 on Greco-Roman Team USA and placed second in the U.S. Nationals and World Team Trials in 2005. Sankey is currently ranked sixth on Greco-Roman Team USA.
At 55 kg/121 lbs., Jermaine Hodge defeated Spenser Mango (Flourissant, Mo./USOEC), who is ranked No. 5 on Greco-Roman Team USA, 6-4, 4-1.
There were two matches in the 74 kg/163 lbs. weight class. The first was a battle between Jess Hargrave and Jake Fisher (Platte City, Mo./USOEC), who currently ranks No. 4 on Greco-Roman Team USA. Hargrave defeated Fisher by disqualification with a third caution in the final period.
In the second match in the same weight, Brandon McNab stopped Cheney Haight (Orem, Utah/USOEC/New York AC), 2-1, 1-1.
At 84 kg/185 lbs., Aaron Sieracki defeated Chas Betts (St. Michael, Minn./USOEC/Minnesota Storm), 3-0, 3-0. Sieracki has an impressive record with the Army World Class Athlete Program, winning several Armed Forces Championships. Betts is ranked No. 6 on Greco-Roman Team USA.
The feature Greco-Roman bout of the night was a battle between Wheeler and Phil Johnston at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. Johnston, ranked No. 4 on Greco-Roman Team USA, defeated Wheeler, 3-3, 3-1.
The USOEC Olympic Challenge served not only as an opportunity for international competition for the athletes this year, but also as a fund raiser for the families of two of Northern Michigan’s own—Toni Copeland, a USOEC athlete, and Cass Huckabee, a student at Northern Michigan Univ. Both drowned last fall in Lake Superior.
Other USOEC sports that competed in the Olympic Challenge include boxing and weightlifting. The boxing team competed against a team from Canada, while the weightlifting team participated in an intrasquad competition.
Olympic Challenge – International Edition Results
Men's Greco-Roman
96 kg/211.5 lbs.- Adam Wheeler (Lancaster, Calif./USOEC/Gator WC) by disq. over Albert Sankey (U.S. Army) 4-0, disq.
55 kg/121 lbs.- Jermaine Hodge (U.S. Army) dec. Spenser Mango (Flourissant, Mo./USOEC/Gator WC) 6-4, 4-1
74 kg/163 lbs.- Jess Hargrave (U.S. Army) by dis. over Jake Fisher (Platte City, Mo./USOEC) 4-0, 1-1, disq.
74 kg/163 lbs.- Brandon McNab (U.S. Army) dec. Cheney Haight (Orem, Utah/USOEC/New York AC) 2-1, 1-1
84 kg/185 lbs.- Aaron Sieracki (U.S. Army) dec. Chas Betts (St. Michael, Minn./USOEC/Minnesota Storm) 3-0, 3-0
Featured Match
96 kg/211.5 lbs.- Phil Johnston (U.S. Army) dec. Adam Wheeler (Lancaster, Calif./USOEC/Gator WC) 3-3, 3-1
Women's Freestyle
48 kg/105.5 lbs. – Eva Krejsova (Czech Republic) dec. Liz Short (Lombard, Ill./USOEC) 0-1, 1-0, 1-0
59 kg/130 lbs. – Sharon Jacobson (El Cajon, Calif./USOEC/Gator WC) dec. Martina Zyklova (Czech Republic) 2-2, 2-3, 4-2
55 kg/121 lbs. – Amy Borgnini, (Terre Haute, Ind./USOEC) dec. Sarka Andrlova (Czech Republic) 1-0, 4-3
72 kg/158.5 lbs. – Randi Miller (Arlington, Texas/USOEC) dec. Nina Sklenkova (Czech Republic) 2-0, 0-1, Fall 1:30
Featured Match
51 kg/112.25 lbs. – Mary Kelly (Mahomet, Ill./USOEC/New York AC) dec. Lenka Martinakova (Czech Republic) 2-0, 4-1
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Lampe legacy continues to grow
By Tom Colstad
Tomahawk Leader Sports Reporter
In August 2002, two wiry freshmen siblings, Alyssa and Anthony Lampe, began their Tomahawk High School athletic careers. Now, almost four years later, the pair has made an indelible mark in the annals of Hatchet sports history. The Lampes have so far earned a combined total of 21 varsity letters, (cross country, wrestling and track and field), 13 All-Lumberjack Conference first team honors, an individual state championship and a state team trophy. They accomplished a truly remarkable feat last year by both qualifying for three different WIAA state tournaments. Alyssa was a member of the 2004 D2 state champion girls' cross country team, while Anthony helped the Hatchet boys' harrier squad take third place at the state meet. In February 2005, the Lampes earned berths at the state individual wrestling tournament in Madison and became the first-ever brother-sister pair to do that. For Alyssa, it was her second consecutive trip to the "big dance," while Anthony went on to take fourth place among D2 119-pounders. At the WIAA state track and field meet in La Crosse in June, Anthony became the first Tomahawk male athlete to capture a state track title in more than 40 years as he won the 800m run. Alyssa qualified for the state meet in the pole vault and placed eighth overall. Both set school records in their respective events. After they won WIAA Division 2 sectional wrestling titles Saturday at 103 and 112 pounds, respectively, Alyssa and Anthony are on pace to duplicate and possibly improve upon their 2005 record. Alyssa added to her resume' with her sectional victory as she became the first female in WIAA history to ever win a championship at the sectional level. According to Hatchet wrestling coach/sports historian Bob Skubal, no Tomahawk athlete had ever qualified for three state competitions in a school year, let alone two from the same family.
