Outside, the weather was brutally cold beneath a bright full moon. Inside the crowded Hollidaysburg Junior High Gymnasium was jumping. The homestanding Hollidaysburg Golden Tigers were celebrating their Senior Night for the Wrestling team.
Although Tyrone spoiled the party by winning their 11th straight dual meet, the action in many of the weight classes was hot and heavy, no matter which school’s wrestler got the win.
Tyrone fell behind 4-0 in the dual, which began at the 130-pound weight class, but quickly remedied that situation with five straight wins and six of the next seven to take a 30-7 lead.
Tyrone freshman Shayne Tate, who weighed in at 125, opened the dual against Hollidaysburg junior Christian Harr and the maturity, weight and experience factors were evident from the beginning. Harr used four takedowns and three sets of nearfalls to post a 16-3 major decision, but Tate (4-17) was able to keep off his back to save the Eagles more bonus points.
At 135, David Miller (26-3) hardly worked up a sweat using his favorite fireman’s carry to gain the takedown, wrapping up a cradle on the way down to stun Cameron Barroner for the quick fall in just 0:15 to give the Golden Eagles a 6-4 lead they would never relinquish.
Sam McCloskey used a big second period to take a 10-0 lead over Brett Shaffer at 140, when the Tyrone junior recorded the pin in 4:41. McCloskey (10-13) opened the match with a takedown for all the scoring in the opening two minutes, then added another takedown and six back points in the second stanza.
Sophomores Jacob Smerekar and Justin Schopp added regular decisions in the next two weight classes. Smerekar (12-10) gave a takedown clinic at 145, notching seven against Travis Clapper for a 14-8 win. Schopp (10-13) gave up the first takedown to John Frederick at 152, but reversed for 2-2 first-period tie before adding a second-period takedown and third period escape and reversal for a 7-4 victory.
Normal 160 and 171-pounders, Brice Mertiff and Heath Walk made the decision to move up a weight each to wrestle the Shaw brothers and Tyrone coach Blair Packer inserted Matt Lauder into the 160-pound slot.
“Brice and Heath decided on their own to make that move to get good competition, especially Brice,” explained coach Packer. “We knew his kid was not in his league and felt we were at least on par with the Shaw boy, and Heath was the same at 189. We feel that we travel too far to get good competition, regardless of how the match turned out tonight. We, right now at the end of the season, need good competition to finish off the season and prepare us for the postseason.”
At 160, the decision to put Lauder didn’t look good at first, when Diehl took the Eagle junior down to score the first points, but Lauder (2-3) reversed the Hollidaysburg grappler to his back for the fall in 0:51 to increase the Tyrone advantage to 24-4.
At 171, Mertiff and Brian Shaw went through the first period scoreless. Shaw took the bottom position to begin the second period and quickly reversed Mertiff for the first points of the match. Mertiff escaped, took his opponent down for a takedown and three back points before Shaw hit another reversal to go to the final period with Mertiff leading 6-4. Mertiff (26-5) was never able to get off the bottom in the third period, however, and Shaw twice turned the lighter Mertiff for nearfall points to pull out a very exciting 9-6 triumph.
Heath Walk (22-5) gave Tyrone a split with the Shaw brothers at 189, with a fall with three seconds remaining in the match.
With the result in doubt until the final seconds, Walk opened the scoring with a takedown and led 2-1 after one period. Shaw escaped to tie the score, but Walk stayed in the lead with a takedown at the buzzer ending the middle period. Walk escaped twice and carried 6-4 advantage into the waning seconds of the match. Having to do something to get back into the match, Shaw tried twice to take Walk down. Each time Walk was able to counter and come up with takedowns of his own, the second ending with Shaw on his back and referee Dick Woods slapping the mat for the fall in 5:57. The end of this epic battle in no way indicated the struggle both wrestlers put into it.
Earlier in the match, Walk and Shaw flurried with each going after takedown points and each time, the Tyrone junior was able to do the scoring. Walk, who won a 1-0 decision when the two wrestlers battled it out in the consolation bracket in the King of the Mountain Tournament in December, was singled out by his coach.
“When it comes to that sort of thing (flurrying for points), Heath seems to have a higher scramble quotient than most,” said a smiling Packer.
At 215, Brad Riggleman, whose dad Dave wrestled for Tyrone, pinned Donnie Conrad in what was a close match at the time of the fall. Riggleman was up 5-2 when he turned Conrad (6-12) for the pin in 2:26.
