THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, December 28, 1994 TAG: 9412280554
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Short : 40 lines
The 14th annual Deep Creek Hornet Holiday Classic, perennially the area's strongest individual tournament, kicks off with another star-studded field today at 10 a.m. at Deep Creek.
The field features 29 wrestlers ranked in The Virginian-Pilot and The Ledger-Star's poll, including nine who are ranked No. 1. The teams are led by four-time defending tournament and Group AAA state champion Great Bridge, South Carolina power Rock Hill and New Jersey heavyweight Paulboro.
``This is one of the premier tournaments on the East Coast, and it has our toughest lineup ever,'' Deep Creek coach and tournament director Steve Culpepper said.
Group AA runner-up Poquoson and Deep Creek, First Colonial, Gloucester, Kempsville, Princess Anne, Tallwood, Western Branch and Cary (N.C.) round out the 12-team field.
Cary, located in Raleigh, finished second in the North Carolina 4A tournament last year and is led by Joel Dramis (145 pounds), the defending state champion, who is 14-0 this season and has won 59 of his last 60 matches.
Dramis figures to be tested by Western Branch's unbeaten Shawn Sanderlin (top-ranked in the area at 145) and Great Bridge's Michael Harper (3rd at 145).
Another potential matchup worth watching could come at 152, where Western Branch's dynamic Byron Tucker (top-ranked and unbeaten) could tangle with Poquoson's Forest Holloway, who placed fourth in the Group AA state tournament last season.
And at 125, Great Bridge's unbeaten Carl Perry, second in the Group AAA tournament last year, could run into Poquoson's unbeaten Eddie Keaton, the 1994 Group AA runner-up last season. by CNB