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--> --> Dec. 6: Numbers up for Grizz grapplers By Bobby Heiken Ashland Daily Tidings The foundation for the Ashland High wrestling program is firmly in place. The Grizzlies have 16 wrestlers out for the 2001-02 campaign and 11 of those are freshmen and sophomores. "Right now things look really good for the future," second-year head coach Aaron Sturdevant said. "But like always, our biggest challenge is getting people to come out and stay out." Ashland opens its dual-meet season tonight, traveling to conference-rival South Medford for a 7 p.m. matchup. The Panthers are picked to finish seventh in the Southern Oregon Conference this year, while Ashland is slated to finish eighth. Crater is picked to win its sixth-straight district title and 11th in 13 years. Eagle Point is knocking on the Comets door. Leading the way for the Grizzlies will be senior James MacCormack, who will wrestle at 215 pounds. "He got banged up in football and is taking a little while to get to full strength," Sturdevant said. "But he'll be the leader of this team. I expect him to compete for the top three spots at the district tournament." Senior Clay Gard (125) and juniors Josh Smith (119) and Adam Khosroabadi (112) will be the other upperclassmen counted on heavily. "Clay is a great athlete and he may wrestle at 125 and 119," Sturdevant said. "Josh is capable of being a Top 5 wrestler, and Adam didn't wrestle last year but he keeps improving and knows what it takes to win." The rest of the lineup will be made up virtual newcomers. Freshman David Jacobson-Fried will see action at 140. "David is going to wrestle a lot in the varsity lineup, but will also wrestle in novice events so he gets some experience," Sturdevant said. Star sophomores are Skyler Case (130) and Nathan Marshall (140). Despite the increase in numbers, numbers will still be a problem when the Grizz battle conference foes in duals. Ashland doesn't have enough wrestlers to fill out a varsity roster and forfeits are going to happen. Because of that, team victories are going to be hard to come by. "We could come close to filling a lineup," Sturdevant said. "But then you have to decide what's best for the program: running people out there just to fill the lineup, or building for the future." The answer appears to be building for the future and the Grizz are on the right track. Evidence of that is the hiring of Brian Ruby as the new assistant coach. Ruby is a former assistant coach in the top-flight Eagle Point wrestling program. "Having him is really going to help," Sturdevant said. "He brings a lot of technical experience and we are already seeing the benefits. He knows what it takes to be a successful wrestler and also to have a successful program." Sturdevant is realistic in his goals for the Grizz program. He knows they won't get the number of wrestlers like Crater and Eagle Point. But he thinks getting the numbers into the 20's in the next couple years is realistic. And the main thing is that the program is on the rise. "I'm excited with the turnout of our underclassmen," Sturdevant said. "And I'm excited about having an assistant coach like Brian. Those two things should have a huge impact." Ashland opens its home season at 7 p.m., Dec. 13 against Eagle Point. Email your... Technical questions & comments to: WebMaster Daily Tidings editorial comments & questions to: Editor Visit our other Oregon Newspapers... | Albany Democrat-Herald | Ashland Daily Tidings | Corvallis Gazette-Times | | Lebanon Express | Newport News-Times | Springfield News | Cottage Grove Sentinel | Ashland Daily Tidings 1661 Siskiyou Blvd. Ashland, OR 97520 Telephone 541-482-3456 © Copyright 2001 Lee Northwest Publishing