Mustangs Romp To Wrestling Title

BY DAVID SHAW
FOR THE SALISBURY POST

Jeremy Teague emerged as the brightest new star in East Rowan's wrestling constellation Saturday afternoon.

On a team well-stocked with sparkling performers, the unadvertised 135-pound sophomore did the unexpected at the Rowan County championship meet - he stole the show.

"With the people we have on this team, it's tough to get noticed," Teague said after the Mustangs totaled 192 points and captured their second county title in three years. "Between Steve, Gavin and Danny, you don't hear too much about me. I'm just here."

He was there to receive the Most Outstanding Wrestler award after pulling off the tournament's most-shocking upset. In a grueling performance, Teague held on for a 15-13 victory over previously-unbeaten Dwayne Coward of Salisbury in the 135 final.

"Last year Jeremy got muscled around," coach Barry Justus said after East crowned six weight class champions and outscored host South (161), North (109), Salisbury (98) and West (61). "But now he's starting to wrestle smart like those other guys. He's doing what he needs to do to be successful on the mat."

Teague (13-2) may have beaten Coward (11-1) at his own rumble-tumble game. But instead of initiating attacks he stayed low, wrestled defensively and repeatedly frustrated Coward. "He's very strong," said Teague. "So I was just trying to stay in good position and let him come to me. When he tried to bully me, I tried to catch him off balance and take him wherever he was going. I let him do the work."

Teague employed that strategy to grab an 8-2 first-period lead and extended it to 13-6 after two. In the third, Coward - the top seed and a state runnerup last season - used two takedowns, a near fall and an escape to make it close.

"I think Jeremy got tired and picked up his stance in the third period," said Justus. "Coward just about threw him on his back four or five times, but Jeremy held out. Both those guys like to muscle people."

East teammates Clint Tucker (119), Steve Fox (140), Gavin Proctor (160), Blake Abernathy (215) and Danny Misenheimer (Hwt) each recorded pins to win their weight classes. Fox (14-0) and Misenheimer (13-0) earned their third consecutive titles while Proctor (15-0), a state runnerup for Kannapolis last winter, remained unbeaten.

Defending champ South had five champions, including repeat winners Keith Garrett at 125 and Joel Reyes at 189. Garrett used a takedown 17 seconds into overtime to beat East's Adam Lambert, 11-9, in a feverish bout. And Reyes improved to 11-2 when he pinned North's Justin Miller in 2:17.

"The guys in the finals did great," disappointed coach Wayne Freeman said after South won six of seven championship-round matches. "If everyone had wrestled the whole tournament like that, it may have been different. We had a lot of kids not using their heads."

Freeman felt his team was hurt most in the semifinals, where

South had seven wrestlers eliminated. Although five of them rebounded to earn third-place points, he was anything but pleased.

"Where we needed it, we didn't get it," he said. "You don't win this tournament with your best kids. You win it with average guys who do something unexpected."

Guys like Jeremy Teague.

"He was really good last year," Misenheimer said after pinning South's Josh Boyd (11-1) in 1:40. "All he lacked was confidence. But we took care of him. We kind of pounded on him a lot last year, trying to toughen him up. But this year, whenever we picked on him he picked back. He's one of us now."

NOTES: Other South champions were Gaven Mize (130), Grady Christie (152) and Dale Eidson (171). ... North junior Brian Hall used three third-period takedowns to beat West freshman Brandon Hiatt, 8-5, in the 112 final. ... Salisbury's Brandon Russo recorded two pins to take the 103 title, including a final-round win over top-seeded David Meza of East. ... West's lone champion was sophomore Scott Robie (145), who pinned North's Bobby Rhodes in 4:56. Teammate Chris Jackson failed to make weight at 140 and did not participate.

Team Scores: East Rowan 192, South Rowan 161, North Rowan 109, Salisbury 98, West Rowan 61.

Championship Finals

103-Russo (Sal) p. Meza (ER), 1:18. 112-Hall (NR) d. Hiatt (WR), 8-5. 119-Tucker (ER) p. Carter (SR), 0:51. 125-Garrett (SR) d. Lambert (ER), 11-9 ot. 130-Mize (SR) p. McCarty (WR), 1:40. 135- Teague (ER) d. Coward (Sal), 15-13. 140-Fox (ER) p. Davis (NR), 1:45. 145-Robie (WR) p. Rhodes (NR), 4:56. 152-Christie (SR) p. Shinn (ER), 1:03. 160-Proctor (ER) p. Chinaka (Sal), 2:43. 171- Eidson (SR) p. Gruber (NR), 1:41. 189-Reyes (SR) p. Miller (NR), 2:17. 215-Abernathy (ER) p. Redmon (NR), 1:17. Hwt-Misenheimer (ER) p. Boyd (SR), 1:40.

Consolation Finals

103-Helms (SR) p. Walton (NR), 2:16. 112-Grubb (SR) won by default. 119-Cole (Sal) won by default.

125-Most (Sal) won by default. 130-Freeman (ER) won by default. 135-McKnight (SR) p. Cauble (NR), 0:47. 140-Slone (SR) won by default. 145-Adams (ER) d. Kluttz (Sal), 6-5. 152-May (Sal) p. Rimer (NR), 4:26. 160- Garmon (SR) p. Mowery (NR), 2:26. 171-Walton (ER) p. Walker (Sal), 2:30.

189-King (ER) p. Olavaris (Sal), 1:52. 215-Mundy (WR) d. Jones (Sal), 7-6. Hwt-Hestwood (NR) p. Ingram (WR), 3:53.

Junior Varsity Champions

103-James Hobson (Sal). 112-Joseph Elmore (ER). 125-Willie Hosch (Sal). 130-Denario Robinson (Sal). 135-Jerry Castor (SR). 145- Duane Herman (SR). 152-Ryan Jacobs (SR). 160-James Barbee (NR). 171-Brandon Doby (NR). 189-Derek Finley (WR). 215-Chris Waller (NR). Hwt-Patrick Gaddy (SR).