THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1997, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, February 2, 1997 TAG: 9702020257
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: C10 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY LEE TOLLIVER, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: NORFOLK LENGTH: 101 lines
Norfolk Academy turned ``Pinfest '97'' into its own championship showcase.
The Tidewater Conference of Independent Schools wrestling tournament Saturday at Norfolk Collegiate featured 127 pins in 153 bouts - a whopping 83 percent falls.
The Bulldogs took advantage, winning their fifth-straight TCIS title. Norfolk Academy also won five individual championships.
``Our kids really wrestled to their potential today,'' Bulldogs coach Dave Lindhjem said. ``We had some really young kids out there and they came through.''
Norfolk Academy easily defeated Norfolk Collegiate 311.5-242.5 even though the Oaks were supposed to give the defending champs a run for their money.
The battle never materialized, however, as Collegiate was without five of it's starters - three of them favorites to win titles.
Collegiate got a much-needed strong effort by the replacements and edged Catholic for second place by 19 points.
``I'm real pleased with coming in second,'' Oaks coach Mike Hage said. ``Very, very pleased. You have to be at full strength to even expect to have a chance at taking Academy.
``As is was, some of our younger kids really did a nice job for us considering.''
Ryan Ingram led the way for Norfolk Academy, taking his third-straight TCIS title. The two-time Virginia Independent Schools state champion junior moved up a weight class and went unbeaten in what coaches considered to be the toughest class in the event - 119 pounds.
``Nobody gave me a battle today,'' said Ingram, who recorded three pins, one technical fall and a 14-1 decision.
Teammate Leif Lindhjem did even better in winning his first TCIS title. The freshman son of the Bulldogs' head coach recorded five pins.
``It was easier than I thought it would be,'' he said. ``And I thought the team (competition) would be closer.''
Michael Harrison won his second title in a row, strangely at a much lighter weight class than last year. Harrison - known to his teammates as the ``Killer Tomato'' - won at 135 this year after taking the 160 class last year.
``And he's still dropping the pounds,'' Dave Lindhjem said.
Jamial Mausher won at 140 for Norfolk Academy, which also got a title from Ryan Law at heavyweight.
Despite depleted numbers, the Oaks got titles from Frank Thomas at 145 and Kevin Fields at 171.
``I know they weren't at full strength,'' Lindhjem said of Collegiate. ``They really took a hit this year and that hurts. Unfortunately, those are the breaks of the game.''
Aside from Academy's five titles, championships were spread evenly through the rest of the six-team field.
Catholic, Cape Henry and Peninsula Catholic each had two individual titleists, while Greenbrier Christian had one.
Scoring for Catholic were Joe Marconyak at 112 and Steve Bannat at 152. Cape Henry champs were Josh Thompson at 130 and Mark Kelley at 160. Peninsula winners were Shaun Conway at 125 and Mike Allen at 215. Heath Gibbs won the crown at 189 for Greenbrier's lone title.
In other matches: Great Bridge 71, Kellam 0: The No. 3 Wildcats swept every division, five by fall and four with technical falls. Bruce Fowler (No. 1, 119), Steve Sakis (No. 2, 145) and Bart Sawyer (No. 3, 135) recorded pins and Stacy Woodhouse (No. 1, 152), Brian Childress (No. 2, 112) and Eric Leonard (No. 3, 189) scored technical falls. Fowler also won by fall in a 52-24 victory over Hayfield to improve to 32-0.
Granby 73, Norview 6: Greg Long (145) registered a pin in his first varsity match as the Comets won every division contested. Andy Egloso (112), Felton Williams (135), Heath Cataulin (152) and James Boddie (160) also won by fall.
Maury 51, Norcom 27: Xavier Bell (No. 3, 145) won a 24-second fall and Jeff Firks (189) clinched the match with a third-period pin to lift the Commodores. DeLeon Joseph (112), Cory Jordan (119), Phillip Ferguson (140) and Nate Pauley (275) all registered pins.
Kempsville 58, Bayside 16: The No. 6 Chiefs grabbed a 36-0 lead by winning the first seven matches, three by fall. Kempsville also trounced Salem 61-6. The Chiefs' Brian Consolvo (103) and Jaymes Shackelford (171) scored pins in both matches. In a surprise, Bayside's John Fuller pinned formerly-ranked Kempsville heavyweight Donald Stakes. Fuller countered Stakes' upper-body throw and took the Chiefs' wrestler to his back with a headlock to record the fall in 1:28.
Lake Taylor 62, Wilson 1: Trailing 10-9 with five seconds to go in the bout, the No. 8 Titans' Brad Vera (130) employed a Granby roll to reverse Victor Jackson of Wilson, which had two points deducted for misconduct. Lake Taylor's Paul Jimenez (No. 1, 112) won a fall in 38 seconds and Brandon Wilson (160) also recorded a pin.
Bayside 39, Salem 27: Down 10-0 and 16-3, the Marlins took seven of the next 10 matches, including the final five, clinching on a first-period fall by Fuller. Cameron Michanowicz (189) registered a 21-second pin.
Booker T. Washington 45, Churchland 34: Detrell Wood scored a first-period fall in the decisive 189-pound match to lift the Bookers. Booker T. Washington's Duwyne Williams (171) also won a first-period pin to improve to 18-0. ILLUSTRATION: L. TODD SPENCER photo
Norfolk Academy's Ryan Ingram, on top, defeated Peninsula Catholic's
Brom Miller III Saturday in the 119-pound division of the Tidewater
Conference of Independent Schools wrestling tournament. Norfolk
Academy had five individual titles and swept to its fifth
consecutive TCIS team title. It was the third straight TCIS title
for Ingram, who moved up a weight class into what is considered the
conference's toughest division and went 5-0. Norfolk Collegiate
finished second.