Page 8 - The Michigan Daily - Sports Monday --February 12, 1990 WRESTLING Continued from page 1 overall, 3-2 in the Big Ten) upset highly-regarded Gary McCall, 5-3. "In the lockerroom before the match, coach said, Don't wrestle anybody's name or school,"' Cluff said. "I wrestled my hardest for seven minutes. All wins count the same, but the bigger the win, the better." "Jason symbolizes the whole team inT that he just gets better as the season progresses," Bahr said. Another surprise victory came at 167 lbs., where Justin Spewock de- ines had more at stake in Minne- apolis, where Minnesota loomed as a staunch Big Ten opponent. Michigan, coming off a victory over ninth-ranked Northwestern, was doing its best to remain unscathed in the segment of its schedule that feat- ures four top-ranked conference opponents. So when the Wolverine table- setters, Cluff and 126-pounder Salem Yaffai, recorded respective wins of 9- 3 and 8-5, Bahr was especially pleased. "They set the tempo and gave us the momentum we needed," Bahr said. "And again, we lost at 134, but we were already up by six points by that time." Joey Gilbert faced his toughest Big Ten opponent thus far this sea- son in Dave Zuniga, ranked second at 134 lbs. The previously unde- feated Gilbert fell to 4-1 in the Big Ten with a 13-8 loss. "Gilbert needed to make an adjustment with his shot," Bahr said. "Zuniga's a tough wrestler; he hangs in your face a lot. When Gilbert went for single and double-leg take- downs, (Zuniga) would just push down and spin around to his back. "Mid-way in the match, we had Joey shoot for high-crotch take- downs, because then he's shooting at an angle. Now he's learned how to wrestle a guy like Zuniga." In contrast, Larry (iotcher (150) wrest- led a characteristically low-scoring match, earning a 2-0 decision over Willy Short. "Larry's doing all the things it takes to win at the end," Bahr said, referring to the fact that Gotcher has emerged from an early-season slump. "He's running, lifting, practicing real hard, and he's doing a good job of keeping his weight down. He's the type of guy who gets better as the tournaments approach." In addition, Fritz Lehrke (190), who settled for a draw against Iowa State, came back with a 12-3 major decision over Brad Gibson. Lehrke (28-6-1 overall) remains the only Wolverine with a perfect Big Ten record at 5-0, though 158-pounder Sam Amine is also undefeated at 4- 0-1 (28-4-1 overall). D lielM a tes Cluff keys fast start to Wolverine victories by Matt Rennie Daily Sports Writer Wrestling fans who were less than punctual may have missed the key match in both of Michigan's dual meets last week. Jason Cluff, the Wolverine starter at 118 pounds, set the tone early in Michigan's victories over Iowa State and Minnesota. Cluff is wrestling's equivalent to baseball's leadoff man, competing in the first match of every dual meet. Just as the first batter of a game can be the key to a rally, the initial wrestling match can often propel a team to victory. Cluff played the role to perfection in each meet. Michigan coach Dale Bahr did not expect to get a win from the redshirt frosh in the Iowa State meet. Cluff's opponent was Gary McCall, last season's national runner-up at 126. McCall was ranked in the top ten this season before dropping to the lower weight class. In a hard-nosed match, Cluff clawed his way to a 5-3 upset victory, sending the message that the Maize and Blue would not be timid about taking on the No. 6 Cyclones in their home territory. The Wolverines went on to win the meet by a 21-16 count, their first victory in Ames during Bahr's twelve years as head coach. "I felt real confident after the first takedown," Cluff said. "It makes me feel good that my freshman year, I'm going head to head with these teams that everyone knows about." Cluff then prevented any possibility of an emotional letdown against Minnesota, thrashing Eric Folkins by a score of 9-3. Again, the team responded with a victory over a higher-ranked opponent, as it conquered the No. 11 Golden Gophers, 21-13. Adding to the importance of both of Cluff's wins was the fact that in each meet, a top-ranked Wolverine dropped his match. Against Iowa State, Sam Amine (158) lost to second-ranked Steve Hamilton while in Minneapolis, Joey Gilbert (134) fell victim to Dave Zuniga, who also is ranked second in his weight class. Bahr usually counts on wins from these weight classes, but against such talented opponents, he must look to other sources to keep his team on top. Cluff came through by putting points on the board early in what were anticipated to be very close meets. It is these unexpected contributions that can make good teams great. Michigan's last NCAA-qualifier at 118 was Will