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Photo by Jim Craven Crater 160-pound senior wrestler Matt Lee has developed a killer instinct this year that has left opponents thoroughly beaten. He doesn't give any Lee(way) Crater standout is 29-0 as mat district nears By DON HUNT CENTRAL POINT -- In the span of one year, Matt Lee has progressed from a state contender in his weight class to one of the top wrestlers at any weight. Determined to capture a state championship in this, his senior year, Lee has posted a 29-0 record with 20 falls. The Crater High coaches thought their 160-pound grappling phenom might be in for a tussle at the Hillsboro tournament two weeks ago when Lee tangled with No. 4-ranked Brandon Dieni of Glencoe. But faster than you can say wham, bam, slam, Dieni went down for the count. That fall was one of 14 straight Lee has put into the books entering this weekend's Southern Oregon Conference district meet at North Medford High. The tournament begins at 10 a.m. Friday and continues through Saturday. "I really only have one thing on my mind right now and that's winning a state championship," Lee says. "It's something I've been working towards for four years, and now I feel as though it's within my grasp." Lee, a younger brother of former two-time state champion Doug Lee, has been a solid performer for the Comets. He's been a district placer since his freshman year and he finished third at the state meet in 1998. The potential for matching the greatness of his brother has always been there, Crater coach Greg Haga says. All that was missing was a killer instinct. "There were times last year when guys would be within three or four points of Matt in the third period and I'd be thinking, `Matt, you should be blowing this guy out of the water,"' Haga says. "He just wasn't as aggressive or as ornery as he could have been. "This year, he doesn't want anyone close to him. He's attacking people from the get-go and staying on them until the job is done. "He's ratcheted up his intensity level about five notches." The dominance Matt Lee has shown this year inevitably fosters comparisons to Doug, who now competes for the University of Oregon. Doug Lee combined cat-like quickness with brute strength to win three district titles, two state championships and amass 130 victories, the most ever by a high school wrestler in Oregon. Competing in the 185-pound class, Doug Lee went 32-0 with 24 falls during his senior season. "Doug was incredibly powerful and explosive, and he could just bury a guy in seconds," Haga says. "Matt is wrestling a couple of weight classes lower, and so he's naturally not as strong, but he's gotten to be a lot more physical this year." The main difference between the two can be found in their styles. Whereas Doug Lee sent foes airborne with his high crotch maneuver, Matt Lee has a more diversified attack. "I need to mix it up more to be successful," says the younger Lee, who doesn't mind the comparisons. "I wanted to do what Doug did (win two state championships), but now it's too late for that. Hopefully, I can match what he did his senior year." Matt Lee has two other older brothers who also wrestled at Crater, and his younger brother, Ronnie, is tearing up the youth league. If there's one obstacle that could get in the way of Matt Lee this season, it's the scale. He has twice failed to make weight, including last Thursday's dual match against archrival Eagle Point. Considering that he's trimming about 20 pounds from his normal weight of 180, it's easy to understand the struggle Matt Lee goes through each week to make weight. And the scale is the only place he'll accept losing. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford,