News
Hogan girls take first
Vallejo's Miller dominates
Times-Herald staff report
Article Launched: 12/30/2006 08:14:48 AM PST
The Hogan High girls wrestling team snapped a three-year drought by winning a tournament Friday, taking first place at the Lady Lancer tournament at East Union High in Manteca.
The Spartans topped a 40-school field, with 110 points, while Vallejo took just three wrestlers but finished fifth with 42 points. Terra Nova was second with 75 points.
Faring well for Hogan were Catherine Villalon (first place, 98 pounds), Christine Alcantara (first in "B" bracket, 103), Marcella Games (second, 132) and Holly Moala (second, 189).
Monica Gonzalez, a transfer from Vallejo, wrestled for the first time this winter after sitting out the mandatory 30 days because of the transfer. Gonzalez, a standout the past two seasons as an Apache, took first at 165 pounds.
Teammate Krystalle Alcantara, meanwhile, topped Vallejo's Mary Jane Fernandez in a competitive 103-pound "A" bracket final (some crowded divisions were split into two brackets).
For the Apaches, Angie Miller enjoyed an impressive tournament. Miller, who usually makes weight at 138 pounds but wrestles up at 144, tested out 138 Friday with stellar results. Miller took first and went 5-0 with five pins, averaging just 1:12 for each match. Coach Carl Estrella labeled Miller's performance "dominating."
Vallejo's Jennifer Avelino also wrestled well, taking fourth in the tough 114-pound "A" bracket while downing Santa Rosa's Jackie Davis (Santa Rosa) with a second-round pin; Davis was the state's third-place finisher a year ago.
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Santa Cruz Sentinel 12/30/06
On the same day Haylee Childs found out she was ranked first in the state, the Scotts Valley's freshman, took first place in the 122-pound weight class, going 3-0 in the Lady Lancer Tournament in Mantica.
Childs was ranked first in her weight class by the California Women's Wrestling Association as of the 18th of the month.
"I'm really excited," Childs said. "I've been doing so well against girls."
Childs' final match against Hanford High's Justine Neves at the Lancer Tournament went into overtime before Childs [11-1] emerged the champion with a 4-2 final score.
"I've been practicing with boys just forever," said Childs, who doesn't have another girl to compete against in her weight class at school.
Childs will next compete either in the ninth annual ASICS Napa Valley Girls Classic or with the Scotts Valley wrestling team in mid-January.
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TheMatside View by Gary Abbott: The top 10 wrestling stories of 2006
Gary Abbott USA Wrestling
12/29/2006
7. USA has strong team effort at World Championships – It was a challenging year for the United States at the World level in 2005, when the men’s freestyle and Greco-Roman teams combined for just three medals in Budapest, Hungary. The freestyle squad finished eighth in the world, and Greco-Roman was 16th. Going into the 2006 World Championships in Guangzhou, China, the men’s freestyle team featured three athletes on their first World team and only two past medalists. The Greco-Roman team was almost exactly the same as the year before, with only one new athlete, Jacob Clark at 85 kg. The naysayers were wrong about this group of American wrestlers. Both the men’s freestyle team and the men’s Greco-Roman team placed a strong third in the final team standings, and both were within a victory or two from taking the team title. Freestyle had four medals, three from athletes who had never medaled before: Bill Zadick (gold), Mike Zadick (silver) and Donny Pritzlaff (bronze), plus a repeat medal from 1998 World champion Sammie Henson (bronze). Greco-Roman opened the first day with three medals in the first three weights, each winning a first career medal: Warren (gold), Lindsey Durlacher (bronze), Harry Lester (bronze). It could be argued that this was the greatest Greco-Roman team effort ever. The downside of the week in China was the seventh-place finish of the women’s team, which had two of their stars win bronze medals: Patricia Miranda and Kristie Marano. Combining all three styles, the nine medals by Team USA was second only to Russia. The world was reminded once again of the excellence of wrestling in the United States.
10. Brother and sister Hutchisons make wrestling history – For many years, girl wrestlers have been competing on the high school level against boys. A number have placed at their state high school tournaments, including a few who made the gold-medal match and placed second. In 2006, sophomore Michaela Hutchison of Skyview High in Soldotna, Alaska broke down a major barrier, claiming the 103-pound state title competing against boys. It was a special day for the family, as her older brother Eli also won a state title at 135 pounds, making them the first brother-sister state champions ever. Michaela was featured in the national media for many days, including a story in Sports Illustrated. A few months later, the Hutchisons made history again, becoming the first brother-sister act to win ASICS/Vaughan Junior National titles the same year, with Michaela capturing the 119-pound women’s freestyle title and Eli capturing Greco-Roman gold medal at 135 pounds. Both were coached by their father Mike, the state chairperson for USA Wrestling Alaska. Here’s to another great wrestling family!!!
