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Show Woods Gross Loaded With Wrestling Talent By DAVE WIGHAM WOODS CROSS Wrestling coaches usually have a rough time evaluating their team this early in the season but when one has seven people returning that placed high in the region meet the previous year it becomes a little easier to predict. SUCH IS the case with the Woods Cross wrestling club, a club that was young a year ago but one that is experienced and powerful this season. Besides the high finish in the region meet Coach Steel also has four grapplers back that placed in the top six at the state meet including a state champion. A COUPLE of weeks ago the Cats went head to head with a strong Davis club with both coaches noting that it would go a long way in determining deter-mining just how strong the two teams were. Woods Cross came away with a 25-24 victory vic-tory in that meet which indicates in-dicates their strength. Heading the list is defending defend-ing state champion Jason Whitney who returns to defend his title in the 185 pound class. To sum up Jason according to other coaches would be to say he is a purebred. He has everything a wrestler would need, strength, knowledge and dedication. His own goal this season is to have an undefeated season and be a two-time state champion but would also like to see the team place high. ANOTHER strong candidate can-didate for state honors will be in the 167 class with senior Jeff Lewis. Jeff is a defending region champion and also placed fifth in the state a year ago. A hard worker who often goes unnoticed to some but never to opposing coaches. "True Whitney is their best but that Lewis kid can wrestle too," noted one coach. The Cats are also strong in the 138 pound division where Curtis Knight returns for his senior season following a junior year that included a third place finish at state. Studentbody president, Mark Jacobs, returns at 112. He placed third in region and sixth in state a year ago. SENIORS JEFF Olsen and " Mark Tate give the Cats a : great pair at 145 and heavyweight. Olsen returns to r improve on last year's fifth ' place in region while Tate will wrestle the big boys in the top class following a fifth place ': region finish as a junior. The -other returning region; finisher is Richard Hatch who was fourth in the 126 class. Other wrestlers who should place high are seniors Cal Robbins and Marty Tippits ', who go after each other in ;' practice to decide the 155 ; class. Sophomore Trent Overton, younger brother of past state champion Todd, goes at 98. junior Todd Schwendiman is at 119 and : Todd Gale, a junior transfer from West High, is at 132. Junior Henry Mortensen and sophomore Mike Jordan have both seen action in the 105 class. MOST wrestling clubs can go through the season unnoticed unno-ticed with not much said about them. The word is out on the Cats though. That word is loaded! They are considered con-sidered by most as the team ' to beat in the region, with a strong move at the state meet. |