Alyssa has been a "shooting star" in the media since February 2004, when, as a sophomore, she became the first-ever female to qualify for the WIAA state individual wrestling tournament. She added to her notoriety at that event by winning her first match, which nearly brought down the house at UW-Madison's Kohl Center. Lampe also demonstrated her poise, grace and humility as she fielded reporters' questions at a subsequent news conference. Her success in the male-dominated sport of wrestling undoubtedly inspired scores of young girls to give wrestling a try, especially in the Tomahawk area. She doesn't see herself as a role model for female athletes, however. Alyssa stresses that anyone can achieve his/her goals if he/she is willing to work hard and not worry about the pain. "I usually get to the weight room at 5:30 a.m. and lift until 7:30 a.m.," said Alyssa. "After wrestling practice is over, I run for about a half hour."
Although she is best known for her exploits on the wrestling mat, where she has won more than 130 times, Alyssa's fondest high school sports moment came as a member of the Lady Hatchet cross country team that won the state championship in 2004. She quickly added, though, that her goal at this time is to win the D2 103-pound championship at the state wrestling tourney Saturday. In addition, she hopes to return to La Crosse in June and win the pole vault competition at the state track meet.
Her success in wrestling has drawn attention from several colleges and universities, as well as United States Olympic women's wrestling coaches. "I plan to wrestle in college and hope to compete in the 2008 Olympics but haven't committed to anyone, yet," she said. "I will explore my options after the state wrestling meet. Right now, I am focusing on that."
While his sister is in the spotlight, Anthony finds himself in the background more often than not. "Alyssa gets most of the media attention, especially in wrestling," said Anthony. "That's OK with me. I get overlooked lurking in the shadows, can sneak up on people and catch them by surprise." "My dad (Jeff) got me started in wrestling when I was in kindergarten in Fairbanks, Alaska," Anthony shared. "I was small for my age and wrestling was a good fit. My sister became my wrestling partner at that time. "Dad was a wrestler at Tomahawk," continued Anthony. "My parents (Jeff and Judy) took me and Alyssa to tournaments nearly every weekend when we were little. They still go to all of the meets we compete in. I want to make two more appearances at state tournaments this year," he commented. "I'd like to take first place at 112 pounds Saturday and defend my 800m championship at the state track meet. The highlights of my Hatchet athletic career were winning the 800m run at state and beating Jake Madigan, from Lodi, to get into the semis at the state wrestling tournament last year," he remarked. "I'd like to be remembered here in Tomahawk as a great wrestler."
Although wrestling is his favorite sport, Anthony plans to run middle distance in track at UW-Eau Claire, UW-Stevens Point, La Crosse or Oshkosh. Sports will probably always be a part of the Lampes' lives, as Anthony and Alyssa both expressed a desire to be a coach some day.
While the Lampe duo has enjoyed tremendous success in the high school sports arena, they remain humble and appreciative of all the support they've received along the way. They give credit to their family, coaches and teammates for giving them the opportunity, guidance and motivation to achieve lofty goals. As their Hatchet careers near completion, I'd like to wish Alyssa and Anthony "Good luck" at the state wrestling tournament Friday and Saturday in Madison and thank them for four-years-worth of wonderful stories and memories. May they always be "winners."
