Yellow Jackets send several wrestlers to today's state tourney

By Nick BirdsongStar Sports Writer
02-07-2008

Put-up or shut-up time begins now for local wrestlers.
The Alabama High School Athletics Association will begin the 2008 State Wrestling Tournament today at the Von Braun Center in Huntsville with Class 6A preliminaries and first round consolation matches scheduled to begin today.

For Oxford, the lone class 6A school from the Star's coverage area, the tourney provides the opportunity for a most unique opportunity at redemption. The Yellow Jackets qualified 11 wrestlers for last year's state tournament and walked away without a champion. This year, they've qualified the same number, with nine of the 11 being seniors.

"We've got just as many as anybody else in the state," said third-year Oxford coach Matt Thompson. "But it all boils down to how many of your guys can score. You may take 13, but if only eight of your guys can score then it really doesn't matter."
The Yellow Jackets began two-a-day practices in the morning and in the afternoon shortly after the Calhoun County tournament a couple of weeks ago in hopes of reaching their peak at the best time possible.

"We're wrestling pretty well," Thompson said. "In sectionals, we lost some pretty close matches. (The two-a-days) allowed us to have a few extra chances to put the extra, finishing touches on some things and work out some problem areas that we may have had." Thompson said last year's Oxford team suffered from dear in the headlights syndrome, as many of them lacked experience on the state's highest stage. With so many seniors representing the school this year, Thompson hopes that won't be the case this season.

"The majority of these guys have qualified before," Thompson said. "Some of these guys have improved from year-to-year. They've wrestled over the summer and they've just had natural improvement that comes with a year's time."

Freshman Eric Lee (105 pounds) and junior Dillon Chase (127) are the only underclassmen on the roster.

Nevertheless, Thompson said, only one thing will produce a better outcome than last season is a moment-by-moment focus from the second they hit the mats today.

"From a focus standpoint, you've got to take it one match at a time," Thompson said. "There aren't going to be any easy matches. All of these guys have earned the right to be here and qualified. You're probably going to go six minutes."

In addition to Lee and Chase, among the seniors Oxord will be sending are Dan Futral (137), Nathan Sherman (121), Miles Chamblee (132), Lee Lynch (147), Jerry Cooper (154), Chandler Tyree (189), Robert Sparks (217), and Lorenzo Stanley (287).

Competition in Class 1A-4A begins Friday. Locally, Piedmont, Saks, Weaver and Wellborn —which has won the last two state championships —will be participating. Wellborn's roster features one state champion from last season in eighth-grader Dalton Carroll (103), who won the state title in 2007 as a seventh grader.