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Blue Mtn., Mount Carmel spark resurgence
by Bob Lipsky, Republican Herald
Posted on November 26, 2007
Overall numbers are up. Experience is up. Talent is up. Excitement is up.
Some teams, like Blue Mountain and Mount Carmel, are on the verge of breaking through as state-ranked squads.
The excitement is evident in the coaches’ voices, though that excitement is tempered by the reality that they’ll have to prove they belong with the top teams.
In Pennsylvania wrestling, nothing is handed to you. If you want something, you have to aggressively take it — and put in the work beforehand to make sure you can handle the heat once you get into the scrap.
Mount Carmel coach Randy Reidler: “We just completed one whole week where we had 24 kids in the room who are banging heads. The (practice) room is a lot more upbeat than last year.’’
Blue Mountain coach Tod Kindig: “This year everybody’s on the same page, from myself, to the junior high to the biddys. For the most part, I’m very happy. ... I’m pumped.’’
Other squads, most notably Tamaqua, Tri-Valley and Upper Dauphin, return lineups that should match up competitively with everybody on their respective schedules.
In all, teams throughout the league welcome back 111 wrestlers who were varsity starters at the end of last season. A dozen or two more saw part-time varsity action in 2006-07.
The league has 38 wrestlers who won at least 20 bouts last season but just seven others who won 30.
Another wave of big-potential newcomers also arrives, particularly at Shamokin and Tamaqua.
There’s the rub. Potential doesn’t always translate into production. And seven 30-win wrestlers just aren’t enough to make an impact outside the Schuylkill League. Others will have to rise to elite status for team goals to be reached.
Still, the fog and despair of the “Dark Ages’’ seems to be lifting. How brilliant the “Renaissance’’ becomes this season remains to be seen.
New coaches
Four teams have different, though not necessarily new, head coaches this season.
J.J. Fasnacht, an assistant at Pine Grove last season, becomes a head coach once again with the Cardinals. Fasnacht has five years of experience as a head coach (one at Tamaqua and two each at Tri-Valley and Blue Mountain).
At Upper Dauphin, Dave Barder steps back into the head coaching chair vacated by Todd Rupp, who became UDA’s athletic director. Barder (161-129) has nearly two decades of coaching experience and enjoyed a long, successful run with Bob Crabb before Rupp went 51-11 over the past four seasons.
The first-year leaders are Mike Joseph at Mahanoy Area and Brian Zerby at Halifax. Both move up from assistant positions. Zerby takes over for Lahn Masser, who retired after 32 seasons as the Wildcats’ head coach.
Let’s break down each of the divisional races:
Division I
Blue Mountain, the three-time defending Division I champion, remains the team to beat until somebody proves otherwise.
The Eagles have won 23 straight division dual meets since Tri-Valley knocked them off 37-30 on Jan. 16, 2004, en route to the Division I championship.
The Eagles return 11 starters, led by sophomore and state qualifier Josh Kindig (36-7) and junior Cort Choate (36-8). Sophomore Clint Rarick (26-5), Kindig and Choate were Schuylkill League Tournament champions last season.
In preparation for the season, the Eagles have had two-a-day drills, working strength and conditioning in the mornings and technique in the afternoons.
“Our goal is to win the league every year,’’ Tod Kindig said. “We want to advance up each year, give our wrestlers a new experience.’’
To that end, Blue Mountain has toughened its schedule significantly. Most notably, the Eagles have entered the Easton Duals, where they will take on the No. 1 team in the nation, Blair Academy, N.J., among other heavyweights.
The goal is to remove the mystique of the Lehigh Valley teams, to steadily improve and get comfortable at that level of wrestling.
After all, the path to the PIAA Class AAA Championships goes through the Lehigh Valley at both districts and regionals.
“We’ve got to get on the mat with those teams,’’ Tod Kindig said. “We want our kids to wrestle tough, don’t lose because of fear, learn and improve from it.’’
Looking to close the gap on the Eagles are Tamaqua, Tri-Valley and Pine Grove.
