Ficker, DeMatha Win Capitol Challenge

By GREG BRiCE
Special to The Washington Post
December 31, 1998

Robin Ficker may be one of the most vocal fans in the Washington area, but it was his son, Flynn, that made noise last night at Herndon High School, winning the 213-pound title and leading DeMatha to victory in the seventh annual Capitol Challenge

DeMatha, which placed eight wrestlers in the championship round, finished with 297 points. The top-ranked Stags were followed by No. 3 North Stafford (249.5), North Hunterdon (249.5), Western Branch (227.5) and No. 10 Hayfield (208).

DeMatha had five individual champions, including Kevin Gabrielson at 135, Joe Sargent at 160 and defending national prep champions Drew -Robertson (145) and Wes Cummings (189).

Other notable winners included Stonewall Jackson's Donnie Pereira (103), Jeremy Rankin (152) and Ryan Bishop (171), North Stafford's Jayson Jurek (119), Hayfield's Mike Poliquin (125) and Herndon's Mikey Kecman, who came from the middle of the pack to win the 96-pound title.

"Flynn looked real good tonight,- said DeMatha Coach Dick Messier - A lot of people dont know this, but he bounces between 189 and 215 so he's a real light 215. His opponent tonight was bigger, but Flynn was able to move around and do some things."

While Ficker drew a lot of attention with his 9-2 decision over Stonewall Jackson's Brian Hastedt, his father drew even more by yelling throughout the tournament. "He's annoying said one fan "I wish he'd sit down and [be quiet]."

Flynn Ficker, however, was not bothered. In fact he said he did not hear his father cheering during his match.

"He s our team's biggest fan" said Ficker, who improved to 21-5. "A lot of people think he's loud, but he's just having fun."

Results

Team Scores: DeMatha 297, North Stafford 249.5, North Hunterdon 249.5, Western Branch 227.5. Hayfield 208, Herndon 175, Stonewall Jackson 168.5, Milford 147.5, Kellam 124, Lee 78.

Championship Finals: 96-Kecman, Herndon pin Vansycle, North Hunterdon, :44; 103-Furnari, North Hunterdon dec. Vollono, DeMatha, 5-0; 112-Pereira, Stonewall Jackson maj. dec. Shaddow, North Hunterdon, 9-0; 119-Jurek, North Stafford pin Sanchez, Hayfield, 1:02; 125-Poliquin, Hayfield dec. Wowchuck, North Hunterdon, 5-3 (OT); 130-Eisenhart, North Hunterdon pin Davis, Western Branch, 4:37; 135-Gabrielson, DeMatha maj. dec. Rushing, Lee, 9-0; 140-Williams, Kellam dec. Franklin, North Stafford, 3-2; 145-Robertson, DeMatha wins by injury default; 152-Rankin, Stonewall Jackson, maj. dec. Woods, DeMatha, 10-2; 160-Sargent, DeMatha dec. Bagley, North Hunterdon, 6-2; 171-Bishop, Stonewall Jackson dec. Haskell, Kellam, 7-2; 189-Cummings, DeMatha pin Marcum, Stonewall Jackson, 3:04; 213-Ficker, DeMatha dec. Hastedt, Stonewall Jackson, 9-2; Hwt-Urquhart Western Branch dec. Hayes, DeMatha, 4-3.