J
v _
By CARL STEWARD
Of the Emerald
Stu Jackson leaned back on his bed at the Sea-Tac Motor Inn in
Seattle, fielding informal questions about the victory over Washington.
Up to then, he was jovial. Suddenly, he pondered the immediate foe.
“You know, those Beavers are going to be tough,” he said.
“They’ve beeh playing good ball lately. And they get up for us.”
The juices were already flowing.
Similarly, Coach Ron Finley leaned back on his chair Monday
morning, fielding informal questions about his 5-0 wrestling road trip, in
which the Ducks whipped 13th-ranked Cal Poly 20-14 and humiliated
the rest. Up to then, he was in good spirits. Suddenly, he directed his
attention to the immediate opponent.
“I have to believe they’ll have their No. 1 lineup against us,” he said.
"Right now I see the matches at five apiece.”
If you haven’t already noticed, it’s Beaver week. The best, or worst,
depending on your point of view, week of the athletic year.
Only Don Van Rossen can feel safe enough to breathe easy as he
views Wednesday’s swim meet with Oregon State. His continually
improving unit is a sure bet to take the Beavers at Mt. Park.
But for Dick Harter and Finley, such blessings from above are
non-existant. While Harter must return to the site ot his favorite
crowd in Gill Coliseum, Finley worries by the minute as to whether his
wrestlers can end a phenomenal streak of 32 matches spanning 18
years by Oregon State.
It seems ironic that Finley himself had a part in maintaining the
streak way back in the early 1960’s when he wrestled under Dr. Dale
Thomas, who is still the coach and still as thrilled to beat the Ducks as
ever. It was 1957 when the Ducks last beat OSU in a wrestling match.
And Oregon had to scratch and claw to squeak out a 14-13 win. Finley
was thinking about the high school prom.
But when Finley took over the reins as head coach of Oregon five
years ago, his burning desire to beat his old mentor has evolved into a
frustrating passion. Last year, when the Ducks posed the most signifi
cant threat since Eisenhewer, Oregon State twice came from behind to
take the ultimate team advantage. In the first meeting, the Ducks and
Beavers were tied 15-15 going into the heavyweight match. The Beav
ers’ freshman heavyweight Larry Bielenberg pinned an unaware new
comer Greg Gibson.
The second time around, Oregon rolled to a 15-3 lead, and were
leading in the 167 match when OSU got an unexpected pin and eventu
ally won the meet 21-18 when Bielenberg beat Gibson—again—this
time when Gibson was disqualified for three stalling calls. A mere
decision would have at least tied it.
This Wednesday’s encounter at McArthur Court promises to be just
as exciting, and again Gibson must face Bielenberg, now 12-0 with 8
falls, and the man he has never beaten among his many triumphs since
becoming an Oregon wrestler.
But Finley feels that Oregon must win the meet before the
heavyweight match, although the prospects of that happening seem
remote.
“We match up wrong with them. As a team, they are weaker than
us, but they have the right people at all the right weights. I think
Bielenberg will be the national champion. And we ll have to come back
in the later weights, and that’s going to be tough.”
To complicate matters, 134-pounder Shuichi Shoji is in doubt for
the meet. He reinjured rib cartilage against UCLA and his status for
competition won’t be known until Wednesday. Not only that, some of
Finley’s best wrestlers are not in top form. Susumu Hagihara, Joe Sade,
Shoji, Kevin Kramer, Duane Stutzman, Wes Hines and Gibson are
wrestling well. But Dean Dixon and Buck Davis, two wrestlers who
finished second in the Pac-8 a year ago, are having their problems.
“Dean had a good match against UCLA,” said Finley, “but Buck still
is not doing the things he can do.”
And finally, for a topper to the whole build-up, Finley predicts, “We
can’t afford to get pinned or even have a superior decision go against
us.”
Right, Ron. But for once, neither can they.
You may be missing one of the exciting athletic events of the year if
you miss this meet. Skeptics may have their doubts after watching
Oklahoma State walk over the Ducks. But Finley’s team deserves
another chance. They've become a better team since then, and in
summation, if the Ducks win, it will be the most satisfying triumph in the
wrestling program to date. It all starts at 7:30.
And now, Lonnie Shelton and Co. It is hard to figure the Beavers.
They were at their worst at the Far West Classic, but now pose as just
another threat to the Ducks’ Pac-8 hopes. Harter sees the game in a
different light, though:
"It’ll be another tough one. But how about that, us and the Beavers
playing for first place? No one else plays this weekend so whoever wins
will enjoy it for a couple of days.”
While the Chancellor’s Trophv is no longer at stake (the Charicellor
returned it himself), the conservatively labelled "heated rivalry" con
tinues. We have not played well up there,” said Jackson.
“They always play us tough at Gill Coliseum,' said Dick Harter.
The Ducks, however, are a different team, and will have to alter
their strategy in preparing for OSU. No longer do they have to contend
with two post men; they have to stop Shelton, if that’s possible.
Lonnie, like Greg Ballard and Stu Jackson, has refined his skills
and now is the most devastating offensive force for the Beavers. Just
ask George Raveling, if you can catch him before he leaps. He seems to
have shaken his fouling problems.
sports
Photo by John Dong
Japan’s Mitsuo Tsukahara wows ’em with a 9.9
Gym meet successful
Bill Ballester can be thankful
that the University of California
won’t be as tough as the
Japanese were Sunday night,
even if it was probably the most
exciting night gymnastics has had
in the city of Eugere.