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Eight Bucs heading to Huntington
BY MATT FUCHS 2/20/06
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Photos by Matt Fuchs |
LEWIS COUNTY — Thirteen Buckhannon-Upshur High School wrestlers entered Lewis County High School on Saturday afternoon, carrying with them hopes of making states.
For eight of those wrestlers, those hopes turned into reality — while four can now call themselves regional champions.
By placing in the top four of their weight classes — Robbie Cogar, Brittany Woodall, Brock Hyre, Lucas Ziems, William King, George Lavis, Brandon Day and Shane Reed are all Huntington bound for the state competition, which will range from Thursday to Saturday. Cogar, Woodall, King and Reed will head there as regional champions.
“We were hoping for more champions,” B-UHS coach JP Tenney said. “But we were only favored to get three with how we were seeded. So, any time you get more than you are supposed to, it’s been a pretty good day.”
Tenney continued, “Hopefully, those guys will be celebrating today, and then come back Monday and get down to business.”
Of the four B-UHS Buccaneers to win championships at the regional meet, which brought together eight teams from across West Virginia, three were favored to do so as number one seeds.
Cogar, Woodall and King all used that ranking to their advantages — notching the two wins necessary to make turn themselves into champs.
Following his first round bye in the 103-pound weight class, Cogar won by technical fall over Greenbrier East’s Zachary Larkins at 5:45 to advance to the finals. In the finals, Cogar was matched-up against Woodrow Wilson’s Chris Sodosky — who started off giving the B-U wrestler a run for his money — tying things up at 2-2 early on.
“After it was tied up 2-2 in the first period, I wasn’t too sure about what to expect,” Cogar said. “But then he started to get tired, and I was able to start picking up points, and finally to pin him.”
Cogar’s pin came at 2:32, and ran his record to 21-7 in the process.
Like Cogar, Woodall was also a number one seed heading into the regional tournament. She began her day at the 112-pound weight class by pinning Nicholas County’s Marcus Evans at: 39 in the tournament’s second round — advancing to the finals in the process. And while things got a bit tougher for Woodall in the championship round — she came back from a 4-6 deficit in the first period to take an 8-6 lead in the second. Woodall was then able to hold on for a 10-8 win over Evans — punching her ticket to states, and taking her 30-11 record with her.
With Cogar and Woodall coming before him, King, the third top-seeded Buccaneer, made it a tri-fecta for Buckhannon, as he ran the table on his opponents — pinning both on the way to the 140-pound weight class title.
Following his first-round bye, King racked up his first win over Robert C. Byrd’s Seth Cano — pinning the Golden Eagle at 4:54 to advance to the championship round. In the finals, King ran his record to 25-13 — pinning Lewis County’s Andy Blake at 1:52.
“I was pretty confident, and got myself pretty fired up for the match,” King said. “(Blake) was pretty aggressive though, so I knew that I had to get him on his back. Once I did that, I was able to pick up some back points on him, and eventually get the pin.”
King continued, “The key was to stay in my stance and to stay low. I knew that he was quick, and a little bit stronger than I am — but I knew I could do it.”
The fourth Buccaneer to come away from Lewis County a regional champion, Reed, was the biggest surprise of the afternoon for the team. Reed’s 11-6 record in the 189-pound division heading into the tournament did not garner him the first-round bye that his teammates were granted — and as such, the B-U wrestler had a slightly longer road ahead of him. Yet, it was a road that Reed took by force; first knocking off Woodrow Wilson’s Chris Tyree by pinfall at 3:05, before outlasting Robert C. Byrd’s Nate Romano 11-9 in the semi-finals. In the championship round, a patient Reed notched a single point over Romano in the second period — before keeping the Golden Eagle at bay the rest of the way to pick up his title 1-0.
The eight Buccaneers advancing to states will now have three practices to get into top form before their trip to Huntington — and will do so by preparing in a slightly different way than they are used to.
“We have a system that we run heading into states,” Tenney said. “We will turn things over to the kids more for the technique stuff — we’ll let them work on the favorite takedowns and things like that.”
Despite letting the kids get more comfortable with their moves before states, some nerves may not be soothed before the Buccaneers take to the mats on Thursday and Friday.
