1A/2A West Regionals

The 1A/2A West Regional championships continue to be the top qualifying tournament in the state.  There are no weak wrestlers and there are no easy matches.  If a wrestler makes it to states after competing in this regional event, he has definitely earned the spot.  Saturday was a day filled with great wrestling, and a few surprises.

Freshman Devan Hamrick was in one of the toughest weight classes we have ever seen at regionals.  After losing Friday's quarter final match, Devan would face a Middletown wrestler who was able to win an earlier season match.  Unfortunately, the result was similar this time around.  Devan lost a close decision to Grossnickle and was eliminated from the tournament, ending a great freshman season.

Junior Austin Shaffer competed in the 113 pound class and was the top seeded wrestler.  Austin easily won his semi final match in the morning session to earn his spot in the finals.  Austin dominated the Manchester Valley wrestler on Saturday morning.  In Saturday evening's finals, Austin was set to face Tim Nordan from Catoctin High School.  Nordan is a senior with an impressive record.  He also had no trouble earning his spot in the finals, pinning both of his opponents in the first period.  The finals began at the 285 pound class and proceeded down from there.  Austin's final match would be the second to last of the evening.  We got to enjoy great wrestling while we waited for the 113 finals.

The match began slower than normal for Austin as both wrestlers were testing the waters.  In a flurry of action, Nordan scored the first takedown and began his ride.  As the period was coming to a close, Austin was able to score a reversal and ride out the clock, with the score 2-2.  In the second, Nordan chose bottom and was able to earn a reversal and we felt the match slipping away.  He was very strong on top and Austin was not able to escape and the second period ended 4-2.  Shaffer chose neutral in the third and it was all Nordan who dominated the final period to earn the regional championship victory.  Most people believe these two will meet in the state finals next Saturday evening and Shaffer has 6 days to prepare.

Junior Tanner Massey had a great weekend at 138.  On Friday, he defeated a tough kid from Brunswick to earn a spot in the semis.  During Saturday morning's semi finals, Tanner was caught early and gave up too many points and was unable to recover, losing the match and dropping to the consolation bracket.  His next match was against Shoop from Williamsport and it was in the round know as the "qualification round".  Win and you qualify for states, lose and your season is over.  Shoop had defeated Massey earlier in the season and it looked like that would happen again.  Tanner was down 4-0 heading into the third period and we chose neutral.  Everyone knew something big had to happen or the match (and his season) was over.  Massey came out aggressive and during a flurry of action was able to throw Shoop to his back and earn the win by pin, earning his place in the state tournament.

In his final match of the day fighting for third place, Massey faced a highly seeded Oakldale wrestler.  The match was close and exciting throughout.  Near the end of the third period, Tanner scored a reversal and took a 2 point lead with time running down.  Unfortunately, Tanner got a little too excited and made a mistake, allowing the Oakdale wrestler to tie the score at the end of regulation, forcing overtime.  In the extra session, during a wild flurry of action, Massey was taken down and lost the match by two, finishing the tournament in 4th place.

 Senior co-captain Scott Cooper was entered at 195 and was looking to earn his first career trip to the state tournament.  In the semis, Scott faced Austin Keadle from Williamsport.  The two had not wrestled since last season.  The match started as most of Scott's match do, with a lot of action.  No one can accused Scoot of being a boring wrestler.  In the first period, Keadle was able to score a takedown and pick up 2 quick backpoints to build a 4-0 lead.  Throughout the match, Scott was able to battle to keep the match close and give him the opportunity to win in the third period.  With Scott trailing 8-7 time running out, he got in on a deep shot and it looked like he would be able to finish the move and score the winning takedown, but at the last moment, Keadle countered and scored a takedown of his own with Scott ending on his back.  Keadle won 13-7 and Cooper dropped to the consolations.

In the "qualification round", Cooper faced an Oakdale wrestler for his chance to earn his spot at Cole Fieldhouse next week.  Scott had no trouble at all, winning by major decision in that round and secured his place at states.  In his final match of regionals, Scott wrestled Randall for Winters Mill, a kid he pinned earlier in the season.  The result was the same on Saturday, Cooper pick up the win by pin at the end of the first period to finish up in third place.

