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Raider grapplers finally coming home By Rich Rosenthal For The Tidings For the first time in over two months, the Southern Oregon University wrestling team will be in the McNeal Pavilion spotlight when in-state NCAA Div. I luminary Portland State invades Saturday for a 7 p.m. dual meet. What's new in the Raider wrestling world since the last home event, an 18-15 win over Embry-Riddle on Nov. 22, 2002? Just about everything. The NAIA third-ranked squad has qualified a full complement of 12 competitors for the upcoming national championships, and it capped a 5,000-mile road swing with a 3-1 dual-meet mark that moved the Raiders (4-2) within two wins of extending its consecutive winning season streak to 33. Despite the rare sightings up to this point, Saturday's event is the first of a four-dual homestand that sets up the all-important regional and national championship meets. Pacific (Feb. 7), San Francisco State (Feb. 8) and fifth-ranked Menlo (Feb. 22) are the other upcoming dual opponents. As for Portland State, the Pac-10 Vikings (2-10) are winless over their past five outings since a 37-9 romp over NAIA foe Simon Fraser on Jan. 17. The longtime Div. II powerhouse is 0-6 in conference action, including 33-7 and 33-18 setbacks to Cal State-Fullerton and Cal State-Bakersfield last weekend. Southern has won 9 of the past 10 meetings between the schools since 1992-93 to take a 16-10 head-to-head advantage in a series dating back to 1962. *** Southern Oregon was idle last weekend, but it further solidified its status as the premiere small-college wrestling program in the Northwest by topping Northwest Wrestling Conference rivals Pacific (33-8) and Central Washington (29-9) on Jan. 17 and posted seven top-four showings at the Clackamas Open on Jan. 18. Against PU, the Raiders won the first seven bouts and 8 of the 10 overall to improve to 33-5 all-time against the Forest Grove school. Star 165-pounders Brian Wilson and Chris Huntley (who started at 174) and heavyweight Wes Balensifer each notched technical falls, while Waylon Alsbury had a major decision at 149. Other winners were Nolan Harris (133), Oscar Frias (141), Ryan Presta (157) and Marc Harris (125). Later in the day at Banks High School, Huntley and Presta were recipients of six-point injury default decisions against previously undefeated Central Washington (3-1). Jordan Ottow (133) and Frias recorded major decisions, and Colin Davis (197), Mike Whitehead (285) and Marc Harris won by decision. Redshirt-freshman Josh Fitzgerald was the highlight of the Clackamas meet after he marched through the 174-pound weight class with a 5-0 record, including a 9-3 decision over top-seed Josh Rhoden of Pacific Lutheran in the finale. The Las Vegas Cimarron-Memorial High standout and Valedictorian became the school's 12th national meet qualifier in the process. Whitehead lost in double overtime in the 285 finals to Oregon State's Ty Watterson, and Huntley, Balensifer, Wilson and Ottow turned in third-place showings. *** A pair of Raider senior All-Americans are neck-and-neck in climbing the SOU all-time victory list. At 18-9 this season at 133 and 77-54 over the past four years, Harris is off to his best season start, which has propelled him past Sean Duffie (74-26) for eighth-place on Raider career victory list. Huntley's 4-0 performance at the Clackamas Open (he forfeit in the quarterfinals in order to help Fitzgerald qualify for nationals) allowed the Coquille native to surpass Duffie, and he enters the week with a 75-35 career mark. The team's winningest season performer is Wilson, a junior from Dayton who is 24-7 at 165. Whitehead, a junior heavyweight, has the squad's best winning percentage (18-3, .857), and the former Crater High star is already No. 3 all-time at SOU for pins (21), including nine this season. *** Although the Vikings are off to the slow start, Raider head coach Mike Ritchey is concerned with the fact PSU's strengths match up well against SOU. Senior Eric Arbogast (6-10 at 157) is the team's hottest performer, including a 5-1 mark in Pac-10 duals. Also streaking is junior Casey Kotter (7-11 at 125), who has won three straight. PSU's winningest wrestlers are junior Ryan Thomas (11-11 at 157) and senior Quinn Collett (10-10 at 174). The Vikes are guided by 19th-year coach Marlin Grahn, who led the school to Div. II championships in 1989 and 90 and has supervised the school's 1998 move into the Pac-10. LINKS: DAILY TIDINGS: Main | News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Opinion | Columnists | AP News | Subscribe | Archives | Weather | Classifieds | Contact Us | Privacy REVELS: Main | Calendar | Dining | Movies | T.V. OTHER: Road Cams Copyright 2003 Ashland Daily Tidings 541.482.3456. 1661 Siskiyou Blvd., Ashland, OR 97520. Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. - Advertisers -