South, East Are Again The Teams To Beat

BY BRYAN STRICKLAND
SALISBURY POST

When South Rowan wrestling coach Wayne Freeman first came onto the scene in 1993, he didn't think that much of the Rowan County Tournament.

But soon after his arrival, Freeman thought the better of it.

"When I first came here, I didn't really put a lot of stock in it," Freeman admitted. "But now I realize that it does bear a lot of weight.

"I've grown to adjust my thinking because it means a lot to the kids as far as how they're viewed in the area."

For the Raiders, it has mostly been a view from the top. This decade, South has won every county championship but one, when the Raiders finished second to East Rowan in 1996.

And East has never been far behind. Aside from their championship season, the Mustangs have been second every year since 1989.

"Obviously it's been South and East for a while," said East coach Barry Justus. "It's a pride thing."

Pride will be on the line - as will a handful of perfect records - when this year's tournament kicks off Saturday morning at 10 at South Rowan High School. The finals are expected to begin around 2 p.m.

Four of the county's five unbeaten wrestlers reside on those two teams. East is paced by unbeatens Steve Fox, Gavin Proctor and Danny Misenheimer, while South heavyweight Josh Boyd is yet to lose.

The county's other unbeaten is Salisbury sophomore Dwayne Coward.

"I think East has got the advantage," said Freeman, whose Raiders beat East by 30 1/2 points last season. "They have three kids who have done well at the national level. That's got to be an advantage."

But Justus, for one, isn't so sure.

"There are some kids at South that do some different types of moves," Justus said. "Those moves can get you in trouble, but they've worked against us.

"We've got to avoid getting stuck in their traps."

While East and South are thinking title, West Rowan, Salisbury and North Rowan are just hoping to break through. None of those schools have penetrated the top two this decade.

"It's going to be a fairly tough meet," said Salisbury coach Durwood Bynum, who was an assistant coach when the Hornets finished a strong third last season. "That's really what we've been preparing for the last three weeks, focusing on trying to make a name for ourselves.

"Like Rick Flair said, 'You've got to beat the man to be the man.'|"

Salisbury's best bets lie with Coward and with Chris Chinaka, who won the title at 152 last season.

West will pins its hopes on Scott Roby, who won the title at 135 last season, while North will look to Brian Hall and Justin Miller. The Cavaliers didn't win a county crown last season, but Hall was one of two North wrestlers to finish second.

"We've been on the bottom so long, we're just hoping to come up a notch or two," said North coach Tim Burns.

Tickets for the event are $5.