The Blue Raiders return a pair of league champs and regional qualifiers in seniors Matt Brode (27-7) and Matt Stewart (26-8) among their eight starters. Look for several members of last year’s powerful junior high team to make an impact at the varsity level.
“We’re looking for a good start again and hopefully a stronger finish,’’ Tamaqua coach Jim McCabe said. “We’re looking to be a strong team, but there’s lots of room for improvement.’’
The Blue Raiders started 8-0 last season but finished 12-5.
Tri-Valley improved from 2-19 to 10-7 last season and looks to take the next step forward with a still-young team. Senior Andrew Oxenrider (28-12), a regional qualifier, leads a squad with 12 wrestlers who saw varsity time last season.
“The kids have all advanced to different degrees, but I think they all have taken steps forward from last year,’’ Tri-Valley co-coach Ty Rothermel said. “We’re definitely on the right track.
“Hopefully as the season goes on we can keep them moving in the right direction.’’
Consistent improvement is also a focus in Pine Grove, which returns a solid starting group but little depth. Senior Chas Aungst (35-7), a league champion and a seventh-place medalist at states, leads the way.
“This will be a tough season for us due to our small numbers,’’ Fasnacht said. “I am looking forward to watching this group develop as the season progresses.’’
North Schuylkill and Pottsville, with nine starters back apiece, and Shamokin, with seven returning starters and an influx of talent from its feeder program, all look to improve their records.
“If the veteran returnees with 2-3 years of varsity experience can return to the level of wrestling that they are capable of, and they can show the necessary leadership in the practice room for our freshmen and sophomores, we could be very competitive,’’ North Schuylkill coach Dave Brown said. “Attitude will play a big part in the level of our success.’’
Another wrestler to watch is Pottsville junior Mike Brennan (24-8), a Schuylkill League Tournament champion. A deeper, more experienced Tide roster should make them more competitive. And with the football team not going deep in the playoffs this season, the whole roster has been in the room since the beginning of drills.
“It makes a big difference,’’ Pottsville coach Pat Brennan said. “I’m sorry (the football team) didn’t have the same success of the last two years, but I’m happy to have them in the room. ... The attitude is great.’’
Division II
Like Blue Mountain in Division I, Mount Carmel is the clear favorite in Division II.
The Red Tornadoes won both the division dual-meet and tournament team titles last season and return 11 starters from a 19-3 team.
“When you go 19-3, you’ve got a big bull’s-eye on your back,’’ Reidler said.
Seniors Josh Malick (39-4, eighth at states) and James Haynes (39-4, fifth at states) are the Red Tornadoes’ hammers. The depth, though, goes far beyond them. Senior Jordan Politza (26-10) joined Malick and Haynes as league gold medalists, and senior Randy Elliott (21-8) was a regional qualifier.
“One of our first goals is to defend everything that we won, and we want to go higher in the things we didn’t win,’’ Reidler said.
Upper Dauphin and Jim Thorpe, with eight returning starters apiece, appear to be Mount Carmel’s main competition in the division. Senior Josh Lesher (29-10), a regional qualifier, leads the Trojans. Senior Ethan Smith (31-7) and sophomore Dillon Smith (29-11), a regional qualifier, spark the Olympians.
Panther Valley, led by senior Jared Reitz (27-9), has six returning starters and a much deeper roster that could translate into more victories.
Schuylkill Haven has a pair of quality wrestlers in senior Tucker Elliott (28-5) and sophomore Jon Nettles (27-10). A better turnout will help fill the lineup.
Senior Ryan Herring (30-7) leads the way for Mahanoy Area, which, along with Halifax and Williams Valley, is in a rebuilding mode.
“Every kid that’s been in the program for the last six years, we know each other,’’ said Joseph, a former junior high and elementary coach at Mahanoy Area.
“They know what I expect of them, and I know what they’re capable of doing,’’ he added. “They have a great work ethic, and I’m looking for a very positive year.’’
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