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Prep Notebook South wrestlers gear for road trip to Hawaii By GREG STILES How about this for a way to promote your wrestling program? Second-year South Medford coach Ken Wharry is taking his team to Hawaii for a week prior to Christmas. Wharry and 13 of his grapplers are going to Honolulu for the McKinley Invitational. "It's definitely a way to get interest," says Wharry, "but most of the guys on the trip are mainly from last year." The South Medford program dwindled to 13 wrestlers by the end of the 1997-1998 season. Wharry boosted the turnout to 24 last year, and there are 39 working out in preparation for the coming season. But with two-time defending state champion Crater showing no sign of slowing down and Eagle Point poised for a renaissance, Wharry realizes that few stones can be left unturned if the Panthers are going to become competitive. The Hawaii trip was conceived at the end of last season and the Panthers have pursued the idea vigorously. "I contacted all the kids during summer and we had a big gathering at one of my assistant coach's houses," says Wharry. "We went fishing and rode four-wheelers." The wrestlers have been raising $11,000 for the trip ever since. The major fund-raiser is a raffle for air fare for two and use of a condo any time next year. The winner will be drawn when the Panthers wrestle Roseburg on the eve of the their Dec. 15 departure. "I know a travel agent up in Salem, who hooked us up with a pretty good deal and donated the condo in Maui," says Wharry. More than 200 of the 350 raffle tickets have been sold at $20 a pop. The response has buoyed the Panther coach. "This is something we plan to do every year," says Wharry. "We want to make it a tradition and build some interest. But it sure takes a lot of work to raise that kind of money." It took a step of faith for Wharry when he put the final $3,500 for the trip on his credit card until the rest of the raffle tickets are sold. He says the wrestlers making the trip aren't necessarily front-line varsity performers. "The kids who helped in fund-raisers, the ones who went to summer camps and open gym are the ones going," he says. "The ones who put in the effort and participated." If you are interested in buying a raffle ticket, call Wharry at 941-0390 or 608-0541. WINNERS AND LOSERS -- The Three Rivers and Valley leagues were the big winners in last Friday's first-round Class 4A state football playoffs. Both leagues advanced three teams into the second round of the 32-team draw. Meanwhile, four leagues -- Portland Interscholastic, Metro, Mount Hood, Midwestern and Pacific-8 -- are down to one team. Three top-10 teams suffered premature demises when No. 2 Roseburg, No. 5 Churchill and No. 7 Gresham lost their openers. It was the second year in a row that Gresham went into the playoffs unbeaten and lost. With Roseburg and Ashland losing, the best the SOC can hope for this season is one finalist because Grants Pass and North Medford are both in the lower bracket. The last league to advance its entire playoff contingent past the first round was the Three Rivers League in 1997, when it went 3-0. Jefferson's 26-13 victory over Sheldon marked the first playoff win for a PIL school since Franklin defeated Sandy, 20-14, on Nov. 8, 1996. The two most intriguing second-round matches find No. 8 Beaverton at No. 6 West Linn and No. 4 Tigard at No. 1 Jesuit. Back on Sept. 10, West Linn defeated Beaverton, 28-10, and Jesuit slipped past Tigard, 24-20. Jesuit later handed West Linn its only loss and handed Beaverton its only other setback. The Val-Co and Greater Oregon leagues flexed their muscles in the opening round of the Class 3A playoffs and have three teams each in the second-round. The lone remaining Skyline team, Henley, had a first-round bye and hosts Taft on Saturday. IN CASE YOU MISSED IT -- Powers' streak of nine straight playoff victories -- piled up while the Cruisers won three consecutive 8-man football titles -- ended at St. Paul on Saturday when the Buckaroos won 34-10. VERBAL COMMITMENTS -- The biggest cuts of football beef in the Southern Oregon Conference are apparently headed for Eugene. Offensive tackles Mike DeLaGrange of Grants Pass and Robin Knebel of Roseburg -- a combined 600-plus pounds -- both were reported to have verbally committed to the Oregon Ducks last week. Both are first-team SOC all-stars, stand 6-foot-6 and have dominated foes the past two seasons. DeLaGrange's mother told the Grants Pass Daily Courier her son is a "huggable teddy bear." He picked the Ducks over Oregon State, Nebraska, Portland State and the Air Force Academy. Knebel admits he has a kinder, gentler side as well. "I don't know if I like hitting people," Knebel told the Roseburg News-Review. "I do it because it's my job and I enjoy playing football, not because I want to go out and hurt somebody." BAT CHANGES --Following the lead of the NCAA, the National Federation of State High School Associations earlier this year adopted limitations on aluminum bats that would make them perform more like wooden bats. The more-costly wooden bats disappeared from high school ball a quarter of a century ago. The rules committee meets again in January to examine the issue. (Greg Stiles is a Mail Tribune sports writer. He can be reached 776-4483 or by e-mail at [email protected] ) Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.