The team placed 11th at the regional tournament this weekend and have qualified three wrestlers for states.  Wrestling starts at 2:30 next Friday at Cole Fieldhouse in College Park.

Regionals - Day 1

The 1A/2A West Regional tournament began last evening at Oakdale High School near Frederick.  This tournament is the last event before the state tournament next weekend.  The top four place winners at regionals qualify.

Seniors Cooper McCauley and Zach Tichnell each earned a spot in regionals by placing second at last week's Bi-County event.  Each of these Southern Rams wrestled hard, but they each lost their match and were eliminated from the tournament, ending their careers at Southern.  Both of these wrestlers joined the team last season and were great additions to Southern Wrestling.  Good luck in the future Cooper and Zach.

Freshman, Devan Hamrick was seeded 7th in a very tough 106 pound class.  His first match of the tournament was against the #2 seeded senior from Winters Mill.  The older, more experienced wrestler was too much for Devan to overcome and Devan lost a decision, dropping him into today's consolation round.

Defending state champion Austin Shaffer was the top seeded wrestler at 113 and took care of business easily in the quarterfinal round.  Austin went right to work and earned a 2nd period tech fall to earn a spot in this morning's semifinal round.

Junior Tanner Massey was the 4th seed at 138 and faced a tough #5 seed from Brunswick in round 1. Tanner scored early and often en route to an impressive 7-2 win to earn his spot in today's semis.

At 195, senior Scott Cooper took the mat as the #6 seed and also faced a wrestler from Brunswick.  Scott overpowered the #3 seeded wrestler, easily winning by major decision 14-0. Scott also has a place in the semi finals later this morning.

Today's wrestling begins at 10 am with the semi final round and will be followed by an afternoon filled with consolation wrestling.  The finals will be held later in the day at the conclusion of the other placement rounds.  Let's go boys!

2013 Bi-County Tourney

The 2013 Bi-County tournament was held Saturday at Fort Hill High School in Cumberland.  This annual event between teams from Allegany and Garrett counties is the first step in the state qualification system.  In the end, the Mountain Ridge Miners captured the team title with 5 individual champions.  Fort Hill placed 8 wrestlers in the finals to take second place and the Rams had 6 finalists and three individual champions to capture third place.  There were a number of errors in the team score calculations, but the results are official and final.  Once again, we would like to thank Kelli Fulmer for these great photos.

 

Junior, defending state champion Austin Shaffer entered the Bi-County tournament with a perfect 36-0 record on the season and was the top seeded wrestler at 113.  Shaffer received a bye into the finals where he met Colten White from Mt Ridge.  In the final match, Shaffer went right to work scoring a quick takedown and dominated on top finally securing the win with a pin near the end of the first period.  This was Shaffer's third straight Bi-County championship.

 

Junior Tanner Massey also entered the tournament as the top seeded wrestler with a record of 22-10 on the season.  Massey had little trouble in the semis, pinning his opponent from Allegany in the first period.  In the finals, he faced Justin Bryant, the #2 seed from Mt Ridge.  After a scoreless first period, Tanner took control in the second.  From the top position, Massey turned his opponent and was on the way to a pin when the official stopped the match to avoid possible injury.  When the match resumed, Massey had a 3-0 lead and quickly turned Bryant over again and secured the pin at the 3:00 mark to capture his 1st Bi-County Championship.

 

Senior Co-Captain Scott Cooper entered the Bi-County Tournament with a 19-1 record and was also the top seeded wrestler in his weight class.  Like Shaffer, Cooper was awarded a bye in the semis and moved directly to the finals where he met the second seeded wrestler Brett Rinehart from Fort Hill.  The whistle blew to start the match and before anyone could sit down, the match was over.  Cooper shot a quick double and took his opponent straight to his back and scored a 9 second pin to win his second straight Bi-County Championship.

 

The Rams also had three wrestler who placed second in the Bi-County Tournament.  At 106, Devan Hamrick defeated Lane Rounds from Northern in the semis to earn a spot in the finals vs. Cody Matthews from Mt Ridge.  Devan, who entered the tournament with an impressive 31-5 record, wrestled well against the 2012 state placewinner but was unable to score and dropped a 4-0 decision in the finals to finish in 2nd place.