As well as raking in much
needed money from the 6,500
who attended, the Japanese may
have given gymnastics the shot in
the arm it has needed to succeed
at the University. The meet was
heavily promoted by former sports
information director Hal Cowan,
and the buildup was no let down. It
was a grand show.
While the Japanese dominated
the primarily entertaining affair,
Ballester got to display most of his
team before the largest gymnas
tics audience ever at Mac Court.
The highlight of the evening
was a 9.9 on the high bar by
Olympic gold medalist Mitsuo
Tsukahara, who duplicated many
of his award-winning manuevers
to earn the top score, which
looked perfect, and probably was.
Needless to say, it was the
finest performance ever recorded
in ‘The Pit.”
The American team, star
studded with many of Oregon's
own gymnasts, also provided
some individual highlights. The
Ducks Joe Percival captured the
sidehorse with a record 9.6, and
Leonard Henderson and Scott
McEldowney tied for first in the
floor exercise and rings, respec
tively, Henderson with a 9.65 and
McEldowney with a 9.45.
Now Ballester can turn his at
tention to a dual with California,
the next home appearance for the
Ducks on Feb. 13 . Cal is the Pac-6
favorite, but Oregon is considered
the darkhorse to take the crown.
Geis scratches Indoor
Oregon standout distance run
ner Paul Geis will not participate in
the Oregon Indoor Track and Field
Meet in Portland, Saturday night,
as had been reported earlier.
Geis, who has not been up to par
since early last fall, has a test the
morning of the meet and decided
not to run. Contrary to prior re
ports, Geis had never entered the
meet and never had any inten
tions of doing so.
It had been reported that Geis
would run against Steve Prefon
taine in the two-mile.
Despite Geis' absence, 24
Oregon track-and-field athletes
will compete in the annual event.
Included in the meet will be milers
Scott Daggatt and Mark Feig,
two-milers Terry Williams and
Dave Taylor, pole vaulter Craig
Brighan, shotputters Howard
Banich and Bruce Hill, and hurdler
Stan Whigham and Mike Chriss.
STEWARD S FOLLY
Not only that, but Paul Miller, the gunning forward who shoots
better than 50 per cent from 30 feet, is recovered from his ankle
problems. Toss in Charlie Neal, George Tucker, Doug Oxsen, Rickey
Lee and Leon Jordan, you have a team. Sometimes. I think.
"They are not an emotional team like us,” said Jackson. “But they
love to play us, and always play their best against us. We have to play
better than we did last year."
Right Stu. Right Ron. Right Don. It’s Beaver week. And the juices
are flowing.
TUESDAY, Jan 21
WOMENS BASKETBALL Oregon vs Portland
Stale at PSU 630 p m
WEDNESDAY. Jan. 22
WRESTLING Oragon vs Oragon State at Mac
Court 730 p.m
SWIMMING (man) Oregon vs Oragon State at
Mouitam Park (Lake Oewego) 7:30 p m
WOMEN S BASKETBALL Oregon vs Wiltamette
Univ "B at Gertnger 430 p.m
All-campus champonshps scnedules available at
>M office—men 6 tennis (singles and doubles),
men s tiandbal (singles), and women s handbal
(singles)
WRA deadines lor badminton (women and mmad).
water pole (women and mixed). 5pm
THURSDAY, Jan 23
WOMEN S BOWLING Oregon vs Oregon Slate at
Corvafes 3:30 p.m
WRA captans meetng m Gertinger (check 171 lor
meeting place) at 430 p m
FROAV, Jan. 24
J V Basketball Oregon vs Oregon State at
Corvallis 5:45 p.m
WRESTLING Oregon vs Washington at Seattle
7:30 p.m
J V WRESTLING Oregon vs Lane C C at Lane
7:30 p.m
SWIMMING Oregon vs Utah at Leighton Pool
730 p.m
GYMNASTICS Oregon vs Washington at Mac
Court 8 p.m (men)
GYMNASTICS Oregon vs Washington at
Gerknger-654 (women)
CLUB SPORTS Skiing vs Cod of Idaho at Bogus
Basin. Id
SATURDAY, Jan 25
VARSITY BASKETBALL Oregon vs Oregon State
at Corvallis 3 p m (TVS—channel 9)
TRACK AND FIELD Oregon Indoor Invitational at
Portland 730 p.m
SWIMMING Oreoon—Wilamaiane Open Meet at
Willamalane Pool o» Springfield 10 am (men)
SWIMMING :Southern Ore Coll Invite at Ashland t
p.m (women)
GYMNASTCS Oregon vs Washington at Mac
Court 12:30 p m
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL Southern Ore Cod in
vite “A al Ashland 1 p.m
CLUB SPORTS Skiing vs Coll of Idaho at Bogus
Basm. Id . Ru£>y vs St Mary s at Moraga. CaM
130 p.m .. Handball vs Albany YMCA at Oregon 11
a.m.—2p.m.. Soocer "O' vs Bend at Autzen 1 p rr,
MONDAY, Jan. 27
VARSrTY BASKETBALL Oregon vs Air Force at
Mac Court 8 p m