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63 °F Forecast | Road Cams Friday, March 18, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend February 4, 2005 Crater�s Charlie Alexander, right, practices against Crater High grad and current Southern Oregon University standoutTaylor Wilkerson on Thursday. Mail Tribune / Roy Musitelli Hard-charging heavyweight Crater’s Charlie Alexander is looking to help Crater claim another district crown this weekend By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Small heavyweight. The term sounds like an oxymoron, but it aptly describes Crater High wrestler Charlie Alexander. At 5-foot-9 and 230 pounds, Alexander is several inches shorter and 30 to 45 pounds lighter than the typical heavyweight he steps into the ring against. But that hasn’t stopped the hard-working junior from excelling. Advertisement Alexander will be one of four top-seeded grapplers for the No. 1-ranked and defending state champion Comets when they take the mat today at the Southern Oregon Conference district tournament at Klamath Union High in Klamath Falls. The two-day meet kicks off at 11 a.m. today and continues Saturday at 11, with the championship finals scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Saturday. Alexander has ascended to a No. 2 state ranking at heavyweight while posting a 29-3 record. That’s quite an improvement from last season, when, as a 215-pound sophomore, he went 20-12 and failed to place at the Class 4A state tournament. "He’s a year older, a little more mature and quite a bit stronger," says Crater coach Greg Haga of Alexander. "He took his share of lumps last year but now he’s the one doling them out. "In practice, Charlie’s an in-your-face, beat-on-your-head wrestler. He’s going to attack you, and he carries that mental toughness into his matches." Alexander’s only three losses came at the Reno Tournament of Champions in December. That tournament is considered the best in the nation and Alexander didn’t fare poorly, going 5-3 and taking sixth place. More recently, he won titles at the Crater Classic and Reser’s Tournament of Champions in Hillsboro. "I think being shorter helps me get underneath guys and get better position," says Alexander. "I’m usually giving up some weight, but I think I’m just as strong as most guys and I can out-quick them." Unlike many heavyweights who prefer to lock heads in the middle of the mat, Alexander prefers to circle the surface and shoot in for single-leg takedowns. He’ll then use his strength — he can bench-press 295 pounds and squat 500 — to tilt his foes and pin them. Alexander is taking nothing for granted at the SOC meet, however. North Medford’s Tim Endecott is ranked third and Eagle Point’s Tyler Cam sixth. "I’ve beaten both those guys this year but I’m not going to get overconfident," says Alexander. "Strange things happen at district tournaments." Besides Alexander, Crater’s other No. 1 seeds are Chase Maloney (160), Ron Lee (189) and Cody Clark (215). The Comets also boast four No. 2 seeds, three No. 3 seeds and two No. 4 seeds. The top three finishers from each weight class advance to the 4A state tournament, which will be contested Feb. 17-19 at Portland’s Memorial Coliseum. "We’re hoping for anything over 10," says Haga, meaning the number of wrestlers he’d like to qualify for the big dance up north. Roseburg leaned on its superior second-line wrestlers to edge the Comets by 6½ points at last year’s district tournament, but the Indians have lost much of that firepower to graduation. Nonetheless, coach Steve Lander always has his troops on a roll this time of year. Top seeds for the Indians, who were third at last year’s state meet to the Comets, are 119-pound Trevor Lofstedt and 130-pound Jake Spears. "We’re motivated to take that (district title) back," Alexander says. "It’s been talked about in practice." North Medford’s Josh Smith (152) and Chris Platt (171) will attempt to live up to their No. 1 seeds, as will South Medford’s Juan Aguilar (103) and Chris Helman (135). SOC District Seeds 103 — 1, Juan Aguilar, South Medford; 2, Kerey Crinklaw, Roseburg; 3, Zack Kezer, Crater; 4, Mitchell Lofstedt, Roseburg. 112 — 1, Tyler Baker, Grants Pass; 2, Jake Vizzini, Crater; 3, Sirgeo Jefferson, Klamath Union; 4, Aaron Suggs, Roseburg. 119 — 1, Trevor Lofstedt, Roseburg; 2, Tyler Weathers, Crater; 3, Jon Ulrey, North Medford; 4, Jerry DeBoer, South Medford. 125 — 1, Randy Pershall, Eagle Point; 2, Jake Wilton, Roseburg; 3, Tyler Stewart, Grants Pass; 4, Bryon Kezer, Crater. 130 — 1, Jake Spears, Roseburg; 2, Richard Alves, Grants Pass; 3, Luke Matthews, Roseburg; 4, Devon Mauck, Crater. 135 — 1, Chris Helman, South Medford; 2, Seth Hernandez, South Medford; 3, Nick Hamilton, Eagle Point; 4, Tyler Moug, Roseburg. 140 — 1, Eric Sedivy, Grants Pass; 2, Travis Harvey, South Medford; 3, Darwin Durchanek, Roseburg; 4, Ricky Fletes, Eagle Point. 145 — 1, Chris Hotch, Grants Pass; 2, Jake McCoy, Eagle Point; 3, Jon Bernhardt, Crater; 4, Dustin Bryson, Roseburg. 152 — 1, Josh Smith, North Medford; 2, Dan Swift, South Medford; 3, Tanner Marval, Grants Pass; 4, Brandon Price, Eagle Point. 160 — 1, Chase Maloney, Crater; 2, Ryan Folsom, North Medford; 3, Mike Moberly, Crater; 4, Garrett McGraw, Roseburg. 171 — 1, Chris Platt, North Medford; 2, Collin Brooks, Crater; 3, Dennis Orvis, Eagle Point; 4, John Forrester, Roseburg. 189 — 1, Ron Lee, Crater; 2, Chris Robertson, Crater, 3, Eli Peterson, Roseburg; 4, Justin Clark, Eagle Point. 215 — 1, Cody Clark, Crater; 2, Joe Smith, Roseburg; 3, Tyler Dungey, Grants Pass; 4, Jason Troxel, Roseburg. 275 — 1, Charlie Alexander, Crater; 2, Tyler Cam, Eagle Point; 3, Tim Endecott, North Medford; 4, Steve Gaither, Klamath Union. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s