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Palmer, Cobb, Adams gain PSHOF Special Achievement Award honors
By LES GILES
Globe-News Sports Writer 1/28/2000
Three athletes from varied backgrounds made their mark in 1999 by capturing national or world championships in vastly different areas of competition.
Pampa's Wendell Palmer won an age group national title in a pentathlon event last summer; Caprock's Tori Adams won a national championship in girls wrestling and former Tascosa High standout Ty Cobb has won national and world powerlifting championships over the last three years.
For their efforts, each will be honored with special achievement awards at the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame ceremonies on Feb. 6 at Amarillo College's Ordway Auditorium.
Pampa's Palmer has been an outstanding competitor in senior weight competitions for more than 15 years, and last year the former high school track coach won the 65-69 age group in the National Masters Weight Pentathlon at Greeley, Colo. in June. He currently holds world records in the shot put (44-5) and discus (176-11) for his age group.
Adams made her mark last year in wrestling at the national level.
She won five matches to capture the 149-pound division in the National Girls Wrestling Association National Championships at Lake Orion, Mich. in March.
Former Tascosa High standout Ty Cobb, who just turned 24 late last year, has won world titles the last two years in the 308-pound division in power lifting. He won in 1998 in Austria and last December at Las Vegas, where he totaled 1,969 pounds in three events (the squat, bench and dead lift).
Competitors are allowed three lifts in each, with the best one used for the final total.
In that last world competition, Cobb had a 724-pound squat, a 529-pound bench press and a 716-pound dead lift.
"I don't think I have a weak event," he said. "I've tried to be good in all of them. Often, a competitor will be a lot better in a particular event. I've tried to be well-rounded in all of them."
Cobb said he would probably take this year off from national and world competitions.
"Over the last few years, it seems like all I've done is train for one after another.
"My ultimate goal is to lift more than anyone has (for those three events). The record is over 2,400 pounds. I'd like to reach 2150 this year."
In five events last summer, the 67-year-old Palmer racked up 4,723 points to beat former Dallas Cowboys strength coach Bob Ward (4,634).
In the competition, he threw the hammer 130-8; the shot 42-6; the discus 167-3; the javelin 116-0 and a 20-pound weighted handle 45-1.
"I hadn't competed in a pentathlon in about 10 years," Palmer said. "Usually, it's hard to get off work (he still teaches science at Pampa High) for the competitions.
"I'm still able to practice the events here at home. I don't throw all five of them consistently, because it puts a lot of strain on my arm."
This year, Palmer will defend the pentathlon title at Pampa in September.
He received the Phil Partridge Award, which goes to the top two men and women during the pentathlon.
In late August, Palmer won the shot and discus events at a national masters track and field meet in Florida. He threw the shot 43-10 and the discus 166-1.
He also won the state meet in the Dallas area in July.
This is the third time Palmer has been recognized by the PSHOF for his efforts. He was honored in 1989, 1996 and this year.
Adams, a senior, was voted the most valuable wrestler after pinning four of five opponents at the national meet last March. It was the fourth time she was named the outstanding performer of an event - capturing the honor at the University Interscholastic League District 5, Region I and state tournaments.
In January of '99, she won all five matches and set a tournament record for pinning an opponent in 13 seconds at the R.L. Turner Classic in Dallas.
She had finished third at the same national championship in 1998, before winning a year later.
"Winning at the national tournament, and getting the outstanding wrestler award was the highlight of my year," she said. "I had worked hard to win at nationals. Getting the other award was kind of a surprise."
After this school year Adams said she plans to attend college where she expects to continue her wrestling career.
"I haven't decided where I'll attend college," she said. "Right now, the best possibilities might be Missouri, Minnesota or Kentucky.
"In the future, I'd like to try for the Olympics in 2004. That is certainly a goal.
"Being recognized by the Panhandle Sports Hall of Fame is a big honor," she said. "It's nice to be included, and the fact they are recognizing girls' wrestling makes it that much nicer." PALMER COBB
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Sam Houston girls successfully defend wrestling title
01/30/2000
By Rick Kretzschmar / Special Contributor to the Arlington Morning News
GRAPEVINE - While he was coaching the Sam Houston girls wrestling team on Saturday, Roy Shultz was taking pictures of his team in action. When those pictures are developed, they will show that his team is still worthy of being called state champions, but they will also show that another team is closing ground.
Those pictures will also reflect one of the best duals in the brief history of girls high school wrestling in Texas. Sam Houston wrestled Amarillo Palo Duro to a 30-30 draw at Grapevine High School, but the Lady Texans were declared the winner of the dual by the third tiebreaker, having more pins by a 5-3 margin. The win clinched a repeat state championship for Sam Houston at the 1999-2000 Texas State Dual Wrestling Championships, before approximately 750 spectators.
Also on Saturday, in the boys division, two Arlington teams placed in the top eight with Martin finishing sixth and Arlington High finishing seventh. Highland Park (23-0), the defending individual state champion, successfully defended its dual state championship title with a 38-22 win over Canyon Randall in the championship dual.
The Sam Houston girls (9-0) had to forfeit their first two weight classes in all four of their duals on Saturday, but the hole wasn't a problem until the Palo Duro dual. However, Sam Houston won four of its first five matches, with Laquienta Crenshaw getting a second-period pin on Cory Davis in her first day of wrestling after serving a three-week suspension for academic ineligibility.
Brandi Killingsworth's first-period pin on Leah Ramirez at 185 pounds clinched the win, although there was a five-minute argument between Sam Houston and Palo Duro coaches and the officials about who was the winner after the dual. Sam Houston is also the defending individual tournament state champions.
"I've had it come to wins by fall in tiebreakers before, and we gave them 12 points anyway," Shultz said. "But we will be studying film on Monday because some of us looked sluggish. I think this is inspiration for the individual state tournament."
Cathy Cotter, who went 4-0 at 110 pounds for Sam Houston, said Palo Duro provided a couple surprises and inspiration before their dual, and some inspiration for the future.
"We were surprised to see an ex-teammate with them (Juanita McCampbell), although she didn't wrestle. Palo Duro also talked a little trash before we went on a break," Cotter said. "I think they inspired us and showed us it's going to be tougher. Last year we won, but we underestimated how tough it would be. I like it a whole lot more that it's tougher this year."
Martin's boys team (25-5) had a tougher road than expected as well this weekend, going 4-3 in the championships for more losses than the Warriors had the rest of the season. Martin, the No. 2 seed entering the tournament, got knocked to the fifth-place bracket to start the day with a 37-33 loss to El Paso Hanks, a team Martin beat at the Lone Star Duals earlier this month.
But Martin rallied for an impressive whipping of Dallas Lake Highlands, 57-24, and avenged a loss to Vernon on Friday, 37-31, before falling to a powerful Rockwall squad, 39-30. Martin was led by surprisingly strong showings from James Tarbutton (3-1 at 189 pounds), George Decena (3-1 at 160 pounds) and especially Tyler Patterson, who was 4-0 at 145 pounds, including four pins.
Martin had to compete without Jason Milleur and Rives Milling, who had a knee injury and was sick, respectively. Martin also had to wrestle without Chad Mills against Rockwall, due to a possible concussion suffered in an accidental head-on-head collision earlier in the day.
"We battled today. We didn't do that all the time on Friday," Martin head coach Tony Warren said. "I think we could have placed higher, but no Arlington school has ever placed higher in this tournament than we have."
Arlington High (12-8) was right behind Martin with an excellent Saturday, after going 0-2 on Friday. The unseeded Colts won big as expected to start the day over North Dallas and Richardson, 81-6 and 66-24 respectively, but followed with an upset of No. 6 seed Grapevine, 39-37, led by upset wins by Rusty McElroy and Jordan Kempler at 125 and 215 pounds respectively.
Arlington was denied a shot at Martin with a 53-21 loss to Rockwall, but rebounded for seventh place with a 42-33 win over Vernon, led by a second-period pin over Marshall Sharp in a state-tournament caliber match.
