Jordan Must Revamp Mat Team Next Term

Even Butch Jordan is having his share of exam period troubles these days. He's taking a final in Harvard Wrestling Coaching 1a and the question that counts most in "When will replace Dan Ray and Don Louria!" Jordan has until February 12 to answer.

Here to Jordan's dilemma: with the roughest part of his schedule coming up shortly after the spring team begins he must produce men to wrestle at 165 and 155--men who will go into the second half of the schedule without the experience of the first half behind them.

Louria and Ray formed the backbone of Jordan's first Harvard wrestling team but they finished their collegiate athletic careers two weeks ago, and without them this team cannot help but become markedly weakened.

Jordan has several applicants for the jobs left vacant by Louria and Ray, and on their wrestling prowess will rest much of the responsibility of preserving the Crimson's winning streak. With victories over MIT, Wesleyan, and Columbia, the wrestlers are one of two varsity winter sports teams still to be defeated.

The group from which the two posts will be filed includes Stan Thompson, Ray Rogers, Andre Sigourney, sandy Jones, Tom Conners, and Kevin Reilly. Jones former Oklahoma scholastic champion, seems the most likely candidate for the 155-pound chores with either Thompson or Connors stepping; in at 165.

Jones saw some action last season before he brake his arm, and won by decision in the Wesleyan meet this year. Conners wrestled as a freshman last winter; Thompson, who decisioned his opponent in the MI'T match when he filled in at 175, would have to lose ten pounds to take the 165-pound assignment.

Jordan really hasn't had a chance to find out who are his best bets at each weight, however. Since the Columbia match, the Blockhouse wrestling room has been a rather deserted place and Jordan has only been able to work with his charges about once or twice a week.

The team's first test sans Louria and Ray comes up five days after spring registration. It brings Army's traditionally strong wrestlers to town and will be an extremely important match, for it will give Jordan some idea of how his weakened forces will fare against opposition--Dartmouth, Brown, Princeton, and Yale.

The 145-pound class is a minor question of Jordan's exam, but it too may pose problems. Buddy King started off the season in that department but was replaced temporarily by Dave Shapire in the Columbia tussle. Unless Kind decides to return to the fold, Shapire, a sophomore who didn't wrestle until this fall, or Sigourney will take over.

In the other divisions, Jordan is fairly well set. Dave Coombs is a dependable lead-off man at 121 and he is being pressed for the honor by Joe Kozol, who wrestied against MI'T and Wesleyan. At 128, Jordan has flashy Dave Smith, probably his outstanding wrestler now that Ray and Louria have left.

Roger Wach's strained leg muscle is on the mend and he will probably be ready for Army. If not, Shapiro or Bob Abboud, who took Wach's place at Columbia, will handle the 136-pound duties. Bob Claffin is a reliable 175-pounder and heavyweight Howle Houston is picking up more and more wrestling know-how to go along with his tremendous strength and cat-like reflexes. He should be able to hold his own against the rest of the heavyweight opposition.

The team has not yet elected a captain to succeed Ray and may name one on a point system based on the remaining matches. This is the least of Butch Jordan's exam period worries.