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Wrestlers brace for Oregon Classic By DON HUNT Winning the Oregon Classic may not be as impressive as winning the state wrestling tournament, but the champion certainly will have earned some midseason bragging rights. Most of the top Class 4A wrestling teams in Oregon will converge in a dual-meet format at Memorial Coliseum in Portland Friday and Saturday to determine the unofficial dual meet state champion. The tourney kicks off at 8 a.m. both days. Top squads at the Class 3A and 2A levels will also participate. No. 1-ranked Crater and No. 2 Newberg headline the 20-team contingent in the 4A ranks, but No. 3 Crook County, No. 4 Eagle Point and No. 5 Sprague will also take the mats. The Comets will attempt to make amends for last weekend, when they were knocked off by Sprague at the Crater Classic. Coach Greg Haga has put his team through some grueling three-hour practices this week in preparation. "We're trying to get our intensity back," Haga says. "The emphasis in practice has been to get tougher. We worked on a lot of situations where we wrestled hard for 20 seconds -- stop and go drills and stuff like that. "At this point I think the kids are anxious to get out of the practice room and into a tournament." If all goes according to form, Crater will advance into one semifinal against Sprague, while Newberg will advance into the other semifinal against Eagle Point. Newberg, however, could have its hands full in the quarterfinals when the Tigers are expected to match up against Crook County. The winners of the semifinal matches will meet in the championship match Saturday, with the losers vying for third place. Crater has shown some vulnerability at the lower weights, but Haga hopes to overcome it by shifting around his starting lineup. "We've got some young kids down there (lower weights) who are taking some lumps, but at the same time getting better," Haga says. "The great thing about wrestling is, you can hardly win a match all year and then get your act together at district and make it to the state meet. "But right now Sprague has our number at eight weights (among the 14 weight classes). We need to shake things up and see if we can manufacture another win or two." If the Comets can stay close early, then their bigger grapplers should take care of business. Shane Webster is unbeaten (23-0) and ranked No. 1 at 160 pounds, Tanner Hillyer is No. 5 at 171, Scott Toney No. 2 at 189, Anders Vetch No. 1 at 215 and Austin Etchison No. 4 at heavyweight. Haga is also hopeful that defending state champion Morgan Hawkins, who got pinned by Sprague's Chris Mortenson last week, can return to form. Mortenson is the top-ranked wrestler at 130 pounds while Hawkins, who is recovering from a broken hand, is No. 2. "Morgan only has five matches under his belt all season," Haga says. "More than anything, he just needs some mat time." Eagle Point, meanwhile, heads to Portland with a lot of confidence. The Eagles gave Newberg a run for its money at a dual-meet tourney last month, losing 36-24, and has come on strong under first-year coach Brad McBee. "It should be a fun experience," McBee says, "but more importantly it's going to give our kids some experience against the best teams in the state and in the same building where the state tournament is going to be held." Junior Blake Cam leads the Eagles with a 24-0 record and the No. 1 ranking in the heavyweight division. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, OR U.S.A.