Terry Tate (25-0) maintained his perfect record with his 19th pin of the year, decking Bruce Diehl in 1:38. The victory was Terry’s 127th career win, tying the 275-pounder with Thadd Westley for the most wins in the history of the school’s wrestling program. Westley graduated in spring of 2005 with a 127-32 mark. Tate is currently 127-24.
At 103, Tyrone freshman Anthony Romano (8-5) scored a takedown and three sets of nearfalls to major Ken Moyer 10-0. T. J. Albright and Hollidaysburg 112-pounder Brett Shoenfelt waged a battle that Albright (21-5) won when he registered a reversal in the second period that proved the difference in a 5-4 win.
Hollidaysburg won the final two weight classes. At 119, Stuart Rhodes utilized reversals in the first and second periods to down Robert Waite (15-4) 4-2. Ryan Colmer closed out the dual by pinning Josh Hunter (11-15) in 1:36.
“Coming into a match like this, you’re not sure how you pair up with the kids. At the Zeigler Tournament they were only five-and-a-half points behind us,” said Packer. “We thought it could be a tight match. We also knew we would meet some good competition here. We travel into New York to get competition. We have the Shaw boys here, the Harr kid, the Rhodes kid at 119. They have a nice group of kids here and you have to take the competition when it comes.
The Tyrone junior high came back from Hollidaysburg with a 54-31 victory over the Hollidaysburg junior high.
The Little Tigers stayed with Tyrone for much of the dual, even jumping out to a 21-12 lead after the 165-pound weight class. Tyrone used a forfeit to Chase Weaver (75) and pin by A. J. Schopp (80) to take the 24-21 lead, although Hollidaysburg cut the margin to 33-31 after 110. Tyrone 105-pounder Donnie Hunter stepped up with a pin at 105 and the little Eagles claimed the last four matches to win going away.
J. P. VanAllman (138), Nick Wilburn (165), Schopp (80), Hunter (105) and Cody Smith (122) recorded pins. J. P. Gardner (210), Weaver (75) and Josh Miller (110) won by forfeit and Cody Weaver (90) and Jeremy Barlett (115) each won by regular decision
Tyrone 43 Hollidaysburg 22
130 – Christian Harr (H) maj. dec. Shayne Tate 16-3
135 – David Miller (T) pinned Cameron Barroner 0:15
140 – Sam McCloskey (T) pinned Brett Shaffer 4:41
145 – Jacob Smerekar (T) dec. Travis Clapper 14-8
152 – Justin Schopp (T) dec. John Frederick 7-4
160 – Matt Lauder (T) pinned Issac Diehl 0:51
171 – Brian Shaw (H) dec. Brice Mertiff 9-6
189 – Heath Walk (T) pinned Eric Shaw 5:57
215 – Brad Riggleman (H) pinned Donnie Conrad 2:26
275 – Terry Tate (T) pinned Bruce Diehl 1:38
103 – Anthony Romano maj. dec. Ken Moyer 10-0
112 – T. J. Albright (T) dec. Brett Shoenfelt 5-4
119 – Stuart Rhodes (H) dec. Robert Waite 4-2
125 – Ryan Colmer (H) pinned Josh Hunter 1:36
EXH
275 – Brad Oswalt (T) pinned Levi Snyder 0:52
Junior High
Tyrone 54 Hollidaysburg 31
130 – Evan McCaffrey (H) dec. Shane Emigh 8-4
138 – J. P. VanAllman (T) pinned Alan Harker 0:55
145 – Wil Diarzenko (H) pinned Jordan Berry 2:42
155 – Shawn Flaugh (H) pinned Byron Sullins 3:43
165 – Nick Wilburn (T) Jesse McCandless 0:36
185 – Jacob Wills (H) won by forfeit
210 J. P. Gardner (T) won by forfeit
250 – No match
75 – Chase Weaver (T) won by forfeit
80 – A. J. Schopp (T) pinned Robert Dibert 2:20
85 – Damian Lascoli (H) dec. Ben Smerekar 8-3
90 – Cody Weaver (T) dec. Jimmy Dalgarn 6-2
95 – Greg Demisie (H) dec. Doug Rudy 3-2
100 – Steffan Housum (H) maj. dec. Matt Moore 11-0
105 – Donnie Hunter (T) pinned Derek Heisler2:27.
