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Mustang quiets critics of decision to wrestle
HIGH SCHOOLS

Ryan Pink 2/21/03
El Paso Times

When Burges' Crystal Carrillo decided she wanted to wrestle instead of play softball this season, the school had high expectations for the athletically talented junior.

But in her first season wrestling for the Mustangs, Carrillo made Burges history by becoming the first Lady Mustang to compete in wrestling at the state level, exceeding even the most optimistic expectations.

"I knew she was a competitor," Burges wrestling coach Jeff Himelspach said. "I just didn't think it would be this quick. This was a pleasant surprise."

Boasting a 23-7 personal record and a second-place finish in regionals this season, Carrillo has dominated the 102-pound weight class in El Paso and led the Mustangs to a third-place finish in District 1-5A.

Carrillo's success this season has quieted any questions about her decision to hang up her bat and glove and walk away from Burges' defending bidistrict champion softball team and take her chances on the wrestling mat. Not that Carrillo had any doubts of her own.

"I just like contact sports," Carrillo said. "I have a lot of fun wrestling; I was brought up pretty tough and I really like the competition. I just love (wrestling.)"

The state meet, which takes place in Austin, will begin today with weigh-ins at 3 p.m., followed by the first round of girls' competition.

Expectations are once again high concerning the wrestler's performance this weekend.

"I don't like to lose -- that's just who I am," Carrillo said. "It's a little tougher for me being a girl -- people view girls' wrestling different -- but I think girls can (wrestle) just as good as the guys -- sometimes better."

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TWHS, ORHS wrestlers begin quests for state titles today

Mike Jones, Sports Editor February 20, 2003

Montgomery County will be well-represented when the UIL State Wrestling Meet gets under way this morning at the Austin Convention Center.

ORHS wrestlers Amy Drennan, left, and Camille Evans will be going for the gold this weekend. (Staff photo by JERRY BAKER

The Woodlands leads the way with nine wrestlers at state, including three girls, while Oak Ridge is sending two girls. Of those 11 competitors, five brought home regional championships from the Region III Meet in Allen two weeks ago.

For Oak Ridge, Amy Drennan, who has a 16-1 record on the year, leads the way after her gold-medal winning performance in the 165 division at regionals. She'll face off against El Paso Hanks' Diana Reveles (28-2). Teammate Camille Evans (110; 17-4) will also be competing and will wrestle Heather Amador of Austin Crockett (21-5), the Region IV champion, in today's opening round.

For The Woodlands, regional champions competing at state are Sarah Smith (148 class), Danny Ruiz (103), Sean Glassel (125) and Brad Medchill (135). Smith (21-2) faces Yadira Aguilera of Arlington Sam Houston (22-5) in the opening round. Other opening-round matchups pit Ruiz (39-0) and Magdaleno Mendoza of La Joya (23-3), Region IV's fourth-place finisher, Glassel (33-1) against Hebron's Adam Wilcox (Region II's fourth-place finisher; 36-16) and Medchill (16-0) against Gino Davila of Lubbock, Region I's fourth-place finisher (19-8).

Also competing at state for TWHS will be Kristin Williams (119), Karen Howe (128), Brent Smith (112), Drew Barton (130) and Amos Dailey (215).

Williams (23-2) will wrestle Region IV champion Sarah Macias of Austin Crockett (26-9) in the opening round, while Howe (10-8) faces Region I champion Amanda Howland of Amarillo Caprock (25-3), Smith (40-2) faces Marco Alema of Pharr-San Juan-Alamo (28-5), Region IV's third-place finisher, Barton (41-3) takes on Euless Trinity's Kyle Herrington (36-1), Region II's second-place finisher, and Dailey (30-6) goes up against Juan Lopez of Austin Bowie (24-3), the Region IV champion.

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Billerbeck doesn't tangle with stereotypes]

Austin American Statesman; Austin, Tex.; Feb 21, 2003; Rick Cantu

PFLUGERVILLE -- Behind the mascara, easy smile and dirty-blond ponytail
is the face of a champion wrestler. Rachel Billerbeck,a junior at
Pflugerville High School, considers herself "one of the guys." At home, though, she
answers to "Binky" and "Little Miss Priss."

A tomboy? No way.

A jock? No doubt.

"I've been a pole vaulter, a power lifter -- all the sports a girl can
do but most don't consider very cool," said Billerbeck, a friendly and
assertive student with outstanding grades.

Billerbeck is also a talented wrestler. Carrying an 18-1 record, she
hopes to win a gold medal in the 128-pound division of the University
Interscholastic League's state wrestling tournament, which begins today
at the Austin Convention Center.

If wrestling conjures up images of muscular boys grappling on blue
mats, that's understandable. There are about 250,000 boys in the country who
compete in high school wrestling.

By comparison, there are only about 3,500 girls in the sport.

