THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 26, 1995 TAG: 9502230153
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 15 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JEFF ZEIGLER, CORRESPONDENT
DATELINE: ELIZABETH CITY LENGTH: Medium: 53 lines
When Rob Eckerfield walked into Northeastern High School this past fall and told wrestling coach Herman Little he was a 3A state champion at 103 pounds in 1994, Little wasn't sure what to say.
``The first week of school he was sitting in the guidance office,'' Little said. ``It's something that rarely happens. Sometimes kids come in and they say things and it's not always true. When we started going to the tournaments, everybody knew him.''
If Eckerfield's word wasn't enough to convince Little, his 25-0 record certainly was.
Eckerfield, a 3A state champion in 1994 for Johnston County High School, transferred to Pasquotank County with his step-father for his senior year.
After wrestling through the regular season undefeated, he reached this weekend's state championships by winning the Eastern Regional title with a fall, a 3-0 decision, and a technical fall.
``It was pretty tough to transfer because I had a lot of friends and a lot of support,'' Eckerfield said. ``But I've made a lot of friends here and they make it a lot easier.''
Little calls Eckerfield a very dedicated individual.
``He's very focused. He runs every day and he attributes most of his success to his durability,'' Little said. ``It's also the repetition. He practices stuff over and over again.''
Eckerfield must stay dedicated to wrestle at an unnatural weight of 103 pounds.
``I started maintaining the weight a month before the wrestling season, and the only thing that keeps me going is the thought of the state championship,'' he said. ``I run every day and usually never eat breakfast or lunch. After practice I eat Healthy Choice cereal, a banana and some Gatorade.''
The training regimen and gain in durability have showed so far this season. Last year, Eckerfield had some close matches at the state level that he had to pull out at the end. In the quarterfinals he beat the favored wrestler with a last second escape in double overtime. In the semifinals, he won in the last minute. He won an 8-6 decision in the finals. This year, Eckerfield has had many quick wins.
``Almost every time out he's winning by pin or major decision,'' Little said.
Eckerfield said he has other interests outside of wrestling, but not right now.
``Right now there's not much else,'' he said. ``I'm totally concentrating on wrestling.'' by CNB