THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 29, 1994 TAG: 9412290558
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C7 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: CHESAPEAKE LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
Great Bridge put on yet another display of its top-to-bottom team strength and took a giant step towards its fifth consecutive Hornet Holiday Classic tournament title Wednesday at Deep Creek.
The Wildcats racked up 184 1/2 points, 55 more than second-place Paulsboro (N.J.). And with seven Great Bridge wrestlers in the finals and other potential point-scorers lurking in the back draws, the Wildcats will be nearly impossible to catch from behind.
But while this level of wrestling from the four-time Group AAA champions has become something of a given, the opening day of the Classic was more notable for the performances of several elite performers who took turns electrifying the Deep Creek crowd with awe-inspiring efforts.
No one did this better than Western Branch's Ike Tucker. The top-ranked 152-pounder nicknamed ``The Flash'' used his lightning quickness to pin Tallwood's Danny Achurra in 56 seconds and Paulsboro's George Wilson in 46 seconds.
Wilson, a powerful wrestler on the mat, had shown considerable toughness in pulling out an 11-7 victory over Great Bridge's second-ranked Christian Basnight in the quarterfinals. But he never had a chance against Tucker, who took him down three times before rolling him up.
``This was probably my most prized pin,'' said Tucker, who has won 15 of his 17 matches by either pin or technical fall. ``I thought he'd take me the whole six minutes.''
Tucker will face Poquoson's Forrest Holloway in the 152-pound final Thursday. Holloway, who placed fourth in the Group AA state tournament a year ago, advanced by pinning Rock Hill's Shawn Petties in 5:39.
Another wrestler who performed every bit as well as advertised was Cary's 145-pounder Joel Dramis, a defending North Carolina state champion. Dramis barely worked up a sweat in posting first-period pins over Deep Creek's Shawn Langley and Tallwood's Lamont Mosley and has now won all 16 of his matches this season and 61 of 62 over the past two years.
Next up for Dramis is Western Branch's top-ranked Sean Sanderlin, one of the most improved wrestlers in the area.
Some top wrestlers have standards all their own, however. Deep Creek's top-ranked Ryan Baker stormed off the mat in anger after an otherwise impressive 4:40 pin of Gloucester's dangerous Martin Lenhardt in the 171-pound semifinal.
Baker will take on Kempsville's Kris Poston, who scored some revenge by outlasting Great Bridge's Joey Guth, 3-1. Two weeks ago, Guth shot down Poston in the semifinals of the Newport News Invitational.
``I used more technique this time,'' Poston said.
In other finals, Western Branch's Lee Butler, making his debut at 103 pounds, wrestles Great Bridge's Aaron Anton; Tallwood's top-ranked Mike Mercado faces Great Bridge's Bruce Fowler at 112; Great Bridge's top-ranked Jimmy Hawthorne squares off against Gloucester's Joey Legg at 119; Great Bridge's Carl Perry goes against First Colonial's Jeff Bernd at 125; Cary's Ethan Jarvis meets Paulsboro's Mike Robostello at 130; Great Bridge's Aaron Beatson takes on Deep Creek's David Gwaltney at 135; Paulsboro's Jason Brown faces Gloucester's Beau Dickerson at 140; Great Bridge's Billy Allred meets Princess Anne's Bobby Julian at 171; Poquoson's Jimmy Jones wrestles Great Bridge's Josh Fannon at 189 and Paulsboro's Jermaine Ruffin takes on First Colonial's Pat McDowell at 275.
The tournament resumes today with consolation matches at noon. The finals are set for 7 p.m. by CNB