C-M expecting another strong year

Spencer Patterson

Thursday, Dec. 9, 1999 | 10:04 a.m.

Although local prep wrestling fans can expect a highly competitive 1999-2000 winter season, some of the season's top matches won't be on display to the general public.

Rather, they'll take place in the inner sanctum of the Cimarron-Memorial practice room, where All-Americans, state champions and state qualifiers battle it out on a daily basis.

Chief among these intense practice bouts is one involving two athletes considered by many area coaches to be Las Vegas' top two returning wrestlers: senior Chris Harris and junior Rayes Gonzales.

Harris, a 135 pounder, is coming off back-to-back state title seasons, most recently a 48-1 campaign, after finishing second in Nevada as a freshman.

Gonzales, a 145 pounder, captured last year's 140-pound state championship after opening his high school career with a second-place state finish. He went 45-1 last season without suffering a loss to a Nevada wrestler.

Though 10 pounds separates the two, they generally are matched against one another in practice. And according to Cimarron coach Tim Jeffries, their day-to-day battles are partially responsible for much of their success.

"They've picked a lot up from each other," Jeffries said. "Those kids continue to develop because they wrestle against each other. Chris is so great and Rayes is so tough, it's some of the best wrestling you could ever see."

For Gonzales, going against the quicker, more agile Harris has helped improve his defensive technique.

"Chris is so fast on his feet, and I really have to be sharp on defense to stop his shots," Gonzales said.

And for Harris, practicing with a bigger opponent has pushed him to work more on strength and conditioning.

"It helps Chris wrestling someone in such good condition that's going to push him," Jeffries said. "Rayes is stronger, so it will prepare Chris for bigger kids during the season."

Already, both wrestlers have received the nation's top prep recognition -- All-American status from the National Coaches Association, an honor previously garnered by former Spartans Kendall Thacker, a three-time state champion from 1997-99; Markus Streicher, a former zone champion and '98 graduate; and Harris' older brother Eugene, who won state titles in 1996 and '97.

"What makes these guys different is they are constantly adding weapons of attack," Jeffries said. "People refer to wrestling as a chess match, and Chris and Rayes thrive on that."

With Harris and Gonzales leading the charge, most area coaches agree that Cimarron should continue to thrive this season. Coming off their first 4A state team title, the Spartans are favorites to repeat, with seven state qualifiers back in the fold.

Along with Harris and Gonzales, junior 215-pounder Brandon Garcia is coming off a zone championship season. The same goes for sophomore 119-pounder Curtis Johnson, who transferred from Green Valley after a superb freshman season.

Also returning for the Spartans are junior 140-pounder Josh Fitzgerald, a fifth-place state finisher last year, and 152-pound junior Scott Leavitt and 171-pound junior Joe Tussing, a pair of 1999 state qualifiers.

And to top it all off, Cimarron has Jeffries, who was selected as the Region 8 and Nevada State Coach of the Year by the National Wrestling Coaches Association last summer.

"We've got a lot of experience coming back," Harris said. "Everybody knows what they have to do: just get the job done. This year we just want to make sure we win it, and that it's not as close."