Document text
Crater, EP look for titles Eagle Point�s Chet McBee, top, comes into today�s state tournament as the No. 1 seed at 145 pounds. By Kris Henry Heavy is the head that wears the crown � unless you�re talking about the Crater wrestling team. The Comets head into the Class 4A state tournament a marked squad as they strive for a fourth straight championship, yet Greg Haga�s troops are remarkably calm about the ordeal that begins today and runs through Saturday in Portland. "We�re just hoping for a trophy," says Haga. "Just to be in the hunt is kind of awesome, especially if this is a rebuilding year." The Crater coach�s words are partially tongue-in-cheek considering the way the season has gone. SOC State Qualifiers CRATER (16) � Cody Ponder, fr., 103; Nate Gipson, so., 112; Jason Licato, jr., 119; Dustin Anders, sr., 125; Brandon Anders, jr., 130; Jeremy McLaughlin, so., 135; Josh King, jr., 135; Bob Pool, sr., 140; Rudy Ramirez, jr., 145; Levi Wisdom, sr., 152; Shane Webster, sr., 171; Covey Baack, sr., 171; Justin Samples, sr., 189; Aaron Harleman, sr., 215; Ben Tibbetts, sr., 275; Chris Dearmon, jr., 275. EAGLE POINT (13) � Justin Sheile, so., 103; Joe Lewis, jr., 112; Andrew Larsen, so., 119; Justin Winner, sr., 125; Morgan Edenstrom, jr., 130; John Gallo, sr., 140; Jason Adams, jr., 140; Chet McBee, sr., 145; Darek Smith, sr., 152; Victor Shelton, jr., 160; James Mannenbach, sr., 171; Jake Philips, jr., 189; Blake Cam, sr., 275. NORTH MEDFORD (1) � Norris Bier, sr., 215. SOUTH MEDFORD (1) � Rob Swearingen, jr., 160. ROSEBURG (5) � Seth Thomas, fr., 112; John Peckham, jr., 119; Brian Walker, jr., 125; Levi Thomas, jr., 160; Josh Watson, jr., 215. GRANTS PASS (4) � Mike Watts, sr., 130; Joey Rossknecht, jr., 135; Trevor Knight, jr., 145; Jarrod Miller, jr., 152. KLAMATH UNION (2) � Dean Cornelison, jr, 103; Dave Trujillo, sr., 189. Minus a few marquee names other than Shane Webster at 171 pounds and Ben Tibbetts (275), the Comets were an unknown commodity heading into the season. With chief rival Eagle Point returning the brunt of its lineup, including state placers Blake Cam (275), Chet McBee (145), James Mannenbach (171) and Justin Winner (103), the Eagles were the trendy pick throughout Oregon for a district and state championship. A funny thing happened along the way, however, as Crater simply got better and better each week. The Comets quietly claimed the Rogue Valley Classic title and then reclaimed the Crater Classic title from Sprague in January. The most notable crown earned by Crater came a week later when the Comets won the Hillsboro Tournament, which historically has foreshadowed standings at the state tournament. Everything came to a head two weeks ago when the Comets easily won their fifth straight Southern Oregon Conference title � and 10th in 12 years � and advanced a state-best 16 wrestlers to this week�s tourney. But in the team rankings heading into the state meet, Crater stands third behind top-ranked Hermiston and Crook County. West Linn is fourth and Eagle Point is tied for fifth with Canby. "Heck we�ve been ranked 10th all year so I don�t know how much that�s going to matter," Haga says of the perceived lack of respect for his Comets. "I just think people have counted us out this year. If we don�t wrestle well it won�t matter. But if we wrestle well we can contend with anybody." Eagle Point coach Brad McBee is more than willing to pin the favorite status on Crater to win the 4A title. "It�s their state tournament to lose," says McBee. "They�re the ones who have won three in a row and until someone beats them, they�re the state champions." The one caveat to McBee�s endorsement is his Eagles are confident they can be the ones to dethrone Crater. With 13 wrestlers headed to state, including seven district champions, Eagle Point certainly has the quality and quantity to make things exciting for the Southern Oregon contingent. "The bottom line is the one that carries the most importance and the one you hang your hat on is the last one and that�s the state championship," says McBee, whose team did not attend the aforementioned Hillsboro Tournament. "District championships are great and that�s always a goal, but a district championship means a lot more if you�re not competing for the state championship." Of the top-10 teams in the state, Haga and McBee agree that any one of those teams could come out on top once the dust has settled Saturday at Memorial Coliseum. Fourth-ranked West Linn boasts 13 state wrestlers, with eighth-ranked Oregon City bringing 12. Top-ranked Hermiston and seventh-ranked Newberg each have 11, while fifth-ranked Canby and 10th-ranked Sprague each have 10. Second-ranked Crook County and ninth-ranked Redmond will bring nine to the state meet. "I think of those teams, whoever has a good weekend can win it," says McBee. "Every one of those teams has enough firepower to win a state championship." Crater�s firepower begins with Webster, who is vying to become Crater�s first-ever three-time state champion. The senior is 119-2 over the past three seasons and has already signed to compete at the University of Oregon. Even though he�s the top-ranked wrestler in the nation at his weight, Webster is seeded second at the state tournament to Mannenbach of Eagle Point since Webster moved up in weight to 171 and Mannenbach took third last year at 171. The only other Comet seeded at the state meet is Tibbetts, who is No. 2 at heavyweight behind defending champion Cam from Eagle Point. Besides Mannenbach and Cam, the Eagles have a third No. 1 seed in Chet McBee at 145. The younger McBee has also signed to compete at Oregon. "We�re looking tough," says Chet McBee. "I think we�re ready to make a run for it." Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.