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Oregon opens its season at Crater High By Tim Trower CENTRAL POINT � Little did Doug Lee and Tony Overstake know when they embarked on their collegiate wrestling careers at the University of Oregon that they�d one day return and compete at their old high school. The two Crater alums will be in the starting lineup at 7 tonight when the Ducks open their season with a Pac-10 Conference match against UC-Davis in the Comets� gym. Tickets are available at the door. They cost $5 for adults and $3 for students. Bringing a Division I match to a Southern Oregon community that doesn�t have a college is something that coaches at both Crater and Oregon have been trying to do for a couple of years. A similar arrangement for an Oregon-Stanford match didn�t pan out, but UC-Davis, located in Northern California, "was more than happy to meet Oregon here," says Crater coach Greg Haga. "It saves them about three hours of driving." The Ducks, too, are all for it. It promotes their program to the state�s hotbed of prep wrestlers and to fans who could readily jump on the freeway and head north to watch future matches. "This area of the state is so strong in wrestling," says Oregon coach Chuck Kearney. "We looked around for what high school programs get a great crowd base, and Crater and Eagle Point are probably the biggest draws of anyone in the state. "And with the number of Crater kids we have in the program now, it made it real natural to do it here." Lee, a two-time Pac-10 champion, was an All-American for placing fourth at 184 pounds at the national tournament. He�s ranked second in the nation by Intermat. Overstake went 22-11 as a freshman last year and is currently ranked second in the Pac-10 at 149. Other Southern Oregon products are waiting in the Ducks� wings. Jake Leair, from Grants Pass, will redshirt at 197 pounds after competing as a true freshman last season. Freshman Justin Godley, from Crater, becomes eligible at the end of fall term and will redshirt. Jason Harless, a sophomore from Bonanza, wrestles at 125. Matt Lee, Doug�s brother and a sophomore at 174, has left the program, perhaps temporarily, for personal reasons. Doug Lee and Overstake are eager to return home, says Kearney, and it�s a feeling shared by their teammates. "This isn�t Mac Court," says the coach, "but this is wrestling in front of people who care about the sport and who have an appreciation for the kind of work they put into it. "This team is close. They know they�re wrestling for their team leader and in his gym. They know Doug and Tony are excited about it, so they�re excited, too." Lee � 36-5 last year for the third highest win total in school history � will wrestle redshirt freshman Burak Pekin of the Aggies. It could be the start of a national-championship run. "He�s in a weight class where last year�s outstanding wrestler, Cael Sanderson from Iowa State, is returning, and that�s who Doug has been training to beat," says Kearney. "He looks at this as a real opportunity. He wants to be the guy who knocks him off." Overstake could emerge as the Pac-10 champ and a national placer, says Kearney. He faces junior Josh Sternberg. "Tony is one of those guys who is going to be a very good college wrestler because he wants to," says Kearney. "He trains as hard as anybody we�ve had in our program, and he�s made great improvements over the summer." Other Ducks to watch include Chael Sonnen, who redshirted last year while vying for an Olympic berth. He was fourth in his weight class at the Olympic Trials and is ranked third nationally at 197. Two others, Brian Watson at 133 and Eugene Harris at 157, made it to the NCAA tournament last year, and heavyweight Eric Webb won 22 of 35 matches. Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2000 Mail Tribune, Inc.