“William (King) has already been to states as a sophomore, so he has that experience under his belt,” Tenney said. “But a first-timer like Robbie (Cogar) will probably walk in there like most freshman — wide eyed. But Robbie is a pretty tough young man, so I think that he has a pretty good chance to place.”
Added Cogar, “I’m going to step it up and work harder. I’m actually kind of nervous about practice. Everybody keeps telling me how hard it is going to be, so I’m not really sure what to expect. Hopefully I’ll be able to place though, that would be a nice thing to do as a freshman.”
Wide-eyed or grizzled veterans, Tenney has high hopes for his eight state-bound Bucs.
“You never really know what is going to happen until you get down there,” Tenney said. “Sometimes kids will surprise you— I know that I’ve been proven wrong in the past. Especially the seniors, they really have a tendency to step it up, because they know that it is their last chance to wrestle at this level.”
Tenney continued, “I anticipate us doing better in states than we did today at regionals. Top wrestlers really show up when the pressure is on at states, and I think that the kids we are sending are those types of wrestlers.”
Team Standings
Place Team Points 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th
1 Bridgeport 210 4 1 3 3 2 1
2 Lewis County 188 3 3 1 2 2 2
3 B-UHS 171.50 4 1 1 2 1 3
4 (t)Greenbrier E. 157 0 5 4 0 0 1
4 (t)RCB 157 3 0 3 1 4 1
6 Elkins 95 0 2 0 2 3 2
7 Nicholas 86 0 0 2 3 1 2
8 Woodrow Wilson 55.5 0 2 0 1 1 0
Weight class placers
103 pounds
1 Robbie Cogar (BU)
2 Chris Sodosky (WW)
3 Zachary Larkins (GE)
4 Corbin Householder (BHS)
5 Amy Haveron (ELK)
6 Ben Crim (LC)
112 pounds
1 Brittany Woodall (BU)
2 Franklin Godby (GE)
3 Will Brunswick (BHS)
4 Marcus Evans (NC)
5 Zack Smailes (LC)
6 Elizabeth Elza (ELK)
119 pounds
1 Nick Sellas (BHS)
2 Chris Swisher (ELK)
3 Brian White (RCB)
4 Lucas Ziems (BU)
5 Tyler Peters (LC)
6 Eddie Stacks (GE)
125 pounds
1 Zane Satterfield (RCB)
2 Josh Fox (GE)
3 Mike Tallamy (NC)
4 Brandon Smith (BHS)
5 Michael Sfameni (ELK)
6 Levi Bender (BU)
130 pounds
1 Heath Haws (BHS)
2 Andrew Troche (WW)
3 Brock Hyre (BU)
4 Josh Masters (ELK)
5 Turner Ward (RCB)
6 Kyle Butcher (LC)
135 pounds
1 Derek Satterfield (RCB)
2 Delton Webb (GE)
3 Adam Alton (LC)
4 Chris Eltza (ELK)
5 Matt Lucas (NC)
6 TJ Coakley (BHS)
140 pounds
1 William King (BU)
2 Andy Blake (LC)
3 Robbie Brunswick (BHS)
4 Seth Cano (RCB)
5 Clinton Hart (ELK)
6 Josh Mullens (NC)
145 pounds
1 Jeremy McCarty (LC)
2 George Lavis (BU)
3 James Hefner (GE)
4 Ryan Love (NC)
5 Tyler Harclerode (BHS)
6 Aleksander Belyayev (RCB)
152 pounds
1 Cody Johnson (LC)
2 Charles Early (GE)
3 Zack Wright (BHS)
4 Brandon Day (BU)
5 Logan Somosko (RCB)
6 Josh Whitby (ELK)
160 pounds
1 JJ Mayer (RCB)
2 JR Kerns (LC)
3 Dexter Johnson (GE)
4 Matt Mabery (WW)
5 Michael Keeble (BHS)
6 Bye
171 pounds
1 Kyle Pickens (LC)
2 Nathan Patton (GE)
3 Caz Holyfield (RCB)
4 Corey Leonard (BHS)
5 Jacob Mills (BU)
6 Bye
189 pounds
1 Shane Reed (BU)
2 Aaron Echard (BHS)
3 Nate Romano (RCB)
4 Eric Holmes (LC)
5 Chris Tyree (WW)
6 JD Keiffer (NC)
215 pounds
1 Daniel Hill (BHS)
2 Joe Jenkins (LC)
3 Joshua Smith (GE)
4 Adam Bryant (NC)
5 Mike Secret (RCB)
6 Daniel Dilworth (BU)
Heavyweight
1 Adam Queen (BHS)
2 Josh Mallow (ELK)
3 Carl Johnson (NC)
4 Josh Foster (LC)
5 Travis Coleman (RCB)
6 TJ Strader (BU)
Individual B-UHS Performances
Robbie Cogar (2-0) 103 lbs. —
The top seed in the 103-pound bracket, Cogar made good on that standing — running the table for a regional championship. Following a first-round bye, Cogar pinned Greenbrier East’s Zachary Larkins in the tournament’s second round at 1:23. The B-U wrestler then went on to pin Woodrow Wilson’s Chris Sodosky at 5:45 in the championship match-up.