Waters, who graduated in 1988. His record during his senior year was 6-2 in the Big Ten, 9-3-0 overall. Cluff's current numbers (3-2 in the Big Ten, 6-3-1 overall) indicate that he has the potential to fill Waters' shoes. "I just think that with every match, I get more confidence," Cluff said. "The team is really pulling together and that helps a lot." During a match, Cluff is constantly on the attack and keeps up his intensity for the full seven minutes, always giving the fans their money's worth. Provided they get there on time. Douglas d I TOKYO (AP) - Buster Douglas, a 29-year-old boxer from Columbus, Ohio, knocked out Mike Tyson on Saturday in a world championship heavyweight bout with no winner, no loser, and a "long count" controversy. Hours after underdog Douglas' 10th-round knockout, the result pending investigation of a "long count" protest by Tyson's promoter, Don King. Tyson, knocked out for the first time in his pro career, said he's still the champion. "I knocked him out before he knocked me out," Tyson said. Douglas said he's champ: "Just call it a victory for the small man." Douglas' father, former middle- weight world contender Bill "Dyna- mite" Douglas said: "He pulled the greatest upset in history." Because of an error by referee Octavio Meyran, Douglas was on the canvas for 12 seconds after Tyson knocked him down in the eighth round. Two rounds later, Douglas knocked out Tyson with a five-punch combination. "There is no champion before Feb. 20," when the WBC meets in Mexico City to settle the contro- versy, said WBC president Jose Sulaiman of Mexico. Sulaiman suggested what course the two governing bodies might take: "When there are problems, a rematch is absolutely mandatory," he said. Only the International Boxing Federation, which sanctioned the bout as a championship match, said Douglas is the winner. The IBF, however, isn't recognized by the Japan Boxing Commission. Douglas' disputed victory has created a wide-open heavyweight division that for three years had been the personal domain of Tyson. who was 37-0 with 33 knockouts. ecks Tyson itroversy Tyson was scheduled to defend the title against No.1 contender Evander Holyfield on June 18 at Atlantic City, N.J., but Holyfield has no contractual obligation to fight Tyson if Tyson is not the heavyweight champion. "There's nothing wrong with losing, I can handle a loss, but I want to lose fairly ," Tyson said at the post-fight news conference, which Douglas did not attend. Douglas was felled in the eighth round by a right uppercut to the jaw. "I wasn't really hurt," Douglas said. "When I looked up he count was at six. I got up between seven and eight. I clearly heard eight." Douglas was upright at nine, but by then the timekeeper had tolled 10, although Meyran-who failed to pick up the timekeeper's count-didn't know that. He motioned for the two boxers to resume fighting, then the bell rang Contrary to the old saying, the bell cannot save a fighter. It isn't rung if a fighter is down past the three-minute limit of the round, but rings if a fighter beats the 10- count. Douglas hurt Tyson three or four times in the ninth round, and by the end of the round, Tyson's left eye was closed. Just past the minute mark of the 10th round, Douglas landed a five-punch combination, with the key blows being a right uppercut, a left and a right to the jaw-and Tyson went down and was counted out. The most famous long count in boxing history took place in a bout between Jack Dempsey and Gene Tunney on Sept. 22, 1927, at Chicago's Soldier Field before nearly 150,000 fans and a radio audience of 50 million. Cluff feated ninth-ranked Matt Johnson, 9- 8. The senior co-captain dropped down from 177 lbs. last week, after winning a challenge match with Lanny Green, who assumed Spe- wock's previous weight class. Spewock later notched a major decision at Minnesota, and Green lost to second-ranked Marty Morgan. Each drew praise from Bahr. "Justin is wrestling real well. He's made the switch properly, cutting weight the right way," Bahr said. "And Lanny turned some heads against Morgan. They were tied 3-3 after the first period. "What this indicates is that next year at 177, Lanny will be tougher than people think." Despite all the reasons for want- ing to beat Iowa State, the Wolver- 0 W~ 7 ! 1} . tii =- ., '' ' '1 , . , .. HI-FI STUDIO ANN ARBOR RADIO & TV TAPE RECORDER SERVICES VCR Cleaning & Repairs - FAST! Speaker Repairs & Components TV Repairs & Rentals SALE ON USED STEREOS Phono Stylii - Woofers, TweetersEtc. WE RENT BIG SCREEN TV & P.A.'s 215 S. Ashley, 1/2 block N. of Liberty (313) - 769-0342 or 668-7942 Only for student American Express'Cardrnmbers. 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