University of Virginia Library

Grapplers Eye Title Friday

Wrestling is a sport set worlds
apart from all others. It is a sport
which demands intense individual
sacrifice and 24 hour a day
consideration. For the wrestler, the
in-season life centers around blood,
sweat and bruises, counting calories,
eating salad without dressing
and little more, and owning your
very own set of scales.

There exists the constant battle
to balance weight loss and strength,
for dropping weight quickly results
in an inevitable and deadly drop in
stamina. Moderation, even in victory
celebrations, is of paramount
importance; for unlike the normal
athlete who will be able to "sweat
off Saturday night on Tuesday
afternoon," the wrestler must at all
times during the season (even
Saturday night) maintain a precise
inventory of every one of his
precious ounces.

In years past, the Virginia
wrestler picked and chose which of
the above attributes he would apply
to himself. And missing out on
Saturday night's festivities rarely
entered his mind. The approach in
those days was lax; recruiting was
haphazard if it existed at all.
Mediocrity in the ACC was condoned
and accepted.

Three years ago a little man
named Mike Caruso reversed the
trend. Caruso, fresh from Lehigh
with three NCAA championships to
his credit, made his intentions
abundantly clear when he announced
that his goal was to bring
Virginia an ACC championship in
the only sport he knew existed:
wrestling.

Caruso was responsible for creating
the first well conditioned team
Virginia had seen. However, in
implementing this program of
rigorous physical conditioning, he
over-emphasized its importance
drastically, and failed to take into
consideration the effects that such
a radical change would have on the
team members.

These effects were soon obvious,
as a squad of 45 dwindled to 11 or
12 within a matter of weeks. The
team he inherited simply was not
used to such an approach to a
minor sport at the University. Its
disintegration came as the direct
result of Caruso's failure to realize
that the worlds of his wrestlers did
not center exclusively around
wrestling. He left for Lehigh after
the unsuccessful conclusion of his
first season.

George Edwards then arrived on
the scene to face the unenviable
task of picking up the pieced of
Caruso's program. And by all
evidences, he has done just this in
the remarkably short span of two
seasons. For as any of his team
members will testify, Coach
Edwards has the unique quality
which sets a good coach apart from
just a coach. He seems to be able to
inspire the tremendous sacrifices
which wrestling demands without
compromising the team's integrity
though his own distinctive brand of
enthusiasm.

Friday night in Memorial Gym
he will be endeavoring to accomplish
what Caruso set out to do:
capture threat elusive ACC
Wrestling Championship. Maryland,
perennial wrestling powerhouse in
the conference will be the opponent
(or victim, as you may choose).
A Virginia victory will be an upset,
but far from a remote one.

In many ways, the efforts of Mr.
Edwards and his charges are all on
the line. For this is the match that
the wrestlers have been pointing to
throughout the long campaign.

Maryland has eight losses, but
six of those losses came at the
hands of teams in the nation's top
ten. Their tie with Michigan
(ranked number 15) is not easily
dismissed, and the Terp in conference
record is unblemished. In fact,
Maryland has never lose a dual
match in the history of the ACC
dating back to 1954.

At 118, Kim Hatcher will be
kicking off the fracas for the
Cavaliers against the Terps.
Hatcher, a first-year man, sports a
9-4 record on the season and will
battle Mulligan, last year's ACC
champ.

John Pitas (12-2) will face
Baker, a former ACC champ and
one of Maryland's best at 126.
Coach Edwards teams Pitas "vastly
improved over last year," when
Baker decisioned him decisively.
This will be a close one.

Shelly Zablow's opponent at
134 has not yet been named. The
former two time Virginia state
champion sports a 12-2 mark, and
is well known for his speed and
takedown ability. A win here is a
must.

Co-captain John Pegues (10-2)
faces Talbert, the man he
decisioned last year for the ACC
title at 142. Pegues has been slowed
lately with a shoulder injury, but
nevertheless is counted for a win.

First-year man Wayne Hoffman
takes on Maryland's best, Captain
Curt Callahan, in the 150 bout
Coach Edwards rates Hoffman's
chances good if he is able to avoid
Callahan's strength advantage and
work with finesse.

In a critical match, Lynn
Housner battles Harry Griffiths at
158. Housner is deceptively strong,
and the chances for a win by the
first-year man here are rated good.

Kevin Michaels, who doubles as
a football cornerback, takes on Pat
McCall at 167. Both have lost to a
common opponent from N.C.
State. Michaels concentrates on
offense, while McCall likes defense.
A toss-up.

Co-captain Ted Moore (6-2) will
pit finesse against Pat Tommey's
strength at 177. Moore has
sufficiently recovered from an early
season injury; his experience should
help.

Paul Boehm at 190 faces
Hanzlett, a relative unknown.
Boehm has really come on, with
pins in the last two matches to up
his record to 10-4. A win is
imperative here.

In the battle of the bruisers, Bill
Farrell, first-year man and former
Pa. Catholic League champ, takes
on Reid. The outcome of the entire
match may come down to this
bout.

Memorial Gym 7:30 p.m.,
Friday night. Be there.