It has been 20 years since a Tyrone Area High School varsity wrestling team walked off the mat with a win against Philipsburg-Osceola. On Saturday night, the Eagles weathered six lead changes to overcome the Mounties 35-31. Tyrone improves to 10-4 with just a home match with Penns Valley on Thursday, Feb. 13, remaining on their schedule, while P-O drops to 7-7.
The battle, and that is literally what it really was, began at the 145-pound weight class. Brice Mertiff opened the scoring with a takedown for the Eagles, but P-O’s Matt Shimmel came right back with a reversal to tie the score at 2-2. Mertiff (21-10) took control of the bout after that, with another takedown for a 4-2 lead after one period, then added five points in the middle stanza with a takedown and nearfall and reversed Shimmel (4-16) again in the third period before getting a fall in 4:39.
Down 6-0, Philipsburg-Osceola fought back to win the next two weights and take a 7-6 lead. Vlad Sidorick, nephew of former P-O State Champ, Mark Sidorick, jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two periods and then fought off a charge by Tyrone senior J. D. Shaw in the third period for a 6-3 win at 152. Shaw (9-17) used a reversal and escape in the final two minutes to cut the lead in half, but Sidorick (10-11) held on for the win. At 160, Adam White put the Mounties on top with a 14-5 major decision over Chris Tremmel (7-14). White (11-4) used two first-period takedowns for a 4-1 lead and just kept adding takedowns, getting a total of six plus a reversal to begin the second period.
At 171, Kurt Ammerman downed Blake Cowfer 8-4 to increase the Mountie lead to 10-6. After a scoreless opening period, Cowfer started on the bottom and Ammerman put the Eagle senior in a cradle, for three back points for the only score of the middle period. Cowfer (11-16) scored a pair of reversals in the third stanza, but Ammerman kept pace with an escape, takedown and reversal to double up Cowfer 8-4.
The lead changed hands again when Justin Clark (7-18) pinned Dustin Brown in 1:12, at 189, for the fastest fall of the match. Clark took Brown down and quickly worked for the fall to give Tyrone the team lead 12-10.
That lead lasted exactly one match when Tyler Chintella (12-10) challenged Clark for quickest pin, decking Max Soellner (2-3) in 1:38 for a 16-12 Mountie advantage.
In the match at 275, Tyrone sophomore Terry Tate and P-O senior Rodney Brown (12-7) went through the first period scoreless. Brown chose the bottom position to begin the second period and Tate (27-5) turned him for the fall with the match still scoreless at the 3:22 mark to leapfrog the Eagles into an 18-16 lead.
In a pivotal match at 103, Robert Waite and the Mounties Matt Barnhart were engaged in a tight 9-7 battle when Waite (16-13) pinned Barnhart (5-11) to give the Eagles a bit of breathing room, 24-16. Waite started out the bout with a takedown, but Barnhart reversed and added three back points before Waite countered with a reversal and a three nearfall of his own to take a 7-5 lead in a wild first period. Barnhart knotted the score with a reversal, but Waite wrangled a reversal of his own with 25 seconds left in the second period and beat the buzzer with the fall in 3:59.
“I think there were a number of big matches,” Tyrone coach Blair Packer commented. “I thought 171, 189 and 103 were three swing matches that could make all the difference in the world tonight and I think we won two out of three of them. Nobody knew before the dual what would happen at these weights and we ended up getting two pins.”
Philipsburg-Osceola wasn’t about to roll over however, coming back to post a pair of wins at 112, and 119, to take their last lead 25-24.
Mike Good (8-5) pinned Andrew Hiller (2-7) in 1:22, at 112, and undefeated Brian Jones (21-0) doubled up Dane McCloskey 8-4 at 119. Jones led just 2-0 at the end of one period, but played take ‘em down and let ‘em up in the second period, with three more takedowns and allowed four escapes for McCloskey (20-10). The third period was entirely scoreless.
Tyrone assured themselves of their first win over Philipsburg-Osceola since 1983 with three straight wins to take a 35-25 lead with only the 140-pound match to go.
Thad Westley (30-6) picked up his 30th win of the year and 80th in his career by majoring Ryan Dobo 12-4. The Tyrone junior added five takedowns to his season total and a pair of escapes in the victory at 125, that gave the Eagles the lead for good.
At 130, Brett Harris majored Trevor Emigh 17-4 to ease the Eagles into a 32-25 advantage that meant P-O would have to get wins in both remaining weight classes and score bonus points in at least one. Harris (25-9) led just 5-2 after one stanza, but opened up in the second period with a reversal and two sets of back points to go out in front 12-2. Emigh (16-8) was able to add just two harmless escapes in the final period, while Harris kept scoring with two takedowns and a penalty point when Emigh was flagged twice for stalling.
