Document text
M/CLOUDY Temp: 50 °F Wind: N at 3 mph Wednesday, February 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend February 6, 2003 Eagle Point, Crater and Roseburg vie for SOC supremacy By DON HUNT Mail Tribune EAGLE POINT — Don’t be alarmed if the ground in Eagle Point shakes, shudders and shivers a bit this weekend. It isn’t likely to be an earthquake, nor the eruption of nearby Mount McLaughlin. It very well could be the vibrations on the wrestling mats at Eagle Point High School, where the Southern Oregon Conference district tournament kicks off Friday at 11 a.m. and concludes Saturday at 6 p.m. with the championship finals. The gathering of Southern Oregon grapplers has traditionally been a head-knocking, bone-rattling, tooth-jarring and, yes, ground-shaking affair. But the 2003 edition should be among the most intense ever, what with Crater, Roseburg and Eagle Point holding down the top three spots in the state dual meet rankings and going 1-3-6 in the tournament rankings. The Indians upset the apple cart last year when they won the title, ending a 25-year streak in which either Crater or Eagle Point had claimed the district crown. "We’re not interested in waiting another 25 years," says Roseburg coach Steve Lander, who took no time in ratcheting up the Indians’ accomplishments and expectations when he took over the program last year. "We’re going down there to win it again. "But, realistically, Crater has to be the favorite. Look what they did at Hillsboro." Lander was referring to the Hillsboro Tournament of Champions, a 16-team tournament on Jan. 25 that featured seven of the state’s top 10 squads. The Comets not only won the tournament that is often a precursor to the state meet, they dominated, scoring 221 points to runner-up Roseburg’s 149.5. Crook County was third with 141.5, Newberg fourth with 128.5 and Glencoe fifth with 126. "The Hillsboro tournament was unexpected," Crater coach Greg Haga says. "You just don’t go up there and win that thing by 70 points (actually 71½ ). "Newberg had two kids out and Roseburg one, but it was still very encouraging." Haga knows, however, that unlike the Hillsboro varsity tourney, the SOC gathering will incorporate junior varsity lineups as well as varsity. And that’s where Roseburg could make up the difference. The Indians’ JVs went unbeaten in the SOC this winter and pinned a 39-25 loss on Crater. "Our JVs are tougher than last year and I’m excited about that," Lander says. "We’re hoping to get several of those kids to the state meet." The top three finishers in each weight division advance to the Class 4A state tournament Feb. 20-22 in Portland. Haga admits he was worried about his JVs back in December, but not now. "They’ve come on a lot," he says. Haga’s young front-liners haven’t done badly, either. Bryson Gutches (119), Nate Gipson (130), Chase Maloney (135), Jeremy McLaughlin (140) and Clayton Tankersley (145) will all take No. 1 seeds into the tournament, and Jeremy Firestone (112), Ron Lee (152), Brandon Rauls (215) and Taylor Wilkerson (275) will go in as No. 2s. Defending state champion Gutches (29-3), McLaughlin (28-2) and Gipson (29-4) have just nine losses between them, and none of the defeats has come in Oregon. Maloney, a sophomore, is also having a banner campaign with 27 victories against just five defeats. "He’s an aggressive kid and that got him in some trouble last year," Haga says of Maloney. "He’s one of those guys who likes to just let it rip. That’s still his style, but he’s wrestling smarter." Crater will be shooting for its 11th district title in the past 14 years under Haga. The Comets have won four state championships under the veteran mentor, and they’ve come home with a trophy (top four) from state the past five years. This season, the Comets have won 14 of 15 dual meets and took top honors at the Rogue Valley Classic and Crater Classic as well as the Hillsboro tournament. Roseburg’s No. 1 seeds are its bookend wrestlers — 103-pound Trevor Lofstedt and 275-pound Justin Troxel. For Eagle Point, Jake McCoy (112) and Kevin Miers (171) come in as top seeds. Defending state champion Tyson Nelson is seeded third at 171. The Eagles are enjoying a solid season of their own but have been overshadowed by Crater and Roseburg much of the way. "I’m sure Eagle Point will have something to say about who wins this thing," Lander says. "You can never count them out and they’ll be on their home mats." North Medford isn’t expected to be in the running for the title but the vastly improved Black Tornado boasts two of the SOC’s top wrestlers — 152-pound Jimmy Ulrey and 160-pound Rob Folsom, both of whom are No. 1 seeds. Both are in tough weight classes, however. Ulrey, who is ranked No. 3 in the state at 152, must get past the fifth-ranked Lee and seventh-ranked Seth Thomas of Roseburg to earn a district title. Folsom, ranked No. 2 at 160, is likely to face either third-ranked Nick Shaffer of Roseburg or fourth-ranked Christian Mannenbach of Eagle Point in Saturday’s finals. Matchups like that could make the ground shake. SOC District Tournament Seeds Top three, by weight class 103 — 1, Trevor Lofstedt, Roseburg; 2, Tyler Baker, Grants Pass; 3, Chris Doran, Eagle Point. 112 — 1, Jake McCoy, Eagle Point; 2, Jeremy Firestone, Crater; 3, Chris Hotch, Grants Pass. 119 — 1, Bryson Gutches, Crater; 2, J.P. Shiele, Eagle Point; 3, Kevin Beavers, Roseburg. 125 — 1, Zach Steddum, Grants Pass; 2, Nick Alexander, Eagle Point; 3, Seth Hernandez, South Medford. 130 — 1, Nate Gipson, Crater; 2, Matthew Leonardo, Eagle Point; 3, Eric Sedivy, Grants Pass. 135 — 1, Chase Maloney, Crater; 2, Andrew Larsen, Eagle Point; 3, Tyler Spears, Roseburg. 140 — 1, Jeremy McLaughlin, Crater; 2, Isaac Hebert, Roseburg; 3, Stephen Price, Eagle Point. 145 — 1, Clayton Tankersley, Crater; 2, Matt Jacobson, Roseburg; 3, Chris Platt, North Medford. 152 — 1, Jimmy Ulrey, North Medford; 2, Ron Lee, Crater; 3, Seth Thomas, Roseburg. 160 — 1, Rob Folsom, North Medford; 2, Nick Shaffer, Roseburg; 3, Christian Mannenbach, Eagle Point. 171 — 1, Kevin Miers, Eagle Point; 2, Josh Osborne, Roseburg; 3, Tyson Nelson, Eagle Point. 189 — 1, Robert Kincaid, Klamath Union; 2, Brian Alves, Grants Pass; 3, Nick Trowbridge, Roseburg. 215 — 1, Andrew Ditty, Grants Pass; 2, Brandon Rauls, Crater; 3, Denver Lancaster, Klamath Union. 275 — 1, Justin Troxel, Roseburg; 2, Taylor Wilkerson, Crater; 3, David Folsom, Roseburg. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy web master feedback A D V E R T I S E R S