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59 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, March 6, 2004 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA Newspaper in Education Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find a Rental Place an ad eSouthernOregon Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar CUSTOMER SERVICE Frequent Questions Advertising Information Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Network Affiliate Email Story to a Friend February 22, 2004 A different kind of Price By DON HUNT Mail Tribune PORTLAND — Each time Stephen Price walks on the wrestling mat to face another opponent, he kneels down and says a little prayer. After each victory, he points toward the heavens. Such routines are hardly unique, but for Price, they have special meaning. His mother, Dorna Stanfield, died of breast cancer on May 15, 2001, just as Price was about to complete his freshman year at Eagle Point High School. "Ever since I was in the fifth grade, she was in the stands screaming for me," says Price, a senior who advanced to the 140-pound state championship match Saturday night before losing to Churchill’s Nick Cautrell, 7-1. "It was pretty tough that last season (before she died) because she was sick and had to stay home. I’d go to tournaments and she was always on my mind." The memory of her unconditional love and support has stayed with Price. In fact, it seems to have grown stronger during this, his senior season. Advertisement "I feel extra motivation every time I go out there," says Price. "I can still feel her presence, and I still hear her voice." Since his mother’s passing, Price has been living with his maternal grandparents — Waymon and Dorothy Stanfield. Last week, Waymon suffered a heart attack and was hospitalized. He was released last Wednesday, but he and Dorothy couldn’t make the trip to Portland. Price badly wanted to finish his high school career with a state title, and although he wound up a step short, no one would argue he had an exceptional senior season. He finished with a 35-5 record, a handful of tournament titles and a fifth-place showing at the Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions, the most prestigious prep wrestling tournament in the nation. "After that Reno tournament, I felt like I could compete with anybody," Price says. "I’m so much better defensively than I was last year, and I’ve worked hard to improve my shots." NORTH MEDFORD’S Chris Platt had a goal of reaching the championship finals at 152 pounds. Platt suffered a 5-4 loss to Marshfield’s Brady Hampton in the second round when Hampton was awarded a controversial reversal as the match ended, but the Black Tornado sophomore fought back to win five straight matches and claim third place. Platt capped his comeback with a 6-1 victory over Crook County’s Trent Lucas, the son of former South Medford High coach Pete Lucas. "I was pretty upset when I lost that match (to Hampton)," says Platt, who finished the season with a 39-8 record. "But you have to regroup, you have to reset your goals. "And right now, third place feels pretty good." Another one of Platt’s goals is to surpass the achievements of senior teammate Rob Folsom when Folsom was the same age. Folsom took seventh at state as a sophomore, but he also won the first of his three district titles that year. Platt was a district runner-up this season. The two were occasional workout partners this season and often showed up at morning conditioning drills. "We did a lot of wind sprints," says Platt. "I would always run hard, but I never beat Rob. Not once." Folsom, who got a scholarship to play baseball at Oregon State, was upset by Thurston’s Brett Arand, 9-7, in Saturday’s 160-pound title bout. EAGLE POINT’S Nick Smith was thrown out of the tournament Friday night for allegedly swearing at an official. Smith was trailing North Salem’s Matt Cox, 8-5, with 1:26 remaining in their championship semifinal match when the incident occurred. "No one heard him (Smith) except the official," said Eagles assistant coach Frank Jaramillo. "We (the coaches) were kind of baffled by the whole thing." The flagrant misconduct ruling not only removed Smith from the tournament, it also took away the nine points he had scored for the Eagles for winning his first three matches. The incident added insult to injury for Smith. During his district title match against Andrew Ditty of Grants Pass, Smith was kicked in the groin, which in turn caused him to vomit on the mat. The match was stopped for several minutes. When it resumed, Ditty wiggled free for an escape in the final five seconds to post a 5-4 victory. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2004 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions Website Feedback 3 WEEKS FREE! ADVERTISERS A D V E R T I S E R S RESOURCES Oregon Road Conditions & Cams SPECIAL SECTIONS Auto Finder Job Finder Home Finder Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Tempo Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Since We Asked Food for Thought Wellness Connection Outdoor Journal Moving to Southern Oregon? Volunteer Opportunities Prime Times