Philipsburg-Oceola Wrestling Preview

by Guy Cipriano

Posted on December 8, 2008

Philipsburg-Osceola Mounties

PHILIPSBURG-OSCEOLA WRESTLING PREVIEW

Coach:Tim McCamley, second season

Assistants:Dick Condo, Craig Fink, Justin Fye, Lester Horton, Mike Minarchick, Tracy Minarchick, Mark Rice, Tim Tekely

Last year:8-9, 3-5 CWC Key losses:Mike Horton, Hwt, 36-8, District 6 runnerup, Northwest Regional third place, PIAA fifth place; Kurt McCamley, 135, 36-9, Bo Reifer, 189, 38-5, District 6 champion, Northwest Regional champion, PIAA qualifier, Dimitri Sidorick, 215, 23-6.

Returning letterwinners: Josh Barnhart, Sr., 112, 2-20; Derek Diehl, So., 130, 9-15; Ethan Greenawalt, Sr., 152, 18-16; Nick Gurol, Jr., 119, 20-13; Jake Hensal, Sr., 9-16; Levi McCord, Jr., 140, 0-6; Todd Ostrofsky, Sr., 130, 10-23; Steve Rusnak, Jr., 171, 3-7; Josh Shoemaker, Jr., 119, 4-12; Lucas Wilkinson, So., 103, 5-4.

Newcomers:James Ash, So., 112; Joe Bainey, Fr., 112; Gurin Barrows, So., 135; Drew Bryan, So., 135; Reggie Coval, So., 145; Jarrett Fleck, Jr., 160; Cody Golding, Jr., Hwt; Luc Greenawalt, So., 135; Andrew Mann, So., 189; Tommy Miller, So., 103; Kenny Myers, Fr., 125; Chris Rocco, So., 103; Logan Walstrom, Fr., 140-145; Joe Wilder, So., Hwt; Colton Wrye, Jr., 215;

The skinny:Injuries forced Philipsburg-Osceola coach Tim McCamley to use his entire roster last season. Literally.

All 24 Mounties received varsity time during 2007-08. P-O's four best wrestlers — Kurt McCamley, Bo Reifer, Dimitri Sidorick and Mike Horton — now play college sports, leaving McCamley and his staff to sort through last year's remnants.

But the schedule doesn't allow McCamley to methodically examine his options. P-O competes a county-high six times during the season's first 15 days.

"We're very, very young," McCamley said. "With our schedule at the beginning, it's going to be really, really difficult for a group of young kids. We're going to have to stay patient. The kids want to win, but they might take some lumps at the beginning."

The Mounties' roster includes just three seniors, seven less than last year. Ethan Greenawalt, a Northwest Regional qualifier, was the lone junior to finish last season with a winning record.

Greenawalt moves up to 152 after finishing 18-16 and upsetting Erie Cathedral Prep's Jamal Lyons during the regional tournament. McCamley expects Greenawalt, along with junior Nick Gurol, to provide leadership.

Gurol was one of Centre County's most improved wrestlers last year. After finishing 15-17 as a freshman 103-pounder in 2006-07, Gurol went 20-13 before an injury prevented him from competing in last season's regional tournament.

"They are showing the way in the room," McCamley said of Greenawalt and Gurol.

The rest of the lineup includes wrestlers looking to breakthrough at the varsity level.

P-O must replace Reifer, Sidorick and Horton from 189 to heavyweight, but juniors Colton Wrye and Cody Golding benefited from practicing with the trio. Junior Steve Rusnak also steps into the lineup after wrestling just 10 bouts last season.

"Obviously, we lost a lot up top," McCamley said. "But we have good wrestlers up there and we expect them to do pretty well. The learned from the older guys last year. I don't know if they are quite at that level, but they are hard workers."

The upperweights aren't the only inexperienced part of P-O's lineup. Fourteen of McCamley's wrestlers are either sophomores or freshmen.

"We don't have the senior leadership we had last year," McCamley said. "We had 10 seniors going into last year and that's 10 veterans who know what's expected. They showed the way in the room. It's a little different with these kids." — By Guy Cipriano

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