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Phoenix looks to dominate at state meet By Don Hunt Phoenix High wrestling coach Harry Mondale did something in practice Monday that he rarely does: He cut the session short. "Our kids were tearing into each other so hard I was afraid somebody was going to get hurt," Mondale says. No one went home with anything more than a bloody nose or a bruised ego, but the message was clear: the Pirates are ready for the Class 3A state tournament. Skyline State Qualifiers 103 � Jason Nason, Henley; Kevin Cowley, Phoenix; Dustin Power, Mazama. 112 � Lyman Mason, Lakeview; Jeremy Marhenke, Illinois Valley; Keith Pedrick, Hidden Valley. 119 � Nick Minard, Rogue River; Vince Coppedge, Mazama; Chris Vote, Phoenix. 125 � Matt Britt, Illinois Valley; Jesse Clark, Phoenix; Ben Workman, Phoenix. 130 � Eddie Middleton, Illinois Valley; Josh Scott, Illinois Valley; Dan Patla, Lakeview. 135 � Tyler McCarty, Phoenix; Mike Pagnotta, Illinois Valley; C.J. Thompson, Lakeview. 140 � Jesse Camp, Illinois Valley; George Pearce, Phoenix; Jimmy Biggs, Rogue River. 145 � Brandon Sousa, Phoenix; Ryan Staten, Phoenix; Ryan Miller, Illinois Valley. 152 � Kyle Kaufman, Phoenix; Forest Jacobs, Phoenix; Mason Watter, Henley. 160 � Nick Acord, Phoenix; Matt Teeples, Mazama; Nick Singleton, Lakeview. 171 � Brian Murphy, Phoenix; Phoenix; Shawn Farrell, Phoenix; Ryan Emery, Illinois Valley. 189 � Brenden McLean, North Valley; Greg Brown, Phoenix; Jon Pope, Illinois Valley. 215 � Morgan McDonald, Mazama; Keanon Ferguson, Phoenix; Curt Strickland, Hidden Valley. 275 � Brandon Glasscock, Rogue River; Donald Lavenbarg, Hidden Valley; Brian Peterson, Mazama. The Pirates, who dominated the Skyline Conference district tournament last weekend, will send 15 wrestlers to the mat at Portland�s Memorial Coliseum when the opening round kicks off at 9:30 a.m. today. "I think we�re peaking at just the right time," Mondale says. "All indications are that these kids want to win this thing (a state championship) pretty bad." The Pirates expected to battle defending champion Cascade, Sweet Home, Coquille and Estacada for the championship. Phoenix went 17-1 in dual meets this season with its lone loss coming to Sweet Home at the Oregon Classic. The Pirates, who are ranked No. 1 among 3A schools in tournament competition, are seeking their seventh state title under Mondale and their first since claiming back-to-back crowns in 1995-96. District champions Tyler McCarty (135 pounds), Brandon Sousa (145) and Kyle Kaufman (152) are all expected to contend for individual titles. Sousa has posted a 29-1 record while Kaufman is 25-1 and McCarty 21-1. Mondale also has high hopes for 160-pound Nick Acord, who also won a district title last Saturday, and 171-pounders Brian Murphy and Shawn Farrell. Murphy was the talk of the Skyline tourney when he stunned top-seeded and No. 2-ranked Ryan Emery of Illinois Valley in the semifinals and then edged Farrell 6-4 in overtime to take home the Pirates� fifth individual title. "He�s gotten noticeably better just in the last couple of weeks," Mondale says of Murphy. "He might be the hardest worker in our (practice) room. He�s going to be a handful for anyone up there, and for that matter so is Farrell." Sousa, who finished runner-up at state last year despite losing his mother to cancer two days before the tournament, has dominated this season. His only loss was a 10-6 decision to Eagle Point�s Chet McBee at the Rogue Valley Classic in January, a month after a 5-3 win over McBee at the South Coast Classic. Sousa�s toughest competition could be teammate Ryan Staten, a junior who finished second to Sousa at district. "Staten is another kid who�s come on strong," Mondale says. Mondale sees Sweet Home, which qualified 16 wrestlers for the tournament, as the Pirates� greatest threat. "They�ve got a lot of tough kids," Mondale says. "They�ve definitely got our respect." Phoenix and Sweet Home meet twice in first-round matchups. Ben Workman of the Pirates tackles K.C. Stokes at 125 pounds and Phoenix�s Greg Brown takes on Matt Vassar at 189. Rogue River has two individual title threats in Nick Minard, who�s ranked second at 119, and heavyweight Brandon Glasscock, who�s ranked third. North Valley star Brenden McLean heads to the tourney with a 20-1 record and the No. 1 ranking at 189. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.