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by Lloyd Combs
Sports Reporter
Grundy
won its final tuneups for the post-season,
caping the
regular season with two two dual meet
victories
Thursday at Richlands High School.
The
Golden Wave defeated Blacksburg, 42-12, and topped
the host Blue
Tornado, 52-24, at Richlands High
School.
The win
over Richlands gave Grundy a sweep through
regular season
action in the Southwest District. The
Golden Wave
will be after their 24th consecutive SWD
tournament
crown this week (Wednesday) at Riverview
Elementary-Middle
School.
Grundy
only lost a couple of matches on the mats
Thursday. One
of them came at 189 pounds, where the
state's
second-ranked wrestler at that weight, Joey
Phillips, held
off Grundy standout Josh Lee to earn a
10-5 decision.
Lee and
most of the Wave contingent earned wins
against
Richlands, including Jerami Bartley, who
returned from
an injury to win a pair of decisions
Thursday at
160 pounds.
Thursday
was the closest Grundy has come to fielding a
complete
lineup in weeks.
"Having
Jerami Bartley back in the lineup really
helped,"
Grundy coach Travis Fiser said. "Having
Jerami and
Sage Lester, two guys who’d been out a
while, back
out there gave us a lift.
"Jerami
looked good. We're finally getting a team
together and I
think it showed."
Billy
Owens pinned both his opponents at 103 pounds
for the Golden
Wave. Josh Ratliff did likewise at 215
pounds. Josh
McCowan won both his matches by tech
fall.
For more of the story, see the print
edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.
For more information on how to subscribe to the Mountaineer,
call 276-935-2123 today.
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Grundy
Heavily Favored to Win 24th Consecutive SWD Wrestling Title
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by
Lloyd Combs
Sports Reporter
Grundy
is heavily favored to win its 24th consecutive
Southwest
District wrestling tournament championship
at
home Wednesday.
The
Golden Wave was scheduled to host the SWD tourney
yesterday
(Wednesday) starting around 5:00 p.m. at
Riverview
Elementary-Middle School.
A
couple of former district champs decided not to
wrestle
before the season started and Grundy lost
another
after the season began. The lineup was also
hurt
by a recent rash of injuries, sending the Golden
Wave
to a couple of dual meet defeats.
Grundy
should, however, field a nearly full lineup in
the
post-season. Among those returning from injuries
are
former state qualifiers Jerami Bartley at 160
pounds
and Kaleb Smith at 145 pounds.
"It's
great to have all the guys back," Grundy coach
Travis
Fiser said. "Kaleb has been wrestling now for a
few
days. He’s ready to go.
"It's
going to be nice. We've got 13 guys now. We look
pretty
strong and we should be a good tournament
team."
Bartley
is one of five defending SWD champs, a list
that
includes Jarrett Landis (135 pounds), Josh
McCowan
(152), Josh Lee (189) and Andy Stiltner
(Hwt.).
McCowan and Lee will be looking for their
third
straight district crowns, while Morgan Owens
will
be after his second SWD title. The junior won a
title
as a freshman in 2005.
Landis,
Bartley, Ratliff and Stiltner are the only
seniors
on an otherwise young Golden Wave squad.
"Our
seniors have done a good job," Fiser added.
"Those
four guys have been good leaders on this team."
The
Region IV wrestling tournament is Feb 23-24 at
Magna
Vista High School in Ridgeway, Va. The Group AA
state
tournament is March 2 and 3 at Salem.
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For more of the story, see the print
edition of the Mountaineer, on sale at newsstands now.
For more information on how to subscribe to the Mountaineer,
call 276-935-2123 today.
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