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Phoenix reloads for another title run By JOE ZAVALA for the Mail Tribune PHOENIX - Harry Mondale is in trouble. The longtime Phoenix wrestling coach has led Phoenix to seven state titles over the past 32 years and 19 Skyline Conference titles over the past 21 years, but right now, sitting in his plaque-stuffed office, he's facing perhaps his most daunting task yet: comparing this season's Phoenix squad to the rest of the conference without cracking a smile. "Well, I think that we'll probably hang in there with the rest of the conference," he says. Yes, the Pirates will hang in there just fine. The real question is, will anybody be able to hang with them? Most of the other Skyline coaches don't think so. Though Phoenix edged Illinois Valley 49-43 in a preseason coaches poll, only one coach felt IV had a legitimate shot at beating the Pirates for either the dual-meet title or the district-meet title, and it wasn't Cougars' coach Jay Miller. Phoenix won last year's district meet handily over second-place Illinois Valley, then went on to take the state title with a meet-record 190 points. With three top-four state placers and a handful of other state qualifiers back, the Pirates could duplicate that feat this season. "Potentially, we could be just as well off as we were last year," Mondale says. The football season ran longer than usual, the result of a first-round state playoff game, and that pushed back a little the development of Mondale's unit. "We do have a lot of work ahead of us," he says, "but you know, provided things go as we would like for them to go, we could be in the ballpark, and we could be in the hunt again for that state title, and that's all we really care about." Leading the way for the Pirates will be 189-pounder Greg Brown, 171-pounder Brian Murphy and 145-pounder Ryan Staten. Brown, a senior, lost in the 189-pound championship match last season to Abe Ewing of Banks after taking second in the Skyline district meet. His main competition locally will be Brenden McLean of North Valley. McLean won a 9-4 decision over Brown in last year's district championship match, then took fifth at state. Brown says he won't be denied this season. "I'm going to take the title this year," he says. "I've been pushing myself hard, and that's what I'm looking forward to. That's the only thing I'll settle for." Murphy finished strong last season, upsetting Illinois Valley's Ryan Emery on his way to a district title, then beating Emery again at state in the third-fourth-place match. Staten, a senior, took second in last year's district tournament and fourth at state. According to Staten, a Phoenix repeat will require a few big performances out of the youngsters on the team. "I think we have the potential to win state, we just have a lot of freshmen that need to step it up for the season," he says. Helping solidify the Pirates' lineup will be returners Nick Acord (171), George Pearce (140), Chris Vote (130), Ben Workman (125) and Kevin Cowley (119). Illinois Valley, the sixth-place team at state last season, might be good enough to challenge the Pirates come February. The Cougars have 12 returning lettermen and eight returning starters, including four state placers. Sophomore Mike Pagnotta (145 or 152), junior Matt Britt (140), senior Jon Pope (215) and sophomore Jeremy Marhenke (125) should lead the way. Pagnotta, Britt and Pope took fifth, fifth and seventh, respectively, at state last year, and Marhenke grabbed second at district. The Cougars did lose four state placers, however, and Miller, the conference coach of the year, says bringing down the Pirates might be too much to ask. "They have the No. 1 coach in the state," Miller says of Mondale. "I don't know what his secret is. I'm studying him." Mazama, Hidden Valley and North Valley will also have several wrestlers in the hunt for state berths. Mazama returns eight starters from last season's third place team, including 171-pound senior Matt Teeples and senior heavyweight Brian Peterson. Hidden Valley, which took fourth at district last season, will also have eight starters back. Top returnees for the Mustangs include 125-pound senior Keith Pedrick, 215-pound senior Curt Strickland and 103-pound sophomore Jon Zimmerman. Pedrick went to state as a 112-pounder last year but didn't place, while Strickland was injured last year and Zimmerman saw only limited action. With seven starters coming back, including McLean, North Valley may also challenge for a top-three finish. Henley, Lakeview and Rogue River finished sixth, seventh and eighth, respectively, in the coaches poll, but the coaches of those three teams are hoping for a middle-of-the-pack finish. Henley has eight returning starters, Lakeview has four returning starters and Rogue River has a good crop of sophomores. The Skyline Conference dual meet season doesn't begin until January, but already there's no doubt that the Pirates are the team to beat. "I don't think it's that we're that much better, I think it's that we've got more depth and we might do different things," Murphy says. "We have a different technique and philosophy of wrestling. I think that's what separates us from the rest of the conference; a little bit more guys and a little bit different technique. "We have the tradition behind us that we all strive to be better than last year." Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.