In Texas, the number of girls wrestling has doubled over the past three
years, according to the UIL. There were 432 girls wrestling in 2000.
That increased to 485 in 2001 and to 941 in 2002.

"My mother always told me to test authority, stretch boundaries,"
Rachel said this week, before a 7 a.m. practice at the quiet Pflugerville gym.

"If there is something I haven't tried before, why not try it? . . . If
I were big enough, I'd play football."

At last week's Region IV championships in San Antonio, Billerbeck
pinned her first three opponents in 30 seconds, 38 seconds and 1 minute, 10
seconds of the first period. She won her weight division by pinning Kim Hernandez
of Converse Judson midway through the second period.

In her last eight matches, Billerbeck has given up a total of one
point.

"If I go into a sport, I go to win, I go for the gold," she said. "My
heart is in it. I leave everything on the mat."

Rachel does not adhere to stereotypes that wrestling is too masculine
for girls. Wearing blue jeans, a T-shirt and a letter jacket, she hardly
looks out of place with her classmates. She wears a dress to church every
Sunday.

According to the National Federation of State High School Associations,
Texas leads the nation in the number of girls who compete in high
school wrestling. California is second with 752, and Hawaii is third with 267.

Only Texas and Hawaii have state wrestling championships for high
school girls.

"There are more athletes in Texas than any other state because Texas is
passionate about sports," said Gary Abbott, director of special
projects for
USA Wrestling. Women's wrestling will be the only new sport at the 2004
Olympics in Athens. "Texas is a great resource for wrestling talent."

According to the national federation, 121 Texas high schools field
girls wrestling teams.

Rachel, 16, has been a competitive wrestler only two years. Yet she has
been courted by colleges in Minnesota and Oregon to join their wrestling
teams upon graduation.

Renee Billerbeck said her daughter has always been confident. When she
was 5 years old, Rachel earned a runner-up trophy at the Young Miss
Scholarship Pageant in Chicago, where she was born. From blue ribbons and ruffled
white dresses to snappy athletic uniforms, Rachel has kept a busy schedule.

"The pageants showed her that there's always a winner, always a loser,
and the most important thing is to try your best," Renee said.

Rachel has a 3.7 grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) at Pflugerville
High. Anything less than a B is grounds to be grounded, Rachel said.

A sentimental collection of porcelain dolls shares space in her bedroom
with dozens of medals for wrestling, track, swimming, martial arts and power
lifting.

Revenge is one of her motives for seeking another medal this weekend.

Rachel aims to have another shot at Katy wrestler Teri Lopez, the only
person to beat her this year. She remembers feeling "horrible" after
that match in Bryan -- partly because she was ill, but mainly because she
can't stand losing.

That motivates her to wake up at 5:30 a.m. every day and work out for
an hour before most students arrive at school. Under the watchful eye of
Coach Gary Zernow, she practices takedowns and other wrestling techniques
with
teammate Ashly Hernandez until the first bell rings.

"This is for state," Rachel said. "I'm trying to get it back."

Rachel has already pictured the state tournament in her mind. Her
prematch
meal will be peanut butter and honey on wheat bread. She will wear
headphones to hear a motivational song by a rock band called Trapped.

Wearing her blue and gold Panthers uniform, Rachel will make eye
contact with her parents in the bleachers while warming up.

After that, she will greet her opponent, block out images of friends
and family, and face her foe. No distractions. The whistle blows . . . and
the match is on.

"This is where I want to be," she said. "I trained hard to get here and
it's an honor to be here. . . . This is where I belong."

rcantu@statesman.com; 445-3953

UIL state wrestling

When: 10 a.m. today, 9 a.m. Saturday.

Where: Austin Convention Center, Exhibit Hall 5, 500 E. Cesar Chavez
St.

Tickets: $18 all-tournament, $10 adults per day, $5 students per day

Rachel Billerbeck at a glance

Born: July 27, 1986, in Chicago

Sport: girls wrestling

Record: 18-1

School: Pflugerville High

Class: junior

Size: 5-6, 128 pounds

Honors: Academic All-District; regional wrestling champion

Favorite TV station: Nick at Nite

Sugar and spice and she's not always nice. Pflugerville wrestler Rachel
Billerbeck didn't get her 18-1 record by being dainty. This weekend she hopes to
finish her junior season as state champion. Pflugerville's Rachel Billerbeck,
right, and Ashly Hernandez are two of more than 900 girls wrestling at
the high school level in Texas.

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Ladies' day at Mat Classic

JOE KAISER; For The News Tribune 2/22/03

Leilani Akiyama awoke Friday morning knowing exactly what the perfect gift would be for her 16th birthday - a victory at state.

Friday at Mat Classic XV in the Tacoma Dome, the female wrestler from Newport High got her wish as she joined Concrete High's Aspen Crouter in becoming the first two females to win state wrestling matches in 50 years in the state of Washington.

