Tyrone wrestlers begin wrestlings’s second season on the mats at Tyrone Area High School this Friday. While interest is always big for dual meets and inseason tournaments, the real and true goal for every wrestler is to stand on the platform at Hershey finishing in one of the top six places in the state. The ultimate, of course, is to stand at the top, the State Champion of your weight class.
It is a tough and often torturous process. The preliminaries begin in November with preseason practice.
Then it is two matches a week and tournament three or four times over weekends. Every night after school when there are no dual meets, it is off to practice, drilling, drilling, drilling, until you can do the moves in your sleep.
Finally, the first season is over and you get a week or so to prepare for the Districts, the first step on the ladder towards Hershey. If you are one of the fortunate, you qualify for the next step-Regionals where several Districts get together to battle for the right to advance to the final step on the totem.
As skills equal out, one more factor enters the picture. Experience will give confidence. Instead of wondering whether he belongs, a wrestler who has gone through the experience KNOWS he belongs in the select group, his ability and strengths get him to.
Tyrone has a solid nucleus who lead the Golden Eagles into the 2003 District Six Tournament on Friday. Four has been there before, they have the experience. Senior Brett Harris, Junior Thad Westley and sophomores David Miller and Terry Tate have already qualified for a Regional tournament. Westley, Miller and Tate went to the 2002 Regionals at UPJ, and Harris qualified as a sophomore in 2001.
“I think a large part of what will make the success of this team is our schedule,” explained Tyrone coach Blair Packer. “I think the guys focusing on their objectives and goals for this weekend. I think all the adversity, the tournaments and individuals we have already wrestled. This is the reason for the season. All the things we have done up to now is just experience and preparation for the postseason tournaments.”
Thad Westley (31-6) is the top seed at 125 and has lost just one dual meet in two years, a 5-4 decision to Clint Shirk of Bald Eagle Area this year, the day following a first round Team Dual match with Claysburg-Kimmel. With 81 career wins already under his belt, the Eagle junior, who was one victory short of going to states last year, will wrestle the winner of a pigtail involving Sean Kenney (3-4) of Glendale and Tim Dickson (6-10) of Juniata Valley. Ron Repak (23-6) is the No. Four seed at 125, while in the bottom half of the bracket, Claysburg-Kimmel’s Ryan McIntyre (24-5) is No. Two and Lee Manning (23-4) is the Three Seed. Westley and McIntyre have split a pair of matches this year, with the Claysburg sophomore winning 3-1 in the finals of the Blair/Huntingdon County Tournament and Westley doubling up McIntyre 8-4 in the Team Duals.
Brice Mertiff (21-11) is seeded second at 145. Mertiff leads the Eagles in true falls with 18. (Miller has 16, McCloskey 15, Harris 15, Westley 14, and Tate 14, Westley also has six tech falls) Mertiff, who was 1-2 at Districts last year, will meet the winner of the Seth Bicker (8-9) of Marion Center/Matt Godin (5-15) of Mo Valley pigtail, then probably Ian Leslie (22-8) of Claysburg in the quarters and James Moss (27-7) of Forest Hills in the semis. Moss shut out Mertiff 9-0 in the finals of the Team Duals.
David Miller (26-10) is seeded third at 135, and will face the winner of the Matt Baer (6-16) of Somerset/Chuck Gouse (6-9) of Portage pigtail match. Miller finished third at Districts last year to earn his way to Regionals. David, who finished 23-10 in 2002 as a freshman, now has 50 career wins to his credit. In his half of the bracket, Miller could meet No. Six seed Nathan Owens (19-11) in the quarterfinals and Preston Shawver (26-5) of Penns Valley in the semifinals. Miller who won 19 of his final 23 matches, edged Owens 5-4 in the dual and is 1-2 against Shawver, splitting a pair of matches in the King of the Mountain Tournament and dropping a 10-8 decision in overtime in the dual.
Terry Tate (27-5) is the third seed at 275. Tate will wrestle Daron DeVore (7-14) of Juniata Valley in the preliminary round. Tate won King of the Mountain Tournament, the Eastern States Tournament in New York and the Blair/Huntingdon County Tournament and was second at the Penn Manor Comet Classic. Tate will probably face No. Six seed Dane Watt (18-9) of Penn Cambria in the quarters and Marion Center’s undefeated junior John Neese (22-0) in the semifinals.
Brett Harris (25-10) qualified for Regionals two years ago, then with a 15-6 mark, got caught in the shuffle last year at the end of the regular season last year and never got the chance to wrestle in the 2002 Districts. The sixth seed at 130, this time around, Brett’s first opponent will be the winner of a pigtail match with Aaron Reifer (14-5) of Moshannon Valley going against Vince Garlock (2-21) of Central. Harris will probably meet Fourth Seed junior Dominic Inzana (21-1) of Cambria Heights in the quarterfinals and Mike Krisfalusi (21-3) of Ligonier valley in the semis.
“Kids go to these tournaments and feel they don’t belong because they have never been there, it’s a new experience,” said Packer. “Those who have been there tend to walk out and think they own the place. They’ve been there, done that. Now it’s just another stepping stone-let’s see how much higher I can go. It’s to their credit that the four kids are back again ready to take another shot this year.”
Tyrone also has Dane McCloskey (22-10) seeded fourth at 119. McCloskey won a pair of matches at the 2002 Districts, losing to three Regional qualifiers. McCloskey will meet Jon Pollock (12-13) of Portage, John Whistler (17-6) of Richland in the quarterfinals and defending state champ Jake Strayer (33-0) of Forest Hills in the semis.
The other Tyrone wrestlers and first opponents are Robert Waite (17-13) the eighth seed at 103, who has won seven of his last nine, will wrestle Aaron McConnell (12-9) of Cambria Heights. Andrew Hiller (2-8) will face Greg Myers (13-17) of Penns Valley, who pinned the Tyrone sophomore in the dual at 112. Adam Swayne (12-16) will wrestle Dustin Charney (17-7) of Cambria Heights at 140. J. D. Shaw (10-17) will wrestle Juniata Valley’s Tom Phillips (2-18) at 152. At 160, Chris Tremmel (7-15) will face Ryan Wojno (4-5) of Northern Cambria. Justin Clark (7-19) will meet Second Seed Sean Kissel (20-5) of Forest Hills at 189. Max Soellner (2-4) will wrestle Tyler Bennett (1-4) of Marion Center at 215.
