News Page
Oh, brother - Hovermale has a sister
by ANDY MASON Sunday December 17, 2006
andrewm@herald-mail.com
SMITHSBURG - Perhaps the only thing worse than having to wrestle Smithsburg senior Justin Hovermale this season is having to wrestle his freshman sister, Monica Hovermale.
"That's almost one of the worst things that can happen - to get beat by a girl," Justin Hovermale said, smiling. "I feel sorry for the guys she wrestles."
The Hovermales each went 2-0 Saturday as host Smithsburg split its tri-meet with South Hagerstown and Walkersville. The Leopards walloped the Rebels 66-18 in an MVAL Antietam match and fell 46-27 to the unbeaten Lions in nonconference action. Walkersville (11-0) beat winless South 59-24 in the other match.
Monica Hovermale, a 103-pounder, improved to 6-4 with wins by pin and forfeit.
"She's good," her brother said. "But she wrestles even better against me at home. We beat each other up every once in a while. She'll put up a fight, but I'm too old and heavy for her."
Justin Hovermale, a 152-pounder, is lighter than he was last season, when he was the Washington County champ at 160.
"I feel faster," he said. "And now that I'm at a lower weight class, I feel stronger."
Hovermale's on a mission after last season's huge disappointment. He went into the Maryland 2A-1A West tournament as the region's top seed at 160, but failed to place in the top four to qualify for states.
"Huge can't even describe how bad that was for me," he said. "I'm just trying to come back this year and prove to everybody that I can go to states and wrestle well the whole season and not stop at regionals like I have the past three years."
Hovermale had two pins Saturday to improve to 8-0 on the season. Brandon Knight (145) - Smithsburg's lone representative at states last season - and Alex Akers (160) also had a pair of pins each, while Jeremy Harbaugh (189) also went 2-0 for Smithsburg (3-1, 2-0).
After squeaking by Middletown 36-35 and Brunswick 40-37 to begin their dual-meet season, the Leopards' luck ran out against Walkersville.
"It's always disappointing to lose a match, but we hung with them," Smithsburg coach Joe Dietrich said.
Back-to-back bouts at 125 and 130 were critical.
James Reilley - last season's county champ at 119 - lost a 1-0 heartbreaker to Walkersville's Ty White at 130, one bout after Smithsburg's Wes McKenen lost by injury default to Paul Bell. McKenen led 5-0 in the first period before suffering a shoulder injury.
"I heard a crack. I tried to continue, but I couldn't do anything," McKenen said. "I'm going to go get it checked out. I just hope it's not too bad."
Seniors Derick Boerstler (125) and Chris Bell (285) each went 2-0 for South (0-6, 0-5).
"We have a lot of talent," Bell said. "I hope we can turn this around."
Bell, in his first day of action this season, needed only 65 total seconds to pin both of his opponents and remain unbeaten for his career. He went 10-0 in limited action during his first year of wrestling last season.
"I got injured and overweight last season," Bell said. "It felt good to finally break into them today. I've been pretty anxious."
Chris Stauffer (112), C.J. Cotterman (119), Ty White (130), Zack White (135), Luke Milyard (140), Jordan Walsh (171) and Tim Wheatley (215) each went 2-0 and combined for 10 pins for Walkersville.
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Pennsylvanians Dominate Tourney
By MATTHEW WAKEFIELD 12/17/06
12/17/2006 - FREDONIA — Each year at the Southern Tier Wrestling Officials Association Tournament area wrestlers are reminded — just in case they forgot — how strong the programs are in Pennsylvania.
This year was certainly no different.
Pennsylvania teams finished first and third in the final team standings; provided 11 of the 15 individual champions; and had one of their own named Most Outstanding Wrestler in Ridgway’s 145-pounder Nikko Leitzel.
In other words, they were dominant.
Some of the area’s top wrestlers got a good look at the Pennsylvanians in the championship matches Saturday night at Fredonia State’s Steele Hall. Of the six local athletes who made it to the finals of the two-day tournament, five of them met opponents from across the border in their championship bout. Four of those five lost and the lone one to win — Southwestern’s Trevor Delahoy — won in a controversial ending that wound up costing Spencerport the team championship.
