Abingdon High School - Beacon Yearbook (Abingdon, VA)

Page 19 text:

“Mat Rats ” Prove They Are Men, Not Mice ... Shoot the half!” You can do it! Pin him! The gym was filled with involved people, shouting encouragement for the guys down on the floor--the wrestlers. Wrestlers show a conviction of be¬ ing better than their opponents. Psych¬ ing up was a common way of achieving this I can beat him attitude. Still, a case of butterflies sometimes over¬ came any amount of meditation, and it took a boost from crowds cheering them on to make the difference. Larger crowds started showing up as folks took interest in the matches. It really made you feel good to hear somebody up there yelling for you. You knew people wanted you to win, one player explained. Wrestling is a sport of individual skill, just ask any mat rat. It took de¬ termination and pride to stand the 109 V 4 temperatures of weight room practices. Four such fellows proved their tenacity during Region IV competition. Gus Jan- son and Gary Smith placed fourth, as Gary Andis and Charlie Jordan competed in state, with Charlie placing fifth. Gus janson congratulates David Harless on a hard fought match. Above: J. D, Morris spins to get upper arm on opponent. Below: Senior Mat Rat, John Jenkins, struggles for extra points as referee keeps a watch¬ ful eye on his powerful hold. Varsity Wrestling 15

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Punks Prove Perfect Eighth grade Falcons brought alot of spirit to AHS. Their size and talent made up the best season yet, 8-0! It was a hard fighting determination that kept these guys playing to win. Even Gate City, the. team to beat, found Falcon endurance hard to swallow after an upset victory, plus putting two of their top players out of action. Marion and Virginia High came close to stopping the 8th graders win¬ ning streak, but a pep huddle with Coach Lethcoe always brought that ex¬ tra rally in the end for a satisfying victory. Coach Mike Hagy gives a pat of approval to Steve Knight. SCOREBOARD FALCONS 01 PPONENTS 21 Hols ton 8 42 Patrick Henry 18 18 OA Gate City 0 n z ± 38 rEincK ntuii y Virginia High U 0 14 8 John S. Battle Gate City 0 6 10 Marion 8 Season Record: 8 -0 Touchdown! made by Falcon Gary Hammer. Team Picture: Front Row: Troy Wann, Andy Brittenham, Mark Landreth, Robert Kilbourne, Tim Rhymer, Victor Counts, Tim Engle, Chip Thayer, David Hill, Raymond Jordan. Second Row: Robert Brown, Greg Kelly, Eddie Holmes,, 14 Eighth Grade Football Leon Smith, Danny Gobble, Greg Altizer, Steve Bassham, Chuck Reece, Mark Cook, Steve Pickle. Back Row: Chuck Phipps, Steve Knight, Jesse Crosswhite, Mike Briscoe, Gary Hammer, Doug Gentry, Karl Hilt, Dale Thomas, Mark Howard.

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Relief and fatigue show in Gary Smith’s face as he wins his match, which placed him 9-2-2 for the season. FALCONS 16 SCOREBOARD 0PP( Grundy DNENTS : 36 66 Holston 3 44 Patrick Henry 22 26 Richlands 28 19 John S. Battle 37 20 Marion 31 46 Patrick Henry 21 47 Virginia High 14 37 Tazewell 27 21 John S. Battle 35 47 Chilhowie 10 Mountaineer Invitational--4th Season Record: 6-5 INDIVIDUALS j Gus Janson- -4th regionals Gary Smith- -4th regionals Gary Andis- -3rd regionals Competed in state. Charlie Jordan--1st regionals; 5th state. Team Picture: Kneeling: Gary Smith, 105 lb. class; Jeff Price, 112 lb. class; Gary Andis, 119 lb. class; Charlie Jordan, 126 lb. class; Cade Johnson, 132 lb. class; Jeter Cook, Unlimited; David Harless, 167 lb. class; Jeff Combs, 138 lb. class; David Hamilton, 155 lb. class; J. D. Morris, 16 Varsity Wrestling 145 lb. class; Joey Johnson, 98 lb. class. Back Row: Coach Curtis Burkett; Gus Janson, 185 lb. class, co-captain; Coach Mike Lethcoe. Not Pic¬ tured: Howard Morris, 155 lb. class, co-captian; John Jenkins, 138 1b. class, co-captain.