 

At 126, Cooper McCauley was the top seeded wrestler and earned a bye in the semis to reach the finals where he would face Tristan Tressler from Fort Hill.  This was a close match throughout and would ultimately be decided in overtime.  McCauley scored first and was attempting to turn Tressler with a half when to official call an illegal full nelson.  We disputed this call but it stood.  There were some exciting back and forth action and as time was running out, Cooper had Tressler on his back and it appeared he would win the match there, but the official refused to award any near fall points.  We disputed that call as well but were rejected again and the match went into overtime.  In the extra period, McCauley was very close to scoring the winning takedown, but Tressler was able to turn it into a headlock situation and was awarded the winning takedown.

 

Zach Tichnell won his semi final match at 132 in dominating fashion over his opponent from Allegany to earn his spot in the Bi-County finals.  In the final match, Zach had the difficult task of facing defending state champion Adam Martz from Mt Ridge.  Martz dominated the match from the neutral position and Tichnell was able to avoid any near fall points, frustrating Martz throughout.  In the end, Martz was so much better on his feet and was able to score multiple takedowns en route to a 17-5 major decision over Tichnell.

 

Placing third for the Rams at the Bi-County tournament were Josh King (120), Johnny Lascaris (145), Stephen Collins (170), Will Foulke (182) and Brenden Spaulding (220) 

 

 Placewinners

106

1. Cody Matthews (MR)

2. Devan Hamrick (SG)

3. Lane Rounds (NG)

4. Dakota Whitacre (FH)

 

113

1. Austin Shaffer (SG)

2. Colten White (MR)

3. Jacob Harper (FH)

 

120

1. JT Thmas (MR)

2. Tyler Dolly (FH)

3. Josh King (SG)

4. Cody Platter (NG)

 

126

1. Tristan tressler (FH)

2. Cooper McCauley (SG)

3. Ryan Coleman (MR)

 

132

1. Adam Martz (MR)

2. Zach Tichnell (SG)

3. JT Wilson (A)

4. Steven Twigg (FH)

 

138

1. Tanner Massey (SG)

2. Justin Bryant (MR)

3. Bryson Day (NG)

4. Jordon Patterson (A)

5. Ryan Eckard (FH)

 

145

1. Nick Shifflett (MR)

2. Chris McCann (NG)

3. Johnny Lascaris (SG)

4. Ryan Murphy (A)

 

152

1. Drake Arnold (FH)

2. Chris Stosick (A)
3. Colten Sites (MR)

4. Kyle Beard (NG)

 

160

1. Tyler Maynard (MR)

2. Joey Turbin (FH)

3. Caleb Cornwell (A)

4. Ryan Miller (NG)

5. Seth Kisner (SG)

 

170

1. Kirk Robinette (A)

2. Cody Arigo (FH)

3. Stephen Collins (SG)

4. Cordel Yoder (NG)

 

182

1. Austin Clark (MR)

2. Garrett Bittinger (A)

3. Will Foulke (SG)

4. Jordan Nichols (FH)

 

195

1. Scott Cooper (SG)

2. Brett Rinehart (FH)

3. James Halcomb (MR)

 

220

1. Brennan Carlin (FH)

2. Hunter Wilhelm (A)

3. Brenden Spaulding (SG)

 

285

1. Garrett Maiers (A)

2. Timmy Friend (FH)

3. Bryan Fuente (MR)

4. Marcus Tichinel (SG)

 

Team Scores (inaccurate but official)

176 - Mt Ridge

148 - Fort Hill

135 - Southern

119 - Allegany

  53 - Northern

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our Seniors

Tuesday evening was Senior Night for the Southern Ram Wrestling Team.  It was a great celebration of these five awesome kids.  Each wrestler has his own story and each their own accomplishments both on and off the mat.  During the ceremony, the mothers were presented roses and the senior were given framed action shots from this season courtesy of our photographers Alex Flanigan and Kelli Fulmer.  We thought we would share our Senior Night presentation for those who were unable to attend our 67-8 win over the Northern Huskies.