Delahoy met Spencerport’s Chris Vigliotti in the finals of the 152-pound bracket, the last match of the tournament. Vigliotti controlled the match from the start and opened up a 9-1 lead in the second period before a shove of Delahoy earned him a one-point unsportsmanlike penalty. Vigliotti continued to control the match after the penalty and appeared to have a 12-7 win wrapped up when time ran out in the final period.
As Vigliotti got up off the mat, though, he apparently hit Delahoy in the face. After the referees conferred, they disqualified Vigliotti for flagrant misconduct and awarded the match to Delahoy.
‘‘They were wrestling a little rough,’’ Southwestern coach Mark Hetrick said. ‘‘Up until then — there was a little push that he got a penalty for, but I just thought it was rough wrestling. I don’t know why it happened. The kid wrestled well and had the match in hand. I don’t know why it happened.’’
As per the rules for that type of penalty, Spencerport lost all 27.5 points that Vigliotti had earned and the team was penalized an additional three points. The 30.5 points lost cost the team the tournament title as it finished just 12.5 points behind first-place Ridgway. Spencerport coaches and fans loudly protested the call before abruptly leaving, neglecting to stick around for the post-tournament awards ceremony.
‘‘I don’t understand,’’ Hetrick said. ‘‘I think the emotions got the better of him. Usually that happens on the losing side, but this kid won. It’s a shame. It’s a shame because Spencerport is a quality program and Coach (Bill) Jacaquot is a quality coach. You hate to see something like that happen.’’
Ridgway was the beneficiary, overtaking Spencerport for the team title with a score of 228.5. Spencerport finished second with 216, followed by Dubois Area with 199. Niagara Wheatfield was fourth with 197 points and Fredonia was the top local team, finishing fifth with 176 points.
Fredonia placed three in the finals and had nine wrestlers place in all.
‘‘I’m extremely proud of the fact that we have nine place-finishers,’’ Fredonia coach Alex Conti said. ‘‘It has to be the most I’ve ever had. I’m very proud of the whole team.’’
Chris Conti, Alex’s son and a defending state champion, ran into a tough opponent in the 112-pound finals in Dubois Area’s Nick Wykoff. Wykoff scored a takedown 45 seconds into the match and rolled from there, eventually winning the match, 7-1.
‘‘He was tough,’’ Chris Conti said. ‘‘All Pennsylvania kids are tough, but I didn’t wrestle my best. I was kind of slow off the start. It was a tough tournament overall. I had to go through a lot of tough kids to get here so I’m pretty happy with how it turned out.’’
It was the third straight year Chris Conti finished as a runner-up in the tournament, including an 11-0 loss in last year’s finals.
‘‘He had a real nice tournament,’’ Alex Conti said. ‘‘He had a tough weight class with a couple state qualifiers and three state place finishers. I wasn’t extremely pleased with the finals. I felt like we could have had more offensive action and that’s something we’ve been working on. It will come together. Like I told him, he took second here last year and it worked out OK in the end.’’
At 103, Fredonia’s Michelle Quiles had her thrilling run stopped with she was pinned with just six seconds remaining in her match against Ridgway’s Garet Pisani. It was perhaps a disappointing finish, but Quiles’ runner-up finish is the best finish for a female in the tournament’s history.
‘‘A tremendous tournament,’’ Alex Conti said. ‘‘For a young lady to come in here with the caliber of wrestling that’s going on in this tournament and to have her, first of all, place, and, second of all, to beat a tough Spencerport kid to make it to the finals is just tremendous.
‘‘We knew that she was in trouble with the Ridgway kid. I was hoping she wouldn’t give up the pin and she almost made it. She battled and that’s a credit to her. I’m very proud of her.’’
Fredonia also had a runner-up finish in the 130-pound bracket where Brandon Strandburg lost to Ridgway’s Brock Leitzel, 2-0. Leitzel had a takedown late in the first period and that was all the scoring in the match.
‘‘It’s tough when people are allowed to not wrestle,’’ Alex Conti said. ‘‘I get frustrated. But we’ve got things to work on. We’ve got to get a couple more takedowns. Brandon’s tough on top but we’ve got to learn to score little things and steal points here and there. Hopefully we learn that before the end of the season and we can put to use what we’ve picked up from this tournament.’’