Brittany Woodall (2-0) 112 lbs. —
Also a top seed in her division, Woodall remained perfect through her three matches to earn her regional championship. After a bye in the tournament’s first round, Woodall won a 12-5 decision over Nicholas County’s Marcus Evans in the second round, and then went on to eek out a 10-8 decision over Greenbrier East’s Franklin Godby in the championship round.
Lucas Ziems (2-1) 119 lbs. —
Ziems began his regional tournament by squaring off against Eddie Stacks of Greenbrier East. Ziems pulled out a 9-4 decision over Stacks to advance to the next round, where the B-U grappler would lose by pinfall at 4:53 to Bridgeport’s Nick Sellas (the eventual 119-pound champion). The loss bumped Ziems into the consolation bracket, where he pinned Lewis County’s Tyler Peters at 2:50, before losing to RCB’s Brian White —by pinfall, at 2:19. The finish earned Ziems fourth place in the division, and a trip to states.
Levi Bender (1-2) 125 lbs. —
Bender lost his opening regional match to eventual 125-pound champion Zane Satterfield of RCB in an 8-0 major decision. Upon moving to the consolation bracket, Bender pinned Lewis County’s Jack Haygurst at 3:53, before losing to Nicholas’ Mike Tallamy (the eventual third place finisher) by way of pinfall, at 2:34. Bender finished sixth in the division.
Brock Hyre (3-1) 130 lbs. —
Hyre started off the tournament with a first round win over RCB’s Turner Ward — taking a 6-0 decision over the Golden Eagle. Hyre then moved on to face Heath Haws of Bridgeport — losing a 9-0 major decision to the eventual division champion. After bumping down to the consolation bracket, Hyre resumed his winning ways — first pinning Lewis County’s Kyle Butcher at 3:31, before winning by pinfall over Elkins’ Josh Masters in his next match at 1:12. The win over Masters garnered Hyre third place in the weight class and a trip to the state meet.
Marshall Newbrough (0-2) 135 lbs. —
Newbrough had a rough go of the regional tournament. He lost his opening round match to Greenbrier East’s Dalton Webb (the eventual second place finisher) by pinfall at 1:24. Moving into the consolation bracket, Newbrough’s tough luck continued, as he again lost by pinfall, this time to Bridgeport’s TJ Coakley at 1:49.
William King (2-0) 140 lbs. —
Another top seed, King also took advantage of his bracket — going 3-0 on his way to the 140-pound championship. Following a first round bye, King pinned RCB’s Seth Cano at 1:20 to move into the championship round. It was there, that King picked up his second pin of the regional tournament — over Lewis County’s Andy Blake at 1:52.
George Lavis (1-1) 145 lbs. —
Lavis, who had been battling sickness all week, received a first round bye thanks to his 36-5 record coming into the regional tournament. Once the B-U wrestler took to the mat though, it was back to business as usual against Greenbrier East’s James Hefner — who Lavis pinned at 3:09 to advance to the division’s championship. But, it was in that championship that the drain of the week might have caught up with Lavis, as he lost a 11-5 decision to Lewis County’s Jeremy McCarty. The second place finish still earned Lavis a trip to state competition.
Brandon Day (2-2) 152 lbs. —
Day started his regional tournament off right, picking up his first win by pinfall over Elkins’ Josh Whitby at 1:10. However, Day suffered a setback in the second round, falling victim to a pin himself, at the hands of Greenbrier East’s Charles Early (the eventual second place finisher). Moving into the consolation bracket, Day got back on track with a 12-5 major decision win over RCB’s Logan Somosko. Yet, in the next round, Day again faultered, this time losing by pinfall at :31 to third place finisher Zack Wright of Bridgeport. Still, finishing fourth in the 152-pound division has earned Day a trip to states.
