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USGWA State Invitational
2/23/ 2001 The San Diego Union-Tribune
[] GIRLS WRESTLING: Lincoln High's Sheri Foster, at 150 pounds, and Michelle
Washington, at 160 pounds, pinned all their opponents at the State Girls
Championship in Vallejo. The girls are looking for sponsors for the USGWA
State Invitational Open at Stockton Edison High on March 17 and for the
National Championships at Lake Orion (Mich.) High, March 24-25. For
information on how to help, call William Carter at (619) 293-4459 or (619)
813-2127.
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Oak Glen coach looking for battle at tournament
Friday February 23, 2001
HUNTINGTON -- If winning a record fifth straight Class AA-A wrestling tournament was supposed to be a foregone conclusion for Oak Glen, Coach Larry Shaw didn't know about it.
He talked Thursday night like the tournament would be close. He refused to buy into the gossip that other schools were wrestling for second place.
Shaw looked for a good cat fight from many schools, including Independence, Calhoun County and Cameron, all of which qualified the same number of wrestlers -- 13 -- as Oak Glen.
He points to Independence's 10 regional champions, compared to six for Oak Glen.
"You have to give a lot of respect to those other three teams," Shaw said. "I expect it to be a battle right to the end. I really do."
Maybe Shaw knew something.
Oak Glen led after the first day, but only by a slim margin. It had 35 points while Independence and Cameron were tied for second at 31.5. Calhoun County was fourth with 28 and Williamstown fifth with 27.
Oak Glen's first three wrestlers lost, including 125-pounder Garrett Six, the regional champion who placed sixth at the meet last year. Oak Glen recovered to win eight of its final 10 matches.
"Everyone's going to cut everyone up, I think," said Oak Glen assistant coach Bill Wells. "I think it's going to be close. Whoever's left standing will be the champion."
Like Oak Glen, Parkersburg South was looking to dominate in Class AAA.
The two-time defending champion was in first place with 39 points. Hedgesville was second with 23 and Wheeling Park, John Marshall and North Marion were tied for third with 21.
Female wrestlers had a tough time Thursday.
Wirt County's Erica Dye, who last year became the first girl to win a first- round match at the state tournament, was dominated in her first-round match at 103 pounds by St. Marys' Dustin Bartrug, 10-2.
"I'd say by her performance, she wasn't ready for the match," said assistant coach Scott Moore. "She wrestled a dumb match. She was beating the kid on his feet, but when he started getting a little physical, she just shut up. She's a better wrestler than that."
Dye, a junior, won her Class AA-A regional and has a 31-6 record this season. Bartrug, a freshman, is 41-6.
"She's already beaten that kid," Moore said. "If she continues, that's what's going to happen to her the rest of the tournament. She's already beaten most of the boys in this tournament. She wrestles well everywhere else we go. We get up here. There is some pressure. But that's something she's got to deal with in her head."
Clay-Battelle Stephanie Beach, a freshman with a 2-28 record, was pinned by Williams-town's Casey Biddle 57 seconds into their 112-pound match.
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Wirt's Dye becomes first girl to place at state
Saturday February 24, 2001
HUNTINGTON - With a leap into her coach's arms, Wirt County's Erica Dye became the first girl in state history to place sixth or higher at the high school wrestling tournament.
Dye defeated Independence's Bryan Snuffer 3-1 in the third round of the Class AA-A 103-pound consolations to earn a place on the awards stand Saturday night.
Dye will wrestle Cameron's Noah O'Neil in today's fourth round. She needs two more wins to finish in third place.
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Wirt's Dye becomes first girl to place at state #2
Saturday February 24, 2001
With a leap into her coach's arms, Wirt County's Erica Dye became the first
girl in state history to place sixth or higher at the high school wrestling
tournament.
Dye defeated Independence's Bryan Snuffer 3-1 in the third round of the
Class AA-A 103-pound consolations to earn a place on the awards stand
Saturday night.
"I've worked so hard for this," said Dye, a junior.
Dye will wrestle Cameron's Noah O'Neil in Saturday's fourth round. She needs
two more wins to finish in third place.
Dye looked lethargic in losing a 10-2 decision in the first round, but she
came back with a pair of one-sided victories in the early consolation.
With her match tied Friday night against an opponent she had beaten twice
before this year, Dye scored a two-point takedown with 25 seconds left in
the final round to clinch the win.
As the match ended, she threw off her head gear - revealing her brown
ponytail - and jumped into the arms of her coach, Wirt County assistant
Scott Moore.
"It's probably going to take a little bit for it to sink in, but it's been
her goal all year long," Moore said. "I think it's opened up a lot of eyes.
"A lot of states throughout the country have girls wrestling, and maybe
something like this will help inspire to help get girls wrestling going."
Dye doesn't see herself as a pioneer, nor as one of the boys. She wore a
dress to the tournament. She looks forward to going to the prom this spring.
She starts softball practice next week.
If being here meant she was opening doors for other girls, then she was all
for it.
"I'd like to see more girls have a chance to compete in this sport," she
said. "But I want them to have their hearts in it. I've seen girls go out
for wrestling for the wrong reasons."
The 4-foot-10 Dye got involved in wrestling mainly because she would be
competing against other kids her size. She previously wanted to play other
sports but her father was afraid she might get hurt.
Dye, who has two cousins on the team, draws some of her energy from rock
groups such as AC-DC, Cinderella, and Journey. Her record is 34-6 this
season.
She was the first girl a year ago to win a first-round match at the
tournament. She blamed Thursday's first-round loss on her lack of
preparation.
"If I'm not warm, I don't wrestle well. Last time I didn't think enough, and
this time (Friday) I thought only about my opponent," she said.