"Everybody got rolling after Rusty won against Grapevine. He boosted us way up," said Eli Fambro, who was 4-1 on Saturday for Arlington at 160 pounds. "I think this is the boost we need for the district (15-5A) meet.
"I am extremely confident will can pull off the district championship."
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Sam Houston girls pin Amarillo team
By Heidi Pederson
01/30/2000
Star-Telegram Staff Writer
GRAPEVINE -- Sam Houston girls wrestling coach Roy Shultz didn't expect any upsets in his team's bout with Amarillo Palo Duro.
Shultz figured the Texans' dual against the Dons in the girls finals of the Texas State Dual Championships yesterday at Grapevine High School, could finish in a tie after all 10 weight classes were done. That's why Shultz emphasized the importance of pins to each of his veterans before they stepped out on the mat.
The five favored Texans delivered, and each of the five pins mattered. After the dual ended in a 30-30 tie, Sam Houston earned its second consecutive state duals title based on tie-breaking criteria -- the Texans' five pins compared to Palo Duro's three pins. Sam Houston forfeited the 95- and 102-pound classes, while Palo Duro won at 119, 165 and 215.
"I've lost [tied duals] that way before when I was in Oklahoma, so I knew we had to get everything we could when we had the chance," said Shultz, who coached at Mustang (Okla.) Junior High last year. "It was a good fight. They came at us hard."
El Paso Hanks (2-2) placed third, and Arlington (1-3) was fourth.
In the boys division, Highland Park won its third consecutive crown, defeating Canyon Randall in the final, 38-22. El Paso Hanks defeated The Colony in the third-place dual, 44-24.
Martin finished sixth.
The Warriors, who lost in the second round to Vernon Friday, started off yesterday on a bad note. They opened the day against Hanks without 119-pounder Rives Milling, who was ill, and saw 152-pounder Chad Mills suffer a head injury during his match.
The Warriors lost, 37-32, to Hanks before coming back to defeat Richardson Lake Highlands and Vernon. Martin defeated Vernon, 37-31, then fell to Rockwall in the fifth-place match, 39-30. Martin coach Tony Warren said Mills, who sat out for the rest of the day, may have suffered a concussion.
"We missed some opportunities, but Rockwall wrestled well enough to win," Martin coach Tony Warren said of the match. "This has been a reality check for some guys. If they don't wrestle well next week [at the district tournament], their season's over."
Arlington defeated Vernon, 42-33, in the dual for seventh place, after defeating Grapevine, 39-37, earlier in the day. The Mustangs, third last year, were one victory away from placing in the 15-team competition.
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Palo Duro's Dyana McIntyre will be a key performer in this weekend's dual state meet. |
Lady Dons' McIntyre sets sights high for state meet
By STEVE BELVIN
Globe-News Sports Writer
Friday, January 28, 2000
No one can accuse Dyana McIntyre of not going to the extreme to get what she wants.
McIntyre wrestles in the heavyweight division for the Palo Duro Lady Dons. She and her teammates will be competing in the dual state meet Saturday at Grapevine High School.
Girls action will begin Saturday morning at 10:30. Boys action begins at 6 p.m. today. Six girls teams and 14 boys teams are entered. Finals begin at 4 p.m. Saturday.
It wasn't an easy road for McIntyre to make the team. The first order of business was to make the weight of 215 pounds. McIntyre, who's been a diabetic for four years, weighed 265 pounds last August.
She started her trek to make the wrestling team the first of August. By the time Palo Duro was ready for its first meet Nov. 15, McIntyre had made the weight limit.
McIntyre, who has been an athlete all her life, also plays catcher for the Lady Dons softball team. She also throws the shot and discus in track and plays volleyball.
She said at first it upset her when she heard she had to lose 50 pounds.
"I was mad," she said. "The guys had a weight limit of 275 pounds, so why shouldn't it be that way with the girls with all the equality issues going around?"
She also had her fill of naysayers.
"So many people told me `you'll never lose the weight"', she said. "I had the desire to do it. My dad was behind me the whole way, along with coach Nelson (Steve, Palo Duro head wrestling coach), coach Hunt (Lisa, girls assistant coach) and Robert Hays (Palo Duro teacher). They've been backing me the whole way."
