–The Wrestling Mat - by Joe Shively
15 November 2007Opinions, rumors, etc. around the local wrestling scene
by Joe Shively, Sr.
shivelywrestlinghq@yahoo.com
Wrestling: The MAC is back!
ASHEVILLE – November 15, 2007 - It’s that time of year again! The days are short, the nights are cold, and Thanksgiving is just a few days away. Inside most high schools across the country, wrestlers are rolling their mats out and warming up for practice.
This year looks to be the most exciting year for the MAC Conference wrestlers in recent history as parity rears it’s ugly head for the first time in several years.
Enka, the local wrestling powerhouse of the last 4 years, should win the conference once again, but…. the other teams will definitely make things interesting. Look for Tuscola and North Buncombe to be a serious threat, with Roberson and Erwin a close second. Asheville and Franklin, two perennial football powers, will probably continue to concentrate their efforts on football and not wrestling…
As is usually the case for this time of year, most coaches are still refining the team as far as who will wrestle at what weight, but here are a few preseason guesses as to who will make a big impact this year:
103: Most of the previous year’s wrestlers have gotten bigger, and that usually means moving one to two weight classes up. That’s the case again this year, and the only returning 103 pounder, Erwin’s Jack (CJ) Chandler, should rule the roost. Things should get interesting if North Buncombe fields the same freshman 103 pounder I saw at a tournament last spring, though. Also, will Asheville’s Jacob Katz return as a 103?
112: Sawyer McLamb, a tough freshman at Erwin will try to make a run at Enka’s 11th grader Daniel Maffuci and North Buncombe’s Curtis Geyer.
119: Who will end up here? Enka may have the upper hand here as they have several wrestlers at this weight. Juniors Colton Waugh and Brent Thomas are both tough and very evenly matched. North Buncombe’s Trevor Roberts could dominate if he wrestles here, but don’t count out Erwin’s Cruz Muro. If Roberson’s Mikey McFalls wrestles at 119 he could really mix things up.
125: Who will be here? Possibilities include both Mikey McFalls and Cody Sprowles from Roberson, Enka’s Daniel Ownbey, and North Buncombe’s Trevor Roberts. Ownbey should dominate here.
130: Another hotly contested weight: Roberson’s Sprowles will be tough here as will Enka’s Joe Shively.
135: Enka’s Vic Golden looks unbeatable here, but, Tuscola might make a splash. Last year’s freshman David Atwood will be back at 135 or 140. He should be very tough this year whichever weight he wrestles.
140, 145: Erwin has two seniors here to watch for, Philip McGee and Edgar Jiminez. North Buncombe will throw in junior Justin Rice. Who will Tuscola, TC, and Enka bring to the table?
152: Enka’s Justin Guthrie. End of subject.
160: Enka has several tough kids here, who will start is anyone’s guess. North Buncombe and Tuscola should be tough here as well.
171: Erwin’s Hunter Scott looked VERY solid this summer at a few off season tournaments I saw him at. He should dominate. Watch out for North Buncombe and Tuscola here, though.
189: This is up for grabs. Word around the mats is that Erwin has a tough move-in from Colorado here. Tuscola and North Buncombe have tough big guys as well. Senior Hunter Bennett from Enka should make some serious noise here, too. What about Josh Gossett? He may wrestle 215 but if he wrestles 189 again, lookout. Last years football standout and state champ at 189 pounds will tear through the local competition.
215: Josh Gossett? A cakewalk for him if he wrestles here. Other tough wrestlers are Asheville’s Darius Roberts, and Enka’s Daniel Jarvis, who wrestled most of last year at 285. North Buncombe might be strong here as well with Josh Burchfield.
285: It may came down to North Buncombe’s Andy Burleson or Enka’s Matt Brock.
Well, that’s all for now.
Feel free to send me any wrestling info to: shivelywrestlinghq@yahoo.com
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