Sun Male Athlete of the Week: Andre Rhodes

Thursday, Feb. 17, 2000 | 9:51 a.m.

Feb. 17, 2000

Andre Rhodes

High school: Cimarron-Memorial

Class: Junior

Sport: Wrestling

Family: Father Andre; brother Nick

Last week: Rhodes captured the Southern Zone title in his 162-pound weight class over the weekend, helping the Spartans to their fourth straight team championship in the process. In his semifinal match against Las Vegas' Anthony Sharron, Rhodes scored a third-period takedown to rally from behind, then took his opponent down again to win in overtime and earn a trip to this week's 4A State Championships. In the finals, Rhodes gutted out another hard-fought victory, besting Silverado's Chris Burr, 6-5. "I had a lot to prove to my coaches, myself and my dad," Rhodes said. "It felt like I accomplished something that was a long time coming."

This season: Rhodes comes into the state tournament with a 27-9 record, including four wins at last week's zone event. "We were hopeful that he would place and be able to go to state, I was thinking maybe third or fourth," Cimarron coach Tim Jeffries said. "He obviously reached above and beyond, and it's a step towards this weekend."