THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, February 23, 1996 TAG: 9602220126
SECTION: VIRGINIA BEACH BEACON PAGE: 22 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 52 lines
The Beach District reaffirmed its reputation as Virginia's most competitive wrestling district Monday with stirring individual and team showdowns during the snow-delayed district tournament at Ocean Lakes.
Regular-season champion Tallwood prevailed in the team race, but needed a supreme final-round effort to hold off defending champion Cox. Five of the Lions' eight finalists - Mike Mercado (112), Andre Kemp (152), Joe Kerr (160), Chris Brashers (171) and Mike Mooney (215) - gave Tallwood 254 points. Cox, with three champions, took second with 242.
``Winning the (team) title was very important to us,'' said Brashers, who downed Cox' Mohammad Youssoffi in overtime in the championship round. ``I know it was on all of our minds when we were out there.''
The Brashers-Youssoffi bout was one of three Tallwood-Cox head-to-head finals. The Falcons took the other two, as Cox' Brad Pond nipped Winston Escalante, 6-4, in overtime at 103 and Jeff Kramer outdueled Andy Pittman, 4-2, at 140.
The competitiveness of the matches was evidenced by the fact that three of the finals went to overtime and three others were decided by two points or less.
Tallwood and Cox each qualified 10 wrestlers for the Eastern Region tournament, which began Thursday at Churchland. Total regional qualifiers from other league teams: First Colonial (8), Ocean Lakes and Princess Anne (6), Kempsville and Kellam (4), Salem and Green Run (3), Bayside (2).
Ocean Lakes, which finished fourth overall, also had tournament-high four wrestlers who lost in the consolation semifinals, one step from qualifying for regionals.
The tournament began Friday, but a snowstorm forced matches to be suspended after the 189-pound quarterfinals. The threat of icy conditions caused tournament officials to postpone all matches Saturday. That made Monday a virtual wrestling festival, when 135 bouts were contested.
State champion Mike Mercado, who defended his 112-pound title with a first-period pin over First Colonial's Kyle Magyar to notch career victory No. 116, was named the tournament's most outstanding wrestler. ILLUSTRATION: Graphic
Beach Champs
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by CNB