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Photo by Andy Atkinson Ryan Escobar, top-rated at 125 pounds, faces a tough test tonight against San Francisco State. Escobar raises the bar at SOU He's No. 1 and has most wins By KRIS HENRY As quiet as Ryan Escobar is off the mat, he has a chance to make one of the loudest roars on the mat for Southern Oregon's wrestling program. Starting tonight against San Francisco State, the shy sophomore will enter the stretch run in his quest for a national championship and a second straight All-American honor. Should Escobar maintain his winning ways, the 21-year-old would take a necessary step toward wrestling history at SOU. Despite the school's proud history of successful grapplers, only one Raider has become a four-time NAIA All-American -- current coach Mike Ritchey, who accomplished the feat at 126 pounds from 1985-88. That all could change should Escobar simply maintain his dominance on the mat. Ranked No. 1 at 125 pounds, he boasts a 22-3 overall record entering tonight's dual with San Francisco State at 7:30 in McNeal Pavilion. All three losses have come at the hands of top Division I opponents, with only one matchup proving too much for the scrappy Escobar. "Ryan's best attribute is he never stops wrestling," Ritchey says. "Most people wrestle in spurts, but Ryan stays the same pace the whole match. He doesn't really turn it on at any given point in a match, but if you ever stop, that's when he's going to catch you." Escobar doesn't disagree, adding that he prefers to outthink opponents instead of being too aggressive and putting himself out of position. He says he also learned a lot in his losses to Division I opponents. "I think it's good to wrestle those kind of kids. They kind of let you know where you're at," he says. Tonight's matchup with San Francisco State's Max Schurkamp will let Escobar know where he is heading into the national tournament. The two met earlier this season at the Southern Oregon Open, with Escobar gaining a tough 8-6 decision. "That was probably Ryan's closest match in the Southern Oregon Open," Ritchey says. "It was a battle back and forth." Much like Escobar, the sophomore Schurkamp (23-11) leads his team in victories. With the national tournament slated March 19-20 in St. Charles, Mo., time is dwindling in Escobar's potential date with destiny. "He's got some tough kids at the national tournament to prepare for," Ritchey says. "It's nice to have Schurkamp come to town to keep him focused right now because he knows that's going to be a tough match." Schurkamp's presence also ensures that SOU fans will have one last chance to see Escobar in action this season. Barring a road trip to Forest Grove on Saturday or a visit to Missouri in March, local fans won't get a chance to see Escobar on the mat until next season. Simon Fraser, who comes to Ashland March 6 in SOU's regular-season finale, has forfeited 125 pounds throughout the season and will probably do so again, says Ritchey. Despite his sophomore status, Escobar has been the glue that has held the third-ranked Raiders together throughout the season. He is the only undefeated Raider in dual meets and enters tonight with 19 pins in his career. Escobar leads the team in wins for the second straight season, and finished fifth at the national tourney at 118 pounds, marking the best effort from a Raider freshman since Ritchey took fourth in 1985. (The top six placers at nationals are All-Americans.) All this from a shy California kid who began wrestling in the first grade and perfected some of his technique at home with older brother Tyson and younger brother Bryce. "We did a lot of living room wrestling, that's for sure," Escobar says. "Everything was legal." Also an All-American while at SOU, Tyson Escobar proved to be the main reason his younger brother ventured to Oregon. "When I wrestled in high school, I was kind of small so there wasn't a lot of schools looking at me," the Raider sophomore says. "My brother (Tyson) came up here to wrestle, so I thought I would come up here, too." The Escobars combined for 49 wins last season and became the second set of brothers to earn All-American status at SOU. Clint and Clay Woodward were the first. "I think it was a really good adjustment period for Ryan to have Tyson here to kind of help him along with just where things are, academics and all that stuff," Ritchey says. "Now Ryan's come into his own." Tyson Escobar also wrestled at 126 pounds, but the similarities end there. "They wrestle different styles, so it's kind of hard to compare," Ritchey says. "They're also different personalities. Tyson's kind of gregarious, and Ryan's real quiet." At least until he steps onto the mat and, possibly, more prominently into the SOU record books. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford,