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Show v n- .- i K ' i f-- -': : ' -,v ' ' , ' s I -7 ! Ki I- I , . , , . iri!t j i Z '' ; -IP' '4 k INVOLVED By DAVE WIGHAM WOODS CROSS This week the wrestling squads from around the region will gather at Woods Cross for the annual region meet and two big reasons for the host team being one of the favorites are Jeff Lewis and Mark Tate. THE CATS, who also feature fea-ture defending state champion Jason Whitney, have proven throughout the season to be tough in both dual and tournament tourna-ment situations. Their only league dual loss came to West, a meet in which Whitney was absent due to an injury. Jeff wrestles in the 167 pound class and has gone unnoticed un-noticed by most people although he sports a perfect 20-0 20-0 record going into the region Even though an injury prevented him from wrestling last week Mark Tate was still very intense about his teammates. meet. A year ago Jeff won the region title as a junior and then placed fifth in the state meet, a finish he has a good reason for. "I WAS involved with a girl and we were having some problems. 1 just wasn't into wrestling mentally at state." Any problems with girls this season? "No. I don't go with just one." Wrestling came easy to Jeff since his father was a standout grappler at Granger. "We would wrestle all the time around the house." So as a freshman he took up the sport in the 145 pound class, then moved up each year and found himself in the 167 class. HIS COACHES noted his strengths are quickness and strength. He bench presses around 310 pounds, his record speaks for the quickness. Individually Indi-vidually Jeff would like a region re-gion and state crown on top of an undefeated season and very few can see anyone to stop him. Mark Tate has the unenviable unenvi-able task of taking on the big boys in the heavyweight division divi-sion but it doesn't seem to bother Mark. "I like to see the bigger guys look at me and think they have an easy match with a little guy. Then beat them." MARK ISN'T exactly what you would call little tipping the scales at 195 but at times he givesaway50pounds. "Idon't mind those guys taller than me. I can out-muscle some of them, but when I give away a lot of pounds and they know how to use their weight. 1 have trouble." Wrestling came the family route with Mark as well. He learned the hard way through his brothers. "1 was theirdum-my. theirdum-my. they used to practice on me. 1 took it up so 1 could know what moves to use on them to defend myself." The past few seasons Mark was in the 167 pound class, but as he puts it. "I decided to eat this year." He noted he had to lose 25 pounds last year. HIS ASSETS, like those of his teammate, are speed and strength. Mark holds the school record in the bench press with 385 pounds on the universal. He sports a 14-4 re- ' cord but suffered a neck injury a week ago -and is uncertaini about wrestling in region. The two of them feel their team has a good shot at the region team title, and the state. They both noted that they fell thay had a few members who could win the region titles in their weight. "Mark Jacobs hasn't lost in region. Curtis Knight has lost one. Jeff Olsen hasn't lost and then comes us and Jason." THEY WENT on to add that West would probably be their main concern although they warned not to count out Viewmont View-mont for the team title. Indeed with the likes of Chris Hansen. Kevin Ball. Blaine Rayl. Ken Carling. James Larkin. Kevin Freestone and Craig Cook, the Vikings could surprise a lot of people. Bountiful Coach Kim Peterson looks for good finishes from Dwight Griffin. Dave and Chris Merrill. The meet is Wednesday and Thursday at the Woods Cross gym. |