Four wrestlers — Ridgway’s Wyckoff and Nikko Leitzel, Warren’s David Tudor and Sharpsville’s Phil Catrucco — are repeat winners from last year. Vigliotti would have been a fifth. Despite the unfortunate ending to that match, Hetrick was happy for Delahoy.
‘‘Trevor had an auto accident last year and missed the whole season,’’ Hetrick said. ‘‘I’m really excited for him. He’s wrestled well. He’s still not in really good wrestling from yet. He’s got a lot of work to do. But this is a good tournament and he made it to the finals.’’
Among other area schools, Jamestown finished 12th, Ripley and Salamanca tied for 14th and Southwestern was 18th.
‘‘We did pretty good as a team,’’ said Jamestown coach Craig Swanson, whose top finisher was Anthony Nary with a third at 275. ‘‘It’s a tough tournament with 37 teams. We did a little bit better than what I had anticipated. I was pleased with their performance.’’
At 119, Salamanca’s Matt Metzler finished in second place for the second straight year when he fell to Dubois Area’s Ethan Swope, 1-0. Swope earned the match’s only point with an escape with 35 seconds left.
‘‘This was my first real competition of the year and it was kind of tough getting into it,’’ Metzler said. ‘‘I just couldn’t open that kid up at the end, but it’s a good start to the year.’’
In the 125-pound final, Ripley’s Trent Johnson lost to Mark Lewandowksi of Lancaster, 11-1.
‘‘I don’t think they’ve ever wrestled before in a real match but they’ve wrestled in camps and summer tournaments and Trent has always had a tough time with him,’’ Ripley coach Marty Rowe said. ‘‘He’s very well-coached and very tough but Trent will be back. He’s a hard worker and it’s a long year so we’ll just go back to the drawing board and work a little harder until we can start beating those kids.’’
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Century boys, Kahuku girls lead standings
.mauinews.com 12/16/06
WAILUKU – The Century High School boys and Kahuku High School girls wrestling teams led the team standings after Friday’s matches at the Maui Invitational Wrestling Tournament at War Memorial Gym.
Century (Ore.) leads the field with 91 points, followed by Pearl City with 77, Punahou with 76.5, St. Louis with 65 and Iolani with 63.
Lahainaluna of the Maui Interscholastic League is sixth with 59 points. Other MIL teams are Maui High with 35, Baldwin with 32.5, Molokai with 30.5, Kamehameha Maui with 23, King Kekaulike with 16, Lanai with 14, St. Anthony with 10 and Hana with eight.
Punahou advanced 10 wrestlers into the quarterfinals, which begin today with weigh-ins at 9 a.m. St. Louis advanced nine, Century qualified eight and Lahainaluna will have seven.
On the girls side, Kahuku leads with 53 points, followed closely behind by Punahou with 47. Pearl City has 43 points, followed by Lahainaluna with 34 and Iolani with 28.
Other MIL schools include Kamehameha Maui with 26, Maui High with 18, Baldwin and Hana with nine each, Lanai with five and King Kekaulike with three.
Kahuku advanced seven wrestlers into the semifinals. Punahou and Pearl City qualified five each and Lahainaluna and Iolani advanced four each.
There is a record 31 teams in this year’s Maui Invitational Wrestling Tournament field. The top four boys teams and two two girls teams from last year’s Hawaii state tournament are competing. The tournament also has the top three teams from Oregon and one – Maple Ridge – from Canada.
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Wrestling tournament draws 31 teams
12/15/06
WAILUKU – Maui’s high school wrestling season will kick off in a big way today as competitors from a record 31 teams hit the mats for the Maui Invitational Wrestling Tournament at War Memorial Gym.
“We’ve had some great tournaments in the past, this could be one of the best,” said Baldwin coach and tournament organizer Mike Donahoo. “In addition to the top Hawaii teams, we have four Mainland teams, and they don’t come here for a vacation.”
The field includes the top four boys teams from last year’s Hawaii state tournament, and the top two girls teams, as well as three teams from Oregon and one from Canada.