David Miller (27-8) jumped out in front of Jeff Winters 9-3 after two periods and then cruised to a 9-4 win. Miller led 4-1 on a pair of opening-stanza takedown, before adding an escape, takedown and reversal in the second. Winters (0-2) was filling in for David Woods (16-7), who was home in bed with the flu.
Philipsburg-Osceola closed out the dual with a win to cut the final score to 35-31. Matt Bush (21-1) put Adam Swayne (12-15) on his back for three nearfall points after a scoreless first period, then turned the Tyrone sophomore again for the fall in 2:39.
“I think the team wrestled just an outstanding match tonight,” said Packer, “right to the man. In every match, our kids went out and wrestled with every bit of his heart into it, it was a match for the fans, it was a great match. It was the kids attitudes, their enthusiasm about what we are doing. If it came down to pins and bonus points tonight, that’s what it’s been all season.”
Philipsburg-Osceola won the junior high match prior to the varsity encounter 51-34. P-O jumped out to a 20-0 advantage, but the Little Eagles fought back to make an interesting dual, drawing as close as 44-34 with two matches to go. The Little Mounties insured the win with victories at the final two weight classes.
Heath Walk remained undefeated with a pin at 165, to stop the early P-O momentum and Johnny Miller followed at 185, with a major decision to cut the Mountie lead in half in just two matches.
Brandon Oswalt won by decision at 250, Anthony Romano picked up a forfeit at 80. T. J. Abright (100) and Justin Schopp (105) won by fall and Shayne Tate picked up a regular decision.
In between the junior high match and the varsity dual, the 2003 class of the Tyrone Wrestling Hall of Fame was presented. Don and Ruth Kimberling (Contributors) and Pete Dutrow (Coach) and Bob Bubb (Coach) were inducted. Mr. Bubb, who could not be present due to a previous engagement had his award accepted by Philipsburg-Osceola head wrestling coach Dave Caslow, who began his coaching career as an assistant coach at Tyrone and spoke of Bubb as being his mentor.
Tyrone 35 Philipsburg-Osceola 31
145 – Brice Mertiff (T) pinned Matt Shimmel 4:39
152 – Vlad Sidorick (PO) dec. J. D. Shaw 6-3
160 – Adam White (PO) maj dec. Chris Tremmel 14-5
171 – Kurt Ammerman (PO) dec. Blake Cowfer 8-4
189 – Justin Clark (T) pinned Justin Brown 1:12
215 – Tyler Chintella (PO) pinned Max Soellner 1:38
275 – Terry Tate (T) pinned Rodney Brown 3:22
103 – Robert Waite (T) pinned Matt Barnhart 3:59
112 – Mike Good (PO) pinned Andrew Hiller 1:22
119 – Brian Jones (PO) dec. Dane McCloskey 8-4
125 – Thad Westley (T) maj. dec. Ryan Dobo 12-4
130 – Brett Harris (T) maj. dec. Trevor Emigh 17-4
135 – David Miller (T) dec. Jeff Winters 9-4
140 – Matt Bush (PO) pinned Adam Swayne 2:39
Junior High
Philipsburg-Osceola 51 Tyrone 34
122 – Derik Weitosh (PO) dec. Sam McCloskey 5-4
130 – Elliot Davis (PO) won by tech fall Brady Williams 16-1, 2:40
138 – D. J. Cassler (PO) dec. James Updike 6-0
145 – Jordan Luzier (PO) dec. Donnie Conrad 7-5
155 – Ryan Marcinko (PO) pinned Tyler Updike 3:33
165 – Heath Walk (T) pinned Tyler Minarchick 2:43
185 – Johnny Miller (T) maj. dec. Nick Wiser 11-3
210 – Eric Krause (PO) won by forfeit
250 – Brandon Oswalt (T) dec. Dan Briscoe 5-2
75 – Gary Shoemaker (PO) pinned William Shauf 0:23
80 – Anthony Romano (T) won by forfeit
85 – Simon Harris (PO) pinned Chris Miller 2:05
90 – Elliot Henry (PO) pinned Shane Emigh 3:50
95 – Shayne Tate (T) dec. Tim Barnhart 10-7
100 – T. J. Albright (T) pinned Adam Stanton 0:26
105 – Justin Schopp (T) pinned Brian Eyerly 1:30
110 – Mike Gray (PO) maj dec. Jacob Smerekar 11-3
115 – Matt McCamley (PO) dec. Josh Hunter 3-1