Others stories worth noting include:
• FILA holds first Sombo and Beach World Championships – In the Mediterranean coast city of Antalya, Turkey in November, FILA hosted its first World Championships in the new styles of wrestling, Beach and Sombo. The United States sent a full team of athletes to participate in the men’s divisions of both tournaments, each who qualified for the team at the first U.S. Nationals in both styles, held in August in Palm Beach County, Fla. The United States had a strong performance in both styles at the World meet in Turkey. In Sombo, the men’s team placed second in the standings with seven medals, led by individual World champion Jeff Zastrow at 96 kg/211.5 lbs. In Beach wrestling, the U.S. was also in second place, with a pair of bronze medalists Ray Downey at Under 85 kg and Angelo Borzio at Over 85 kg. U.S. wrestler Leigh Jaynes won a bronze medal in both styles in the women’s division.
• Nicole Woody wins Junior World title – Woody, a high school star from Maryland, had an outstanding year in women’s age-group wrestling, capped off with a gold-medal at the Junior World Championships in Guatemala City, Guatemala at 97 pounds. She was the only American in any style to win a gold at the Junior World meet. Her toughest bout came early, a win over Russia’s Anastasia Koltun in three periods. Woody had a great summer of wrestling, also capturing her third career ASICS Junior National title with at 102 pounds. Her five-point back salto in the gold-medal finals over Victoria Anthony of California in the finals wowed the crowd, and she was named Outstanding Wrestler. Woody was featured in a full-page photo in Sports Illustrated’s Faces in the Crowd Special edition in December.
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Year provides numerous reasons to stand up, cheer
Celebrating 2006
By JEFF HELMINIAK
Peninsula Clarion 12/31/06
A look back at the highlights of the area sports scene in 2006:
Wrestling
Skyview High School's Michaela Hutchison's hand is raised in victory as she becomes the first girl to win a state championship wrestling competition in the United States during the Alaska state championship wrestling tournament in February. |
At the Class 4A state meet in February in Anchorage, Skyview’s Michaela Hutchison became the first female wrestler in the country to win a state individual title. Michaela was more than ready to admit, however, that she didn’t even have the most impressive feat in her family on that night.
Eli Hutchison punctuated his career at Skyview by becoming the first Alaska wrestler to finish his prep career without a loss in the state. Eli, wrestling at 135 pounds, won his fourth straight state title with a 14-4 major decision over South Anchorage’s Matt Blakeslee.
“There’s so many ups and downs, and sickness, and no matter who you are, there’s going to be owies here and there, sore backs and sore necks,” Skyview coach Neldon Gardner said. “To never lose a match in a high school career is pretty spectacular.”
Michaela defeated Aaron Boss of Colony 1-0, scoring an escape with 15 seconds left in her match, much to the delight of the standing-room only crowd estimated at 1,800.
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NATL SCHOOL GAMES
Pinned down, Manipuri matmen look for straws
They are agile, they are strong, but lack in facilities
NOIDA, December 28
: WHEN Manipur’s wrestling coach M Mohendro said that his trainees would surprise everyone with medals at the School Games competition, it sounded strange because the state known for its football prowess was challenging the predominance of north. But the coach was not way off the mark considering the way his grapplers fought.
The 25-member squad that participated in the wrestling event at the Chhatrasal Stadium on Thursday were not only impressive but also went on to raise several eyebrows. For the record, they bagged one bronze but, more importantly, most of their wrestlers entered the second round in different weight categories.
The Manipuri grapplers looked a study in contrast to their rivals from the north. Several factors, including lack of facilities, seem to have contributed to their defeats. Manipur’s best bet — Bikramjit — suffered a defeat in the second round at the hands of rival Upender from Haryana, while teammate Sunil bagged bronze in 45kg category. At the end, the coach expressed his satisfaction. “The results don’t matter. What is important is the exposure,” he said.
He may be right because grassroot level wrestling which started sprouting in the state hasn’t had the kind of backing it needs. The education department, hit hard by a financial crunch, could not send teams to national level meets for several years. But this time the department funded the trip and, according to the coach, it was worth travelling all the way from Imphal.
For the record, Manipur do have a tradition in wrestling. A few years back, when women wrestling was introduced, Manipur had created a flutter after walking away with the title. But subsequently, women wrestlers from other northern states including Haryana, caught up. Yet, grapplers from the north eastern states still remain a force to reckon with at the national level.
But for their male counterparts, the road seems to be tough. According to Olympian Gian Singh, who is also the Greco-Roman national coach, grapplers from Manipur do have the potential but lack proper training. “They haven’t been able to showcase their talent. They are agile and strong, which is an important ingredient in making it to the top level,” he says.
In the last edition of the state competition, there were over 170 participants, including in the women’s section. If the majority isn’t taking it up, says the coach, it is due to lack of facilities. According to him, there are only two mats available in the state, that too at Imphal.
Another reason why the state’s wrestlers are not able to come up is because there are fewer coaches to impart training. Currently, says Mohendro, there are only three coaches — Y Lukhoi, W Chabalal and himself. According to the coach, wrestling has its roots in the state. The traditional form of wrestling is known as Mukna and held on grassy ground, not on mats or mud. Mukna, he says, is as old as mud-akharas in the north.
Which is why he is confident that in the coming years there will be more medals at school competitions. “With better facilities, our players can also dominate on the mat,” he says.
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