Kahuku is the defending boys state champion, and Punahou finished as the runner up. St. Louis was third and Lahainaluna fourth. Kahuku also won the girls title, and Iolani finished second.
Kahuku coach Reggie Torres hasn’t gotten much rest lately – he is also the Red Raiders’ football coach, and led the team to a win in the Division I state championship game at Aloha Stadium just two weeks ago.
“Two days after winning the state football title, we were on the mats,” Torres said. “I love wrestling and stepping on the mat with our wrestlers.
“We’ve got four returning state placers, but we’re young in the other weight classes,” Torres said. “We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us.”
Torres said that wrestling has been good for his football players.
“Our varsity team is 80 percent football players,’’ he said. “Wrestlers develop a strong base, good balance, and have a strong work ethic. Those are all key tools for football, especially for our linemen.”
Torres’ son, Richard, was the Kahuku quarterback. He is also one of their top wrestlers, finishing second in the state last year to Punahou’s Daniel Chow at 135 pounds. Torres will wrestle at 145 today, and Chow will compete at 140.
The boys tournament has 35 returning Hawaii state placers and seven former state champions. In addition to Chow, the state champions include two-time winner Bryson Fukushima of Punahou (who will wrestle at 112 in the MIT), Nick Matayoshi of Iolani and Brandon Mina of Waipahu (119), Travis Okano of Lahainaluna (125), Josh Plechaty of Punahou (145) and Nicholas Pait of Pearl City (152).
There will be 20 returning girls state placers, including three state champions. Carla Watase of Iolani, who will be going after a record-tying fourth state title this year, will compete at 108. Megan Morisada of Iolani (114) and Kara Takasaki of Punahou (130) are the other state champions.
Punahou, St. Louis and Century (Ore.) appear to have the strongest boys teams. Punahou and St. Louis each have six state placers. Century, coached by former Baldwin wrestler Guy Takahashi, has won the tournament the last two times it has competed (2002 and 2004).
Iolani is the girls favorite, with Watase, Morisada and two state runner-ups – Keiko Akamine (103) and Olivia Fatongia (220). Kahuku, has four returning state placers.
Weigh-ins are scheduled for 9 a.m. Competition is to get underway at noon.
WEIGHTS TO WATCH
103–Two former state runner-ups could meet in the final, Iolani’s Keiko Akamine and Mililani’s Brandie Dela Rama.
108–State placers Kalae Johnson of Kahuku and Ashley Hayase of Lahainaluna will try to challenge Carla Watase of Iolani, who has won three state titles.
114–MIL state placers Vicki Milanio of Lahainaluna and Jasmine Dollopac of Maui High could challenge Iolani’s Megan Morisada.
140–This is perhaps the most balanced weight class with four state-placers led by Kara Takasaki of Punahou, a state champion a year ago. Erin Ah Sue of Kahuku, Kadian Shaw of Lahainaluna and Stephanie Geltmacher of Kalaheo are all candidates to pull off an upset.
155–The championship match could pit Amanda Soliai of Kahuku against Kulia McGurn of Kamehameha Maui. Both placed at the state meet last season.
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Foreman takes second at girls' invite
12/15/06
Also Saturday, Argonaut High School wrestler Marissa Foreman wrestled at the Roger Briones Girls Wrestling Invitational, in San Leandro. She went 3-1, giving her second place in the 126-pound weight class. She is on the Aroguant High wreslting team.
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KSS Wrestlers finish fourth at London-Western High School Invitational
author: Lou Ann Stacey 12/15/06
The London-Western High School Invitational, hosted by the Western Mustangs and the London-Western Wrestling Club, is an annual wrestling competition with local, regional and out-of-province teams participating in a one-day competition.
This year, 33 teams headed to the University of Western Ontario for this competition, including last year’s defending-champion Windsor Wrestling Club, and teams from as far away as Alberta, such as the Strathcona/Salisbury Wrestling Club. Teams compete in the Cadet Division (grades nine and ten), and Open Division for boys and girls, with 58 weight classes contested.