Cooper McCauley with him mother Dana

Cooper McCauley is the son of Jeff and Dana McCauley of Mt Lake Park.  This is Cooper's 2nd year on the wrestling team and his first year on varsity.  Cooper has 20 wins so far this season.  Cooper was also a member of the football team.  After graduation, Cooper plans to attend Duquesne University on the NROTC Scholarship and study political science.

Zach Tichnell and his parents Bonnie and KC

Zach Tichnell is the son of Bonnie and KC Tichnell of Oakland.  This is Zach's 2nd year on the wrestling team and his 1st year as a varsity starter.  Zach has earned 14 wins so far this season.  Zach is also a member of the track and cross country team's and qualified for states in cross country this season.  After graduation, Zach plans to attend college and earn a bachelors degree in political science and then enlist in the Army.

Johnny Lascaris with his parents Peggy and Jimmy

Johnny Lascaris is the son of Peggy and Jimmy Lascaris of Deep Creek Lake.  This is Johnny's first year on the wrestling team and has a current record of 8 wins and 5 losses.  After graduation, Johnny plans to attend West Virginia University and study Natural Gas and Petroleum Engineering.

Stephen Collins with his parents Kate and Fred

Stephen Collins is the son of Fred and Kate Collins of Oakland.  This is Stephen's 2nd year on the wrestling team and his 1st season on varsity.  Currently, his record is 21-12.  After graduation, Stephen plans to attend Garrett College and enter the Adventure Sports Program.  One day, Stephen hopes to coach the Southern Garrett Wrestling Team.

Scott Cooper with his mother and father Heather and Brian

Scott Cooper is the son of Heather and Brian Cooper of Oakland.  This is Scott's 4th season on the wrestling tea.  Scott is also a starter on the football and baseball teams.  His current record this season is 18-1 and was a regional qualifier last season.  After graduation, Scott plans to enlist in the Marine Corps.

Here is a video we put together honoring our seniors:

Southern Wrestling wishes the very best in the future for our amazing seniors.

After the ceremony, Scott Cooper leads the team to battle and a 67-8 win over the Huskies.

Senior Night Smackdown

It was another snowy evening as the Northern Huskies visited the Southern Rams for the final regular season match.  It was Senior Night at Southern and the Rams honored Cooper McCauley, Zach Tichnell, Johnny Lascaris, Stephen Collins and Scott Cooper in a ceremony prior to the evening's contest.  In the end, Southern dominated on the mat and earned a decisive 67-8 victory for the 12th win of the season.

Wrestling started at 220 where senior Scott Cooper received a forfeit in his final home match.  At 285, Marcus Tichinel won by injury default and Southern was quickly out to a 12-0 lead.  As we headed to the lowers weights, the home crowd was very excited and very loud.  Devan Hamrick earned a 9-0 major decision at 106 with another dominating effort.  Ethan Bittinger was awarded a forfeit at 113 and the Rams' lead was extended to 22-0.

At 120, defending state champion Austin Shaffer made quick work of his match, picking up the pin in just one minute.  Cooper McCauley lost to Northern's only state ranked wrestler and Southern's lead was 28-5.  Zach Tichnell received a forfeit at 132 and Tanner Massey won by pin at 138 to extend the lead to 40-5.

Senior Johnny Lascaris took the mat at 145 the match was a tight battle throughout.  Johnny took an early lead but his opponent was able to fight back.  The score was tied at 9 as time wound down and the final period ended with the score knotted 9-9.  In overtime, Johnny was able to score a quick takedown to get the win and extend to team score to 43-5.

At 152, senior Stephen Collins pick up a win by pin in his final home match for the Rams and Seth Kisner followed with a pin of his own at 160.  The rout was on and the Rams lead was stretched to 55-5 with three matches remaining.

Will Foulke took the mat for the Rams at 170 and despite wrestling hard and being the more aggressive wrestler, lost a decision.  The night ended with forfeit wins for Dalton Cooper at 182 and Brian Rinker at 195, making the final score Southern 67 - Northern 8.

