Wrestling: Turnbull Signs Six
May 26, 2004 09:30 AM | General
By Tim Goodenow for MSNsportsNET.com
May 26, 2004
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| Turnbull |
Giving the coach signatures in the late signing period were Matt Cameron (Middletown, RI/Middletown), Eric Connolly (Scotch Plains, N.J./Fanwood), Shawn Cordell (Cleveland, Tenn./Bradley Central), Larry Hall (Jeannette, Pa./Jeannette), David Jauregui (Santa Ana, Calif./Calvary Chapel) and Mike Taylor (Bel Air, Md./Harford Technical).
"We are very excited with the signing of David Jauregui and five other strong high school wrestlers," says Turnbull. "David has only wrestled since the eighth grade and has the potential to win multiple national titles. We are very excited about these six individuals.
"Last week we received a recruiting class ranking of seventh in the nation. Add Jarred Villers (football transfer from Illinois State) to the mix and we have four student-athletes coming in ranked in the top four in the country. This recognition is good for the program and reinforces what direction this program is heading."
Cameron is a two-time Rhode Island state champion with a career record of 101-25. The all-New England wrestler is a two-time all-division selection under coach Rusty Forgue. Cameron finished his senior year with a 39-3 mark at 171-pounds and was named Outstanding Wrestler at both the Chad Antoch Memorial Tournament and Middletown Alumni Tournament. Cameron, a two-year team captain at Middletown High, is a two-time Providence Journal all State award winner. He has twice won the Rhode Island All-Stars Tournament and as a sophomore finished third at the state tournament.
Connolly recently completed a four-year stint at Fanwood High with a career record of 90-21. A state qualifier under coach John Scholz, Connolly finished his senior year with a record of 26-4. Prior to placing second at this year's Region 3 tournament, the senior placed in the Top 16 at the prestigious Beast of the East Tournament. The 140-pounder was also a Union County and District 11 champion. Connolly was named to the Watchung Conference, Star Ledger Union County and The Courier News all-area teams. This team captain also placed in the Union County and District 11 championships as a sophomore and junior.
Cordell comes to WVU as the No. 1 ranked wrestler in the state of Tennessee. He tallied a career record of 160-11, going 81-8 his final two years to win state titles at 119-pounds. A four-time regional champion, Cordell was also a state-runner up under head coach Steve Logsdon. The 119-pounder was a three-time winner at both the Bradley and Huntsville Invitationals. In 2001, Cordell placed fourth at the NHSCA Nationals in Birmingham, Ala. An AAU Ironman World Champion, Cordell was team captain of his state championship high school team and was recognized in the National Society of High School Scholarship for his academic efforts.
Hall is a four-time WPIAL champion from Jeannette High under coach Charlie Cook. Hall is a member of the WPIAL century club tallying a 127-20 clip over four years, good for the second-most wins in school history behind current Mountaineer Matt Lebe. In March, Hall posted a 6-1 decision victory at the Dapper Dan Wrestling Classic for the WPIAL All-Stars. He finished 32-3 as a senior, reaching the state finals, losing in double overtime. Hall is a four-time sectional and district champion. The 130-pounder won the Southmoreland, Steel Valley and Westmoreland County Tournaments.
Jauregui is currently ranked No. 3 in the country by Amateur Wrestling News and InterMat.com. This 140-pounder posted a career high school record of 126-21 at Calvary Chapel High under coach Josh Holiday. Jauregui placed fifth at the Junior Nationals and has a second and third place state tournament finish. As a senior, he totaled a record of 43-1 and held a No. 1 ranking in the county the entire season. Jauregui finished first at two prestigious tournaments - the Brute Classic and Reno Tournament of Champions. He is a two-time CIF Masters champion and twice won his league championship. This all-country grappler was named the 2003 Most Improved Wrestler and tallied over 600 takedowns in his high school career.
Taylor recently won the 130-pound Maryland state title, posting a 35-2 record as a senior at Harford Tech. He was named the Baltimore Sun's Wrestler of the Year in winning the triple crown honors - county, regional and state. As a junior, Taylor posted a second-place finish for head coach Gary Siler and finished his career with a 118-21 mark. A four-time state qualifier, Taylor led his team to back-to-back runner up finishes over the past two seasons. He is just the fourth wrestler in county history to win four Harford crowns, going undefeated against Harford opposition during his entire career. This three-year team captain also competes for the Maryland National Freestyle and Greco-Roman teams. His father Dave and uncle Gordon Taylor both wrestled at West Virginia under Turnbull.
These six student-athletes join Kurt Brenner (Freedom, PA/Freedom) and Kyle Turnbull (Morgantown,WV/University) who signed early in November.