The Kahnawake Survival School sent nine of its wrestlers to compete. Once again, KSS did not disappoint, getting off to a great start with eight wrestlers winning their first-round matches.
At the end of nine hours of competition, KSS had won championships in four weight classes, which helped the team finish in a very respectful 4th place in a very tough tournament. The Champions are: Raohserahawi Hemlock, 47 kilos; Joel Canadian, 72 kilos; Otiokhwanoron Montour, 83 kilos and Tatie Moses, 89 kilos.
KSS wrestlers won matches throughout the day, scoring many points with Adam Robertson placing second, and Katsirakeron McComber and Kaientiio Regis both placing fourth. KSS Captains Kenneth Canadian and Devin Kirby wrestled tough throughout the day, but came up short of placing.
Coach Peter Montour was very pleased with the performance of his team, saying “We tangled with some good wrestlers today, and we are where we should be at this time of the season. Our wrestlers showed that they would wrestle tough.”
With no rest for the KSS wrestlers, they’ll begin to prepare for the start of the GMAA season. Coach Garrett Jacobs pointed out that there are some things he saw at the tournament, which he would like to work on with the wrestlers in the practices leading up to the opening meet.
Meanwhile, the KSS Wrestling Team held their first dual meet of the 2006-2007 GMAA season this past Thursday, hosting Massey Vanier and Lasalle Community High School. KSS Wrestlers do not take their opponents lightly, knowing that wrestlers from Massey Vanier are tough. They don’t take the wrestlers from Lasalle lightly, either.
Going into the meet, KSS had a 117-match winning streak. The team has not lost in ten years.
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Nordhagen Junior Classic
International Women’s Wrestling Tournament
Date: February 2 – 4, 2007
Host: Canada Cup of Wrestling Society with the U of C Wrestling Club
Competition: Women’s Fila Junior (born 1987 – 1989)
Wrestlers born in 1990 can participate with permission of doctor & coach.
Weight Categories: 40-44, 48, 51, 55, 59, 63, 67, 72 Kg (+2Kg tolerance)
Entries: submit preliminary entries before December 20, 2006
Canadian Wrestling 01 613 748 5756 (Fax)
01 613 748 5686 (Phone)
Email: Clint Kingsbury ckingsbury@wrestling.ca
Entries by name by: January 12th, 2007
Entry Fee: 25 Canadian dollars/athlete (includes entry into both tournaments)
Transportation: will be provided for international teams arriving to the Calgary International Airport. Please ensure accurate flight information is provided for your team. Each team is responsible for the cost of the transportation from their country to Calgary.
Accommodation: Quality Inn University
2359 Banff Trail NW, Calgary
(403)289-1973
web: www.qualityinnuofc.com
Cost: Hotel price is 110 (Canadian dollars) per room with breakfast included. Up to 4 wrestlers in each room. There are many restaurants and a grocery store near by.
Tournament Location: University of Calgary, Kinesiology Building
Red Gymnasium
2500 University Dr. NW
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
www.kin.ucalgary.ca
Technical information:
February 1 Arrival of Delegations
February 2 14:00 Final Entries submitted
17:00 – 17:30 Weigh-In (University of Calgary, +2Kg)
February 3 Nordhagen Junior Classic
9:00 – 13:00 Elimination Rounds
14:00 – 16:00 Consolation Bracket
16:00 Welcoming Ceremony
16:30-17:30 Final Matches
February 4 Calgary Open
(Regional Senior tournament, Juniors welcome)
9:00 – completion
Training Camp (February 5,6,7)
Teams are welcome to stay following the tournament and train in Calgary with the Training Group. Arrangements for this can be made through Leigh Vierling National Women’s Coach. Contact him at lvierling@wrestling.ca
This is a great opportunity to get two competitions in one weekend. Our desire is to get top level Juniors increased competition and training experience to enhance their performance and world and international events. Thus far it looks as if this will be an excellent weekend.
Leigh Vierling
Canadian Women's National Coach
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By James Clarke PQ News Sports
Dec 15 2006
“Quit ‘yer yacking — do your work first.”
On the surface it seemed like just another practice for the Ballenas Secondary School wrestling team Wednesday, as head coach Susie Miller put her young charges through their paces, but it was word that the long-time local volunteer is seriously considering cancelling the season and folding the team that prompted The News to pay her a visit on this night.
