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Raider wrestlers set for visit by Oregon ASHLAND -- If Southern Oregon University wrestling coach Mike Ritchey had his way, the Raiders would take on Oregon a couple of weeks from now, when SOU is at full strength. But the schedule-maker pits the two wrestling powers against one another Saturday night (7:30) at McNeal Pavilion. And the Raiders will simply have to make do. The two teams head into the dual meet with a common opponent: UC Davis. The Ducks clobbered the Aggies 38-6 in their opening match last Saturday in Eugene, while the Raiders lost to the California squad 26-18 on Nov. 24 in Redding, Calif. Oregon will be favored in virtually every match Saturday, much the same as a year ago when the Ducks walked off with a 37-4 victory. Still, the contest features some good matchups and marks the return of a couple of high school standouts from the Rogue Valley. The marquee individual matchup will come at 165 pounds, where SOU senior All-American Matt Armstrong is expected to meet Oregon's Dean Morgan. Armstrong is ranked No. 2 in his weight class at the NAIA level, while Morgan is ranked No. 13 at the NCAA level. Another highly anticipated matchup will come at 184, where SOU's Bill Wathen is expected to meet Oregon's Doug Lee. Wathen is ranked No. 3 at the NAIA level while Lee is No. 11 in the NCAA rankings. Lee is a former Crater High standout who finished second in the Pac-10 Conference meet and earned a berth in the NCAA national tournament as a freshman a year ago. Oregon is particularly tough in the upper weights. Along with Morgan and Lee, the Ducks boast sophomore 174-pounder Shawn O'Rourke, who made his presence felt against UC Davis by recording a takedown three seconds into the match; and Chael Sonnen, an All-American at 197 pounds who already has five falls this season and 28 for his college career, putting him No. 3 on the all-time Ducks list. Sonnen will likely go against SOU's Jamie Haddon, the No. 3-ranked NAIA wrestler at 197. Former Grants Pass High standout Darryl Christian will be in the Ducks' lineup at 157 pounds. SOU is still waiting for three of its top wrestlers to become eligible: sophomore Justin Thurman (133), junior college All-American Josh Morton (157) and Oregon State transfer Jason Gutches (174). All three become eligible on Jan. 1. Another Raider grappler -- senior All-American Chris Bettineski -- continues to rehabilitate a shoulder injury sustained last month against Oregon's David Watson in a tournament. Oregon is coached by Chuck Kearney, a former All-American with the Ducks who took over the program this season from longtime Oregon coach Ron Finley. Kearney was an assistant under Finley for 10 years. The Ducks have beaten SOU five straight times. The last Raider victory was a 19-15 decision in Eugene during the 1991-92 season. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1998, Medford,