Southern 67 - Northern 8

106 - Devan Hamrick (SG) m dec Lane Rounds (N) 9-0
113 - Ethan Bittinger (SG) via Forfeit
120 - Austin Shaffer (SG) pin Cody Platter (N) 1:03
126 - Justin Opel (N) tech Cooper McCauley (SG) 16-1
132 - Zach Tichnell (SG) via Forfeit
138 - Tanner Massey (SG) pin Brysan Day (N) 1:13
145 - Johnny Lascaris (SG) dec Chris McCann (N) 11-9 ot
152 - Stephen Collins (SG) pin Kyle Beard (N) 1:18
160 - Seth Kisner (SG) pin Kordell Yoder (N) 1:26
170 - Ryan Miller (N) dec Will Foulke (SG) 10-3
182 - Dalton Cooper (SG) via Forfeit
195 - Brian Rinker (SG) via Forfeit

Buzz, Buzz, Swat!

The Hyndman Hornets hosted the Southern Rams on a snowy evening yesterday in southern Pennsylvania.  The visiting Rams spoiled the Hornet's senior night celebration by swatting the home team and heading away with a 59-15 victory.  The win moves Southern to 11-2 in dual meet competition this season.

The match started at 160 where Seth Kisner found himself facing one of Hyndman's strongest wrestlers.  The start of then match was actually delayed as the Hornets presented Seth's opponent with an award for achieving his 100th win.  Kisner started strong but got hit with a headlock to his back and fought it off for awhile, but could not escape.  Hyndman got the pin and took a 6-0 lead.

At 170, junior Will Foulke wrestled very well again and scored a 4-1 decision.  Brian Rinker won by forfeit at 182 to give Southern a 9-6 lead going into the biggest match of the evening.  The bout at 195 was between Hyndman's Jake Bennett (30-1 on the season) and Southern's Scott Cooper (18-0 on the season).  It was a clash of the titans and remained close throughout.  Bennett was able to score a takedown in the first and Cooper quickly escaped, score 2-1 Bennett.  In the second period, Cooper quickly escaped again to tie the score at 2 and the period ended with no other scoring.  In the third, Bennett escaped to take a 3-2 lead and Cooper was unable to score for the remainder of the match, giving Bennett the 3-2 victory and Cooper his first loss of the season.

Then Brenden Spaulding received a forfeit for the Rams at 220 and Hyndman won by pin at 285 and the team score was tied 15-15 as the match turned to the lighter weights.  Southern cranked it up starting at 106 and never looked back.  Devan Hamrick continued his winning ways by earning a second period pin and Austin Shaffer followed that with a third period pin to keep his undefeated season in tact.

At 120, sophomore Josh King made his return to the mat for his first match of the season.  King broke his leg in a 4-wheeler accident in the fall and was recently cleared to compete.  Despite not being in mid-season form, Josh looked great and scored a second period tech fall for his first win.  Next at 126, Cooper McCauley thrilled Southern's crowd with a come-from-behind win by pin late in the third period.

Zach Tichnell, Tanner Massey and Johnny Lascaris all won by forfeit which led to Stephen Collins wrestling the final match of the evening at 152.  Stephen took an early lead and built on that lead through the second period.  In the third, the Hyndman wrestler made a strong comeback to tie the score, but Collins was able to secure the win with a reversal and rideout in the final minute, making the final team score Southern 59 - Hyndman 15.

At 11-2, the Rams fell just short of qualifying for the regional duals again this season.  The final regular season match will be held on Tuesday evening at home against the Northern Huskies.

Southern 59 - Hyndman 15

106 - Devan Hamrick (SG) pin Tanner Clites (H) 2:41
113 - Austin Shaffer (SG) pin Robby Snyder (H) 4:40
120 - Josh King (SG) tech Jacob Musselman (H) 16-0
126 - Cooper McCauley (SG) pin Chris Gibbner (H) 5:54
132 - Zach Tichnell (SG) via Forfeit
138 - Tanner Massey (SG) via Forfeit
145 - Johnny Lascaris (SG) via Forfeit
152 - Stephen Collins (SG) dec Tyler Clites (H) 10-8
160 - Richard Moskey (H) pin Seth Kisner (SG) 1:30
170 - Will Foulke (SG) dec Steve Miller (H) 4-1
182 - Brian Rinker (SG) via Forfeit
195 - Jake Bennett (H) dec Scott Cooper (SG) 3-2
220 - Brenden Spaulding (SG) via Forfeit
285 - Dylan Emerick (H) pin Marcus Tichinel (SG) 1:12