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Let�s get ready to rumble Cam, Tibbetts see each other as likely rivals for district title By Don Hunt Off the mat, Eagle Point�s Blake Cam and Crater�s Ben Tibbetts are friends. The two heavyweight wrestlers got to know each other last summer when they were roommates and teammates for Club West, a youth all-star team that competed at a tournament in Las Vegas. But in wrestling circles, Eagle Point and Crater are like the Hatfields and the McCoys. They are bitter rivals through and through. Not only that, Cam has a couple of items that Tibbetts would dearly love to have in his possession, namely Southern Oregon Conference and state championships. The SOC district tournament kicks off Friday at 11 a.m. and continues Saturday at South Medford High. If the seeding charts hold true, Cam and Tibbetts will battle for the district heavyweight title Saturday night. And if the state rankings hold up, the same twosome will vie for the Class 4A state heavyweight championship on Feb. 24 at Memorial Coliseum in Portland. "Blake�s a nice guy and I wish him the best," Tibbetts says, "but not this weekend. It�s going to be all business on the mat." The 6-foot-1, 265-pound Cam hasn�t lost in more than a year. He�s 31-0 this season, including a pair of victories over Tibbetts. Tibbetts, 6-3 and 265 pounds, has posted a 26-4 record. He suffered losses to Montana and Oklahoma opponents at a 64-team tournament in Reno early this season, dropped a 3-0 decision to Cam at the Crater-Eagle Point dual meet in December and lost a 3-2 squeaker to his archrival at the Rogue Valley Championships last month. In their only other meeting, Cam edged Tibbetts 1-0 in the semifinals of the district tournament last season. Tibbetts hopes to make a breakthrough Saturday by becoming more aggressive and finding an opening in Cam�s heretofore indomitable defense. "I�m going to push him and push him and see if I can get him tired," Tibbetts says. "I haven�t been very aggressive in the past when I�ve wrestled him, but I know that�s the only way I can beat him." What makes Cam so talented is his combination of athleticism and wrestling knowledge. He was a good basketball player in middle school and was a first-team all-conference defensive tackle for the Eagles� football team last fall. He is being recruited in both wrestling and football. Cam also comes from strong lineage. His father, Brian, finished fourth at the state wrestling tournament while his uncle, Phil, was a state champion in wrestling and an all-state lineman in football. Phil Cam went on to star at Portland State in both sports. "He�s very quick and very powerful," Crater coach Greg Haga says of Blake Cam. "And he�s smart. He knows what he�s doing out there." Cam is also motivated to complete an unbeaten season and secure a second state title, something his uncle never accomplished. "You�re kind of a marked man the second time through, so winning it again would be pretty special," Cam says. "I know I�m better than I was last year but it�s still a tough road to go down because everyone is out to beat the state champion." Cam adds that both he and Tibbetts have improved. "He�s definitely gotten better," Cam says. "He keeps his balance real well and he�s hard to score on. "My biggest need for improvement was wrestling on my feet, and I think I�ve gotten better in that area. "We�ll just roll the dice this weekend and see what happens. I know I�m ready." Tibbetts, who finished fourth at the state tournament in 2000, spent much of the off-season working on his moves and technique. He won the state freestyle heavyweight championship last spring and continued to wrestle during the summer and fall months, often grappling against Haga on the weekends. Cam, meanwhile, skipped the freestyle and Greco Roman seasons, and was on the football field in late summer. But until knocked from his perch atop the heavyweight ladder, Cam remains the man to beat. 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.