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Eagle Point, Crater stand to dominate tourney By Don Hunt It�s no secret to anyone affiliated with high school wrestling that Crater and Eagle Point will be the two teams battling for the Southern Oregon Conference district championship this weekend at South Medford High. After all, the Comets have won it four straight times and nine of the past 11, while Eagle Point has triumphed the other two times. The question is, can the Eagles soar to their first district crown since 1996? At least on paper, the answer is yes. Eagle Point comes in with six No. 1 seeds compared to four for Crater. Each squad has six No. 2 seeds. "I think it�s Eagle Point�s tournament to lose," Crater coach Greg Haga says. "They�ve got a little better depth than we do this year and their top kids are real solid." The tourney kicks off at 11 a.m. Friday and picks up at 11 a.m. Saturday with the championship round semifinals. The championship finals are expected to begin about 5:45 p.m. Saturday. The lower weights could tell the tale. Each squad has two top seeds in the first four weight divisions, with the other school seeded second or third. If the seeding holds up, the Comets and Eagles will meet in the championship matches at 103, 112, 125, 140, 152, 171 and 275. Eagle Point�s top seeds are Joe Lewis (112), Andrew Larsen (119), John Gallo (140), Chet McBee (145), Tyson Nelson (160) and Blake Cam (275), while Crater�s top guns are Cody Ponder (103), Dustin Anders (125), Levi Wisdom (152) and Shane Webster (171). The district tourney will also serve as a dress rehearsal of sorts for the Class 4A state tourney Feb. 22-24 in Portland. The top three finishers at each weight class will advance. "We�d like to get 10 to 12 up there and I�m sure they�re looking at 16 or 17," says Haga, whose Comets have won the state title the past three years. North Medford�s lone top seed is 215-pound Norris Bier. SOC District Tournament Seeds 103 � 1, Cody Ponder, Crater. 2, Justin Sheile, Eagle Point. 3, Dean Cornelison, Klamath Union. 4, Kevin Beavers, Roseburg. 5, Nick Alexander, Eagle Point. 6, Evan Norris, South Medford. 112 � 1, Joe Lewis, Eagle Point. 2, Nate Gipson, Crater. 3, Seth Thomas, Roseburg. 4, Jeremy Firestone, Crater. 5, Joel Hood, Grants Pass. 6, Sylvan Ulrey, North Medford. 119 � 1, Andrew Larsen, Eagle Point. 2, John Peckham, Roseburg. 3, Jason Licato, Crater. 4, Kyle Marci, Crater. 5, Zack Steddum, Grants Pass. 6, Ian Rasmssen, South Medford. 125 � 1, Dustin Anders, Crater. 2, Justin Winner, Eagle Point. 3, Wes Hunt, Crater. 4, Brian Walker, Roseburg. 5, Jacob Leonardo, Eagle Point. 6, Tyler Spears, Roseburg. 130 � 1, Grant Cannon, Grants Pass. 2, Mike Watts, Grants Pass. 3, Morgan Edenstrom, Eagle Point. 4, Brandon Anders, Crater. 5, Mat Jacobson, Roseburg. 6, Clancy Finchum, Crater. 135 � 1, Joey Rossknecht, Grants Pass. 2, Jeremy McLaughlin, Crater. 3, Matt McCoy, South Medford. 4, Brandon Cordell, Roseburg. 5, Brian Hays, Eagle Point. 6, Nick Kezer, Eagle Point. 140 � 1, John Gallo, Eagle Point. 2, Bob Pool, Crater. 3, Joel Oiler, Roseburg. 4, Jimmy Ulrey, North Medford. 5, Josh Wilder, Crater. 6, Jason Adams, Eagle Point. 145 � 1, Chet McBee, Eagle Point. 2, Christian Mannenbach, Eagle Point. 3, Trevor Knight, Grants Pass. 4, Rudy Ramirez, Crater. 5, Novie Bier, North Medford. 6, Jordan Godley, Crater. 152 � 1, Levi Wisdom, Crater. 2, Darek Smith, Eagle Point. 3, Jarrod Miller, Grants Pass. 4, Nick Shaffer, Roseburg. 5, Elijah Blessing, Ashland. 6, Rob Folsom, North Medford. 160 � 1, Tyson Nelson, Eagle Point. 2, Victor Shelton, Eagle Point. 3, Levi Thomas, Roseburg. 4, Dominic Rodriguez, Klamath Union. 5, Rob Swearingen, South Medford. 6, Brian Mahoney, Klamath Union. 171 � 1, Shane Webster, Crater. 2, James Mannenbach, Eagle Point. 3, Covey Baack, Crater. 4, Robert Kincaid, Klamath Union. 5, Kevin O�Shea, South Medford. 6, Brian Alves, Grants Pass. 189 � 1, Dave Trujillo, Klamath Union. 2, Justin Samples, Crater. 3, Jake Phillips, Eagle Point. 4, Robbie Konieczny, Grants Pass. 5, James MacCormack, Ashland. 6, Rick Webb, Grants Pass. 215 � 1, Norris Bier, North Medford. 2, Aaron Harleman, Crater. 3, Cody Parker, Roseburg. 4, Randy Stepp, Eagle Point. 5, Cody Engbrecht, Crater. 6, Terry Brown, Grants Pass. 275 � 1, Blake Cam, Eagle Point. 2, Ben Tibbetts, Crater. 3, Willie Kingry, Roseburg. 4, Chris Dearmon, Crater. 5, Nick Smith, North Medford. 6, David Folsom, Roseburg. 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.