Miller, 50, helped form the local community wrestling team eight years ago, and while she’s lost none of the passion for the sport she’s become synonymous for, she concedes that unless they get some new recruits soon, she’s done.
“I’m getting old and tired,” she panned. “We need more bodies.”
There were nine wrestlers on hand for the teams’ regular Wednesday practice in the multipurpose room at BSS, including four young girls and two former team members.
“Don’t get frustrated, just go really slow,” she told one of the girls as she circled the mat, watching their every move. “There’s a lot of things to remember.”
The team started practicing the second week of October, and seven wrestlers (four boys, three girls) from the team made the trip to Campbell River three weeks ago for a novice tournament and their first competition of the season.
Robert Dearin, 17, won gold in the 90 Kilo Boys division, and Kim Watson, 13, won all four of her matches to garner gold in the Girls 40 kilo class
This is Watson’s first year wrestling, and Cambell River marked her first-ever medal in the sport.
“I really like it,” she grinned. “I like the physical side of it, and it’s fun too.”
Asked about her coach and the no-nonsence approach she brings to practice, Watson shrugged easily and said “she’s great. She’s not really hard, she just pushes you to your limit because she knows you can do it.”
The team is back at it this Saturday for a tournament in Duncan.
A labor of love to be sure, Miller’s commitment to the wrestling team becomes even trickier when you consider she lives on Mistaken Island off Rathtrevor Beach. And while Miller’s no-noncence approach and stern tone may seem a tad tough for those that don’t know her, every wrestler in attendance raved about her.
“She’s the epitome of a woman power,” chuckled Blake Jansson, 18, a former team member and big fan of Miller’s. “She’s a great coach, and she knows what she’s doing that’s for sure.”
“She’s awesome,” Michelle Priemus, a Gr. 10 at BSS in her second season on the team says of Miller, then made the point her and some of her teammates have plans on going on a recruiting mission to KSS, then makes the point that “just because your a girl doesn’t mean you have to be a wimp,”
“This is a community team …we welcome and we need more people,” says Gr. 10 second year wrestler Chris McArthur.
The team has some 16 members registered this year, but attendance at practice has been spotty this season so far, causing Miller to reconsider.
No stranger to the sport, Susie grew up in a wrestling household. Her dad, Arthur Miller, is one of the grandfathers of the sport here on Vancouver Island. Her brother Jim is a former national team coach, and both the Miller boys are in the B.C. Wrestling Hall of Fame.
“I just love the sport,” Susie shrugs, then makes the point, “girls weren’t allowed to wrestle back when I was going to school, but that’s not the case anymore.”
Susie’s son, Sam Walker, was away on Wednesday, but has returned to the fold this season to help his mom coach. Sam finished second at the B.C.’s in his senior year at Ballenas three years ago. Her daughter, Kate Walker, won the B.C.’s in her senior year at Ballenas two years ago is now attending the University of Calgary where she wrestles for the Dinos.
“I don’t want to pack it in -- I think it’s the best sport there is,” Watson fires back when asked about the rumblings of an end to wrestling in these parts. “It’s a lot of work though, and it’s tough when you only have four or five kids show up. The more bodies we have the better – there’s more energy in the room, and it’s a lot more fun.”
Lending her voice in support of the program was young sophomore wrestler/firecracker Carmina Rocheleau, a Gr. 6 student at Springwood Middle School, who captured a silver medal in the Girls 51 kilo event in Campbell River.
“It’s a lot of fun,” she says, and you believe her. “I really hope the team keeps going.”
“Alright,” Miller ordered. “I think we’re done for today …20 laps, no walk’n.”
The team practices every Monday, Wednesday and Friday right after school (3:20ish) to 5 p.m.
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New coach's motto: Focus, win, be a team
Justin Burcham is in his first season as wrestling coach for the Buffaloes.
By Evelio Contreras
381-1673 12/15/06
The Floyd County High School wrestling team sprawled out on nine practice circles in the school's cafeteria.
Head coach Justin Burcham surveyed the 11 wrestlers, making sure everyone understood the motto this week: Learn the basics.
"Did you smash his head?" he asked Max Lander, a junior on the team.
Lander pulled down Tyler Beckner to the mat instead of snapping him to the floor.
"It was a basic mistake," Lander said. "A beginner's mistake."
Lander knew this. But it's still early in the season. That's when basics are mastered and remembered. "Even some of the more advanced make those mistakes," he said.
Lander is one of the top wrestlers on the team, finishing second in the district and region meet last season in the 140-pound weight class. He took sixth at state. His goals this year are simple. "First district, first region, first state," he said.
So far, Lander's record is 8-0 this season, winning five of those matches Saturday at the Knights of the Roundtable Tournament at Cave Spring High School.
It's a great personal showing. But Burcham, who is in his first year as head coach, wants to take Lander's wins and count them alongside the rest of the team. The Buffaloes were 0-5 as a team at the Cave Spring tournament.
"It's not really been done before but we're working on pushing the team as well as having individual performances," Burcham said about the Buffaloes. "We want at least six to go to state. We feel if we reach that goal the team goal will fall into place."
Five wrestlers advanced to the state meet last season, including Lorenzo Rios, the Group A state champion at 119 pounds, who graduated last June. The team is in a "transitional period," Burcham said, after the former head coach, Danny Thomas, took a job as assistant coach of wrestling at Staunton River High School.
"We have different terminology," Burcham said about the wrestlers and the coaches. "We're figuring out each other. We may say one thing and someone else may have heard a different thing."
Ten of the wrestlers are new to the team. Burcham's goals this year are to teach the basics, recruit heavily in the lighter weight categories and win as a team.
One of the Buffaloes' problems this season is recruiting wrestlers in the 119 and lower weight categories. It's usually a ninth- and 10th-grade position, before wrestlers grow and compete in higher weight categories.
"We have 10 new wrestlers and none are in that weight range," Burcham said. He's hoping one of the girls, sophomore Kaylynn Brennan, could move into the 119 weight category. She's been competing at 125 this year.
Burcham's hoping Brennan will follow in the footsteps of teammate Shannon McDonald.
Near the end of a recent practice, Burcham and assistant coach Mike Murphy gathered the wrestlers into a circle to talk about last week's meet at Cave Spring.
He talked about their performances and asked them to put their hearts into the matches, always staying focused and only thinking about the wrestler in front of them.
Then, he took a knee and talked about McDonald.
"She was 0-4 going into the last match of the day," Burcham said. "And she looked like she hadn't lost a match.
"It's tough for a guy to be pinned by a girl, but she didn't see it like that."
He wanted the team to understand. To focus. To win. As a team.
It's Burcham's motto this season.
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SL Wrestlers Win Briones Tourney
By : Jim Knowles : 12/14/06
The San Leandro High girls wrestling squad won the Roger Briones Invitational tournament against 30 teams Saturday in the Pirates gym.
The Pirates had to overcome a Vallejo team that won the tournament last year and San Leandro wrestlers won two of the final championship matches to pull away with a win.
San Leandro wrestlers took first place in three weight classes. Deanie Panganoran won the 98-pound weight class, Rachel Whyte won in the 154-pound class and Lulu Morrar won in the 189-pound division.
Morrar’s actual weight was 166. She could easily have dropped to the 165 weight class but coach Joe Rose asked Morrar to step up to the 189-pound class because the Pirates needed a win in that division.
Morrar won all three of her matches, two by pins.
“I asked her to move up to the 189 weight class because she’s strong enough to handle it,” Rose said.
Three Pirates finished in second place in the tourney — Tiffany Villareal (132-pound division), Elizabeth Saucedo (154), and Stevie Ratto (165).
Jenny Ho took fourth place in the 108-pound class with Kristine Lalic two places behind her in sixth, and Shawnita Beck came in fourth in the 235-pound class.
San Leandro won nine medals and won with a team score of 179 points. Vallejo finished second at 141, Hogan third (138), Terra Nova fourth, and Castro Valley fifth.
San Leandro competes on Saturday, Dec. 16, at the Castro Valley Classic at Castro Valley High School.