Crouter, a 103-pound sophomore, achieved the task first with a pin over freshman Anthony Wolfe of North Beach in the first round, but lost in the quarterfinals to junior Frankie Torres of Warden. Torres pinned Crouter 35 seconds into the match.

"I'm excited," she said afterward. "They team told me 'Good job.' "

It was Akiyama, however, who received more attention from the crowd with a pin over Yelm's Brandon Virgil in the consolation bracket. She then advanced to face Juan Ortiz of Burlington Edison, but lost with a fall at the 4:00 mark.

Akiyama joined her brother, Jimmy, as the only two qualifiers from their Bellevue 3A school, and said afterward that she couldn't complain about her results.

"I'm really glad that I won at least one match and didn't have to go home going two-and-out," said the second-year wrestler.

Akiyama says she doesn't feel pressure being female in a predominantly male sport, and instead believes it works to her advantage.

"I think there is more pressure on the guys who I go up against," she said.

A 10th grader, she credits her brother with introducing her to the sport, and plans on continuing to wrestle in the future as an upperclassman.

One thing is certain, she already has the support of her teammates and her family.

"She's like a sister to the whole team," says Jimmy Akiyama, a junior. "I think it's great that we are here at state together."

"It's wonderful, and I support her 100 percent," said Leilani's mother, Mariko.

Crouter has had similar support at Concrete, where she has been openly accepted by her teammates.

"She's just like another member of the team," said Concrete wrestler Chris Saunders. "Her gender doesn't matter."

One day, two young women, two victories, and one place forever engraved in Washington state wrestling history.

Tough act to follow - Patrick Mitchell wasn't following just any older brother in high school wrestling. His brother won four state championships.

Martin Mitchell of Tonasket High became the second high school wrestler to accomplish that feat in 2001, then went on to the University of Oregon.

The next year, Patrick decided not to turn out for the team, a jolt to his father, Dave, who is the coach.

"It was not pleasant at home," Dave Mitchell said of being told by his son that he was sitting out. "I tried warm fuzzy (reasoning), hard-core (reasoning). But bottom line, he's my son for life. Wrestling doesn't outweigh my son."

Part of Patrick's absence had to do with measuring up to his older brother. Part of it was that he missed his brother, Dave Mitchell said.

But Patrick returned this season, at 160 pounds. His younger sibling, Kevin, is wrestling at 112 pounds. Both are in the 1A/B state semifinals. Martin Mitchell will be at Mat Classic today to watch the action.

Step to the podium - During the gymnastics awards presentation, the WIAA awarded several athletes and coaches honors outside of athletics.

Woodinville's Katy Fregell and Lauren Hughes were given the Sportsmanship Award for their assistance at the state meet.

Mead High's Amanda Workman was named 4A coach of the year just moments before her team was named the academic state cham- pions with a 3.741 GPA.

Quote of the day - "Guys, I'm smart," - Mead's Dominique Seghetti after receiving her Academic All-State award.

Notes - Moses Lake, winner of a state-best 17 team wrestling titles, is in danger of finishing outside the top five for the first time since 1992, when the Chiefs took one wrestler to state. ... Kirk White, a three-time All-American and NCAA champion for Boise State University, was in the Dome, and with a vested interest. He worked out with four wrestlers last week to prepare them for the state tournament. And don't underestimate good preparation. His four - Bradley Muri (119) and Chris Stewart (135) of Steilacoom, Steve Hoyt of North Mason (171) and Ian Richards of Spanaway Lake (135) - all advanced to the semifinals. ...

The first winner Friday was Pullman High freshman Marty Kincaid, who pinned Hoquiam's Brandon Butcher in 57 seconds. ... Friday Harbor's Tyler Cornell was disqualified for biting Tonasket's Adam Swedberg in a 1A/B match at 140. ... The state coaches association named coaches of the year: East Valley of Spokane's Craig Hanson (4A), White River's Kevin McNulty (3A), Othello's Ruben Martinez (2A) and Ocosta's Kevin Goodrich (1A/B).

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Wrestling notebook: Girls' wins show they belong

By Matt Massey 2/22/03
Special to The Seattle Times

Newport's Leilani Akiyama struggles against White River's Paul Klein in their 112-pound match. Klein scored a 17-1 technical fall.

TACOMA — Newport sophomore Leilani Akiyama became just the third female in Mat Classic's 15-year history to win a match when she scored a pin in 3:59 over Yelm freshman Brandon Virgil in the second round of Class 3A consolation matches yesterday.

Akiyama (27-7) more than proved she belonged against the boys after losing her first-round match. She was eliminated one match short of the consolation quarterfinals, falling to Burlington's Juan Ortiz via pin in 4:00.

Her lone win was a big relief for the former Judo competitor.