"I had to prove someone wrong. You can't tell me what I can't do. I did it for myself, the team and everyone who backed me."
Cutting back on her caloric intake and the rigorous wrestling training did the trick.
"I had written up a Palo Duro wrestling diet," said Nelson. `It's a healthy diet in general. If you go by it, work out, you'll lose the weight you need to lose. Plus, after practice, coach Hunt and I would spend another hour running with her, running stairs."
McIntyre says she feels better all around. "Now I eat one meal a day and I can run two or three miles without a problem," she said. "I could always accept me with the way I looked. My family is big-boned."
Nelson said McIntyre, who takes a 7-0 record to Grapevine, is one of the leaders on the team. "She's definitely one of our leaders," he said. "At this point, out of our 10 weight divisions, eight of the girls set a really good example for the rest of the team."
Nelson said he thought his Lady Dons would do fine in their first year of organized wrestling. They secured the district championship by upsetting then No. 1-ranked Caprock 30-24.
I always felt like in girls wrestling I would never let myself get outcoached," he said. "Like in a boys program, a lot depends on which kids grew up wrestling. Girls, they're all just starting out. I think we'll do all right at state. Right now it looks like us and Arlington Sam Houston will be two of the top teams because Caprock is staying home."
Tournament director Steve Wills said it's unfortunate the Caprock Lady Longhorns won't be coming.
"It's a shame Caprock can't go," he said. "Amarillo has two of the top girls teams in the state, both of them should be here. Caprock may be the best team in the state."
The state dual tournament, a non-sanctioned UIL event, is open to any team that wishes to compete. Amarillo Independent School District Wrestling Coordinator Jim Brock said at the first of the year the school district decided only the district champion would go to the state dual tournament.
Tascosa, the boys district champion, declined to go.
The Randall boys, coached by David Quirino, will be competing. The Raiders bring a 10-4 dual record into the match, having swept River Road and Boys Ranch at home Tuesday. The Raiders own a 10-match home winning streak.
The Raiders did get a taste of humility last weekend when they competed in the El Reno, Okla. Dual Tournament, and finished ninth out of 12 teams, winning two matches and losing four.
"It was a learning experience," said Quirino. "The team learned it needs to come out and be more aggressive and physical."
Although he's not downplaying the importance of the dual state tournament for the Lady Dons, Nelson said the future looks even brighter for his squad. "In my 10 weight divisions, I don't have any seniors," he said. "Next year I think I'll have my dream team." Steven Line / Globe-NewsPalo Duro's Dyana McIntyre will be a key performer in this weekend's dual state meet.
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Palo Duro's girls, Randall's boys fall in state wrestling dual finals
1/30/2000
GRAPEVINE - The Palo Duro Lady Dons may have a bad taste in their mouths after Saturday's finals of the state dual wrestling meet.
After wrestling to a 30-30 tie against Arlington Sam Houston, Palo Duro saw its championship dreams crushed on the third tiebreaker. Although both teams had five six-point victories, defending champion Sam Houston took all five of theirs by pin against three pins and two forfeits for the Lady Dons.
"They all have the heart of a champion," Palo Duro coach Steve Nelson said. "There's not any of them that are happy with second place."
The loss was heartbreaking for the Lady Dons, who had already won three matches earlier in the day to earn a spot in the final.
Palo Duro started the day in strong fashion, scoring a 48-6 victory against Arlington. Victories against El Paso Hanks (36-18) and Coppell (47-12) followed.
Lauren Lindsey (119), Casey Brittain (165) and Dyanna McIntyre (heavyweight) all earned pins for Palo Duro in the finals. But Sam Houston earned five, taking the 110-, 128-, 138-, 148- and 185-pound weight classes.
Sam Houston forfeited matches at 95 and 102 pounds, thus keeping the Lady Dons from a possible tie in total falls.
"Arlington had the most pins, but it's impossible to pin somebody when they forfeit to you," Nelson said.
