Look beyond numbers for best of Pleasant Valley

by Beth Hudson

Posted on January 9, 2008

Easton coach Steve Powell was talking about one of his own wrestlers on Saturday night when he noted that an athlete doesn't always have to win to do well.

Powell was speaking of a wrestler who had competed at a high level against quality competition (and ultimately lost a couple of close decisions), but his words could have applied to the Red Rovers' dual-meet opponent earlier that day, Pleasant Valley.

The Bears are one of those teams -- the solid programs that produce some very good wrestlers, maybe a couple of state qualifiers, year after year. There are a few teams like that in District 11 Class 3A. and they always seem to be at least a few steps behind Easton, Nazareth or Northampton.

Still, as Powell said, it's not just about the final score.

Pleasant Valley lost to Easton (47-24) and Nazareth (50-16 on Monday night) in a span of three days, and that's part of the story. But the Bears' complete picture becomes clear only when you look beyond those numbers.

To begin, Pleasant Valley (2-2) lost some valuable wrestlers -- including Kyle Cramer, Shane Everett, Kevin Olswfski, Eric Pritchard and Harry Wolverton -- to graduation in 2007. Coach Mark Getz expected a rebuilding year, and his team is still young.

But even in that mode, there are positive signs:

Sophomore Jordan Toledo (15-5), a talented 112-pounder who made it to states as a freshman, became the first Pleasant Valley wrestler to win a title at the Reno (Nev.) Tournament of Champions last month. He beat a strong Easton freshman, Joey Rizzolino, in the final bout and then earned another win over Rizzolino, 5-4, on Saturday.

Gold medals at prestigious national tournaments are a yearly occurrence for elite programs. For a team like Pleasant Valley, however, each one is a building block.

''Jordan Toledo has wrestled all summer, and you can really see it's paid off for him,'' Getz said Saturday. ''I think he's a lot better this year on his feet. He still has work to do on bottom.''

Then there's Chris Servian, a senior who's currently second at 152 in The Morning Call's rankings. He took third in Reno and also owns a couple of decisions over Easton senior and state medalist Colin Dailey, a wrestler who's beaten Servian in the past.

''I feel I'm more focused this year,'' Servian said. ''I feel I've improved a lot just mentally.''

Getz agreed.

''He really believes in himself this year,'' the coach said.

If anything, the final scores against Easton and Nazareth remind the Bears of the work they still have to do. Nazareth junior Greg Flamisch won a 9-4 decision over Toledo on Monday -- a score that will shake up next week's rankings. Toledo was No. 2 at 112 this week, while Flamisch was an honorable mention.

At the same time, there's a larger picture -- one that teams like Pleasant Valley have to keep in mind while they're trying to build their own traditions in District 11.

''You've got to make them believe,'' Getz said.

The Bears can gain something even in a loss. They gave up two forfeits in their match against Easton, but still won a respectable five of the 12 bouts contested.

''We're bumped up and have a couple of kids hurt,'' Getz said. ''I was just looking at individual matches, and I was pretty happy with that -- actually, really happy.''

Pleasant Valley gave up two more forfeits against Nazareth (Nazareth forfeited a bout as well) and also lost three decisions by one or two points. Setbacks happen, especially against programs the caliber of Easton and Nazareth.

But the victories happen, too, particularly when a team continues to test itself against the best competition.

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