Jacob Mills (0-1) 171 lbs. —
Despite wrestling in only one match — and losing by pinfall at :52 to RCB’s Caz Holyfield — Mills still gained fifth place honors in the 171-pound division thanks to unfilled slots that led to two byes for the B-U wrestler.
Shane Reed (3-0) 189 lbs. —
With an 11-6 record heading into the regional meet, Reed was stacked up against stiff competition in the 189-pound division. Yet fight he did, all the way to a regional championship. Reed first took on Woodrow Wilson’s Chris Tyree in the tournament’s opening round — but came away with a pin of Tyree at 3:05. Reed next squared off against RCB’s Nate Romano, and held on to win an 11-9 decision that sent the B-UHS grappler onto the championship round. In the final, a patient Reed held off Bridgeport’s Aaron Echard to come away with a 1-0 decision and a trip to states.
Daniel Dilworth (1-2) 215 pounds —
An opening round loss by pinfall at 2:23 to eventual second place finisher Joe Jenkins of Lewis County pushed Dilworth into the consolation bracket early. Once there, the Buccaneer took a 13-6 decision over Elkins’ RW Davis. However, in his next match, against Nicholas County’s Adam Bryant, Dilworth was unable to advance — losing an 8-1 decision to the Grizzly — and finishing sixth in the bracket.
TJ Strader (1-3) Heavyweight
Strader began his regional tournament by taking to the mat against Lewis County’s Josh Foster — a match-up that ended with Foster pinning the Buckhannon grappler at 1:51 — sending Strader into the consolation bracket. In his next match, Strader got things going with a pin at 4:28 over Woodrow Wilson’s Nick Gwinn, but then suffered another setback against Nicholas’ Carl Johnson — losing an 8-0 decision. The loss sent Strader on to square off against RCB’s Travis Coleman, but again Strader ended up on the wrong side of a decision — this time a 10-0 major decision loss to finish sixth in the heavyweight division.
West Virginia State High School Wrestling Tournament 112 Bracket
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Outstanding Wrestlers of the Week
Firen, Kelby, Reid
Firen, Kelby and Reid proved that "Summer Wrestling Makes Winter Champions" All three made the podium at the Regional Championships. Firen and Kelby qualified for the state tournament and Reid is going as an alternate. Good Luck at State!
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Wrestling
Another 1st for Woody: Finishing 2nd in county
Girls athlete of the week
Originally published February 22, 2006
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Nicole Woody |
Arundel sophomore Nicole Woody placed second in the 103-pound class of the Anne Arundel County wrestling tournament over the weekend, helping the Wildcats to a fourth-place finish. The first girl in Maryland history to reach a county or district tournament final, Woody lost a 5-3 decision to Severna Park's Marcus Monroe in the finals, but will take a 26-6 record into this weekend's Class 4A-3A East regional tournament.
Earlier in the season, she became the first Maryland girl to win a high school tournament when she captured the Delmarva Classic at Wicomico High. Firsts are nothing new to Woody. Last season, she took fourth place in the regional tournament to become the first girl in Maryland to qualify for the state tournament.
Woody, 17, maintains a 4.19 grade point average and is on pace to have enough credits to graduate in the spring of 2007.
Others considered: Kandice Green, St. Frances, basketball; Liz McCarter, Mount Hebron, indoor track; Michelle Donadio, Franklin, indoor track.
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By Pat O'Malley
Sun Reporter
Originally published February 22, 2006
Sophomores Bubby Graham (145 pounds) of Annapolis and Arundel's Nicole Woody (103), who were first and second, respectively, in their weight classes at last weekend's Anne Arundel County tournament, and Progressive Christian's home-schooled wrestlers, David Putnam (103), a freshman, and Logan Putnam (135), a junior, are all first cousins. David and Logan, Annapolis residents, each placed fifth at last weekend's Maryland private schools tournament.
Nicole's mother, Mary Woody, 52, the Putnam's mother, Page, 51, and Graham's father, David, 46, are the second-, third- and sixth-born siblings out of 10 - five each in boys and girls. The siblings attended Southern, where all five boys wrestled. David's older son, Ben Graham, a 2004 graduate of Annapolis, was a three-time state finalist and a state champ.