Akiyama celebrated her 16th birthday by following Concrete 103-pounder Aspen Crouter as the second girl to win at Mat Classic this year and third overall. "I just came here to try my best and it changed to wanting to make it to the second day once I won."

Concrete's Crouter scored a pin in 1:20 in her opening Class 1A match. Montesano's Arielle Bradbury, in 1998, was the first girl to win a Mat Classic match.

"It's good that the girls both won, so people don't blow it off as a fluke," Newport Coach Mike Chenowith said. "The girls are legit."

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Accelerated adulthood
Tascosa wrestler Shepherd juggles life, school, athletics in pursuit of state title

By John Kaltefleiter/jkaltefleiter@amarillonet.com 2/21/03

At first sight, Houston Shepherd appears to be the typical high school teenager. She wears jeans and lugs around her textbooks in a backpack. She giggles with her schoolmates about boys and wonders who's dating who.

But from the inside looking out, Shepherd's life is anything but typical.

Two years ago as a sophomore, a then 16-year-old Shepherd made a life-changing decision that most kids don't have to make until their high school days come to an end.

With her recently divorced mother moving to South Carolina, and with her father taking care of Shepherd's grandmother and her 72-year-old great uncle in a small River Road home, the Tascosa wrestler decided it was time to leave the nest and make it on her own.

It was an unselfish decision for Shepherd, who wanted to relieve the burden on her father, who was beset with taking care of two aging family members, one of which had diabetes.

"They'd let me come back any time, but I thought it would be better for everybody. I've been very independent since I was very young. I've learned to fend for myself," said Shepherd, who is seeking her third state title in as many years at this weekend's University Interscholastic League's State Wrestling Tournament in Austin.

Shepherd, along with Tascosa teammates Angel Diaz, Tamica Jules and Tamron Johnson, will compete for the defending state champions in the two-day tourney, which starts today and concludes Saturday night at the Austin Convention Center.

Since moving out, Shepherd, who started wrestling in seventh grade, has had a difficult time juggling school, full-time work and athletics. Grades and work have not been the problems.

Somehow, she's maintained an A-B average and she's a loyal employee at the Midnight Rodeo. The major obstacle has been setting aside enough time to practice and compete.

"Getting her to school and getting her to practice are the biggest problems I've had with her," said Tascosa head wrestling coach Johnny Cobb. "But when she works a job where she gets off at 4 or 5 in the morning, it's incredible that she's been here as much as she has."

For instance, Shepherd didn't wrestle this season until the District 5 tournament where she won all four of her matches.

She continued at the Region I tournament at Caprock a week later, but was upset in the finals by Hereford's talented Astrid Gomez.

"My heart wasn't in it," the 138-pounder said of the Gomez match. "I haven't had much practice at all this season because I've had to work. I have to work and pay bills. I can't just skip out on work and go to a tournament when I have to have that money for bills."

Tascosa assistant coach Donna Welch said Shepherd is a one-of-a-kind high schooler. Perhaps most impressive is her wrestler's ability to pump out solid grades while dealing with the outer distractions in her life, she said.

"There's a lot of kids who can't handle a job and school, much less a job, school and athletics," Welch said. "That's extraordinary.

"Hopefully, that will benefit her when she leaves high school and goes on to college."

Cobb believes Shepherd's independency and responsibility transcends to the mat. It seems that her past has made her a stronger competitor, especially in the mental department.

"That hard-nosed attitude that she has comes from her hard-nosed determination to make it on her own," Cobb said.

"It's pretty remarkable what's she accomplished under the circumstances."

Though she's a favorite to win state for the third time in as many years in the 138-pound division, Shepherd said this state tourney will be the toughest that she's encountered. Her lack of experience this year has little to do with it. It's because the state-wide competition has started to catch up with her talents.

"Everyone's gotten a lot better," she said. "Winning state is not as easy as it used to be when I started."

Said Cobb: "That was not Houston Shepherd wrestling in regionals.

"We're hoping we can find the real Houston at state."

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Champions
Palo Duro girls claim state wrestling crown

By John Kaltefleiter 2/23/03
jkaltefleiter@amarillonet.com

PD Champion: Palo Duro's Stormy Grear (top) attempts to move Caprock's Crystal Valdez in their 95-pound championship match. Grear won the title with a 6-0 decision. AP Photo

AUSTIN - So much for a power shift in girls' high school wrestling in Texas.

Katy, a favorite to win the state title after sending a tournament-high nine wrestlers to the University Interscholastic League State Wrestling Tournament, only could sit and watch as Palo Duro won its second state title in three years Saturday afternoon at the Austin Convention Center.

The Lady Dons (91 points) used a strong performance in the semifinals and finals to stave off the Lady Tigers' surge in the consolation brackets, not to mention a strong finish by defending state champion and second-place Tascosa (60 points).

"Newspaper clippings do not win wrestling tournaments - great

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