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M/CLOUDY Temp: 42 °F Wind: WNW at 3 mph Monday, March 3, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend February 13, 2003 Phoenix may be vulnerable at Skyline meet The Pirates have won seven straight titles heading into this weekend’s tournament By DON HUNT Mail Tribune CAVE JUNCTION — Conventional wisdom suggests the Phoenix Pirates are the team to beat at this weekend’s Skyline Conference district wrestling tournament at Illinois Valley High School. But logic leaves doubt. The Pirates have claimed the title 20 of the past 22 years, including the last seven, but they head to the tournament, set to kick off at 11 a.m. Friday, armed with just two seniors and four No. 1 seeds. If ever longtime nemesis and chief rival Illinois Valley was going to sink the Pirates, this is the year. But Cougars coach Jay Miller is leery, having watched Phoenix coach Harry Mondale work his magic over the years. "You can never count out Harry," Miller says. "Some years his teams don’t look that strong, but he’ll take a bunch of baby- faced, kind of wimpy-looking kids and by the end of the season they’re dominating. "You just know they’re going to come over here and fight to the very end." Illinois Valley beat Phoenix, 34-28, in a dual meet on Jan. 30, but last week the Pirates romped to a 48-25 victory over Mazama, which beat Illinois Valley earlier this season. Those three teams, along with North Valley, all have a legitimate shot at the district title. Mondale entered only 20 kids in the tournament, one fewer than Illinois Valley and three fewer than Mazama. But what the Pirates lack in quantity, they could overcome with quality. "It was very encouraging the way we handled Mazama last week," says Mondale, who has seven Class 3A state championships to go with his multitude of district crowns since taking over the Pirates’ program in 1969. "We’ve got a lot of young kids that some people would call rookies, but they’re not rookies anymore. "They’re still going to make some rookie mistakes, but if we keep those to a minimum then we could cause some trouble." The No. 1 seeds for the Pirates are Davy May (103), Anthony Broskey (112), Jack King (160) and Paul Stierle (189). Illinois Valley will counter with top seeds Zach Pagnotta (130), Matt Miller, (135) Matt Britt (140) and Mike Pagnotta (152). All four Cougar grapplers are nephews of their head coach. Phoenix will also take five No. 2 seeds into the tournament compared to just one for IV. The Pirates suffered a setback last week, however, when Stierle and 171-pound Tyler Jackson were denied requests to drop down a weight. Making weight wasn’t an issue for the two Pirates, but they failed to qualify for the minimum number of matches at their lower weights after a tournament at South Umpqua High School was canceled last weekend. Mondale had the pair weigh in at the Southern Oregon Conference district meet and filed an appeal to the Oregon School Activities Association, but it was denied earlier this week. "I felt the OSAA should have made a concession," Mondale says. "You never expect a tournament to be canceled." If the Phoenix setback helps Illinois Valley win its first-ever district title, coach Miller will take it. "It would mean a lot to our kids, but even more to all the people who have volunteered their time to make wrestling happen in our community," Miller says. But Miller knows better than to hoist a district banner on the gym wall just yet. Skyline Conference seeds 103 — 1, Davy May, Phoenix; 2, Jon Zimmerman, Hidden Valley; 3, Jimmy Linenberger, Mazama. 112 — 1, Anthony Broskey, Phoenix; 2, Jason Boatright, Mazama; 3, Sean Woodring, Rogue River. 119 — 1, Justin Cantrell, Henley; 2, Sam Green, Illinois Valley; 3, Josh Roberts, Lakeview. 125 — 1, Zach Giesen, North Valley; 2, Jaysen White, Hidden Valley; 3, John Hansen, Lakeview. 130 — 1, Zach Pagnotta, Illinois Valley; 2, Kevin Cowley, Phoenix; 3, Jeremy Marhenke, Illinois Valley. 135 — 1, Matt Miller, Illinois Valley; 2, Dustin Power, Mazama; 3, Grant Morrison, Lakeview. 140 — 1, Matt Britt, Illinois Valley; 2, Phil Gibson, Phoenix; 3, Tyler Conner, Mazama. 145 — 1, Pedro Rivera, Mazama; 2, Jon Rowden, Phoenix; 3, Mike Teeples, Mazama. 152 — 1, Mike Pagnotta, Illinois Valley; 2, Ricky Farrell, Phoenix; 3, Natty Krauss, Illinois Valley. 160 — 1, Jack King, Phoenix; 2, Ryan Reis, Mazama; 3, Josh Cutino, North Valley. 171 — 1, Mike Kuenstler, Rogue River; 2, Tyler Jackson, Phoenix; 3, Justin Nelson, Mazama. 189 — 1, Paul Stierle, Phoenix; 2, Brandon Rankin, North Valley; 3, Seth Morehouse, Mazama. 215 — 1, Trey McLean, North Valley; 2, Steven Keen, North Valley; 3, Isaac Gansberg, Mazama. 275 — 1, Skyler Massey, Mazama; 2, Aaron Lindsey, North Valley; 3, Ryan Vann, Rogue River. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S