That Stings

Coach Clark getting them ready and sending them out.

The Southern Rams finished off their tough December schedule on Wednesday as they traveled to Damascus, MD for a tri match against the Swarmin' Hornets and the Oakdale Bears.  Damascus is the 3-time defending 3A/4A state champions and currently is the top ranked public school in the state (3rd overall).  The Oakdale Bears are ranked 6th overall and are the second ranked public school behind Damascus.  We knew it was a tall order, but the Rams took the mat with confidence and energy and gave it everything they had.

 

Jimmy Schwab defeats Malik Boyd 6-4

Match one was against the home-standing Swarmin' Hornets.  After the first three bouts, Southern had an early 12-6 lead thanks to pins by Cole Sweitzer at 285 and Brison Dixon at 106.  Damascus was able to reel off four straight wins to pull ahead 26-12 before Devan Hamrick won by decision at 138.  The Rams and the Hornets split the next two bouts to bring the score to 29-18 with four matches remaining.  Damascus proved to be to strong in the upper weights and won all of the last four bouts to secure the 52-18 victory over the Southern Rams.

 

Freshman hwt Cole Sweitzer with 2 wins on Wednesday

The second match of the afternoon saw the Rams take on the Oakdale Bears.  Southern earned wins in each of the first three bouts to build an 18-0 lead with pins by Dixon at 106 and Nate Tasker at 113 and a forfeit win by Cole Sweitzer at 285.  The Bears won the next three matches to pull within two points at 18-16.  Hamrick and Jimmy Schwab picked up wins at 138 and 145 to give Southern at 27-16 lead heading into the upper weights.  Once again, the bigger school was just too deep in those upper weights as Oakdale won the final six matches to finish off the Rams with a final score of 52-27.

 

Two more pins for Brison Dixon

On a day where wins were few and far between, there were several highlights for the Rams.  First of all, senior Devan Hamrick and junior Brison Dixon remained undefeated on the season, each running their individual records to 20-0.  Freshman Nate Tasker improved his record to 18-2 on the season and junior Jimmy Schwab moved to 16-4.  Only three wrestlers were able to win twice on Wednesday and they were Hamrick, Dixon and Cole Sweitzer.

Senior Corey Horner with a 3-1 win against Damascus

 

The Rams are off until Thursday, January 7th where they will travel to Hyndman High School in PA for another tri-match against the Hornets and Meyersdale High School.

Damascus 52 - Southern 18
106 - Brison Dixon (SG) pins Ian Osterman (D) 3:07
113 - TJ Maklin (D) pins Nate Tasker (SG) :12
120 - Johnny McLaughlin (D) dec Jake Sweitzer (SG) 9-7 ot
126 - Dylan Ramirez (D) pins Zach Burgess (SG) 1:53
132 - Scott Obendorfer (D) tf Jace Guy (SG) 21-6
138 - Devan Hamrick (SG) dec Ryan Lawrence (D) 7-6
145 - John Furguson (D) dec Jimmy Schwab (SG) 7-1
152 - Corey Horner (SG) dec Davey Creegan (D) 3-1
160 - Brenden Parent (D) tf Joey Embleton (SG) 16-0
170 - Colin McLaughlin (D) pins Patrick Duggan (SG) 2:27
182 - Ben Lokos (D) pins Bernie Sislo (SG) :37
195 - Elijah Baisden (D) pins Hunter Park (SG) 1:42
220 - Michael Bradshaw (D) pins Scotty Tichnell (SG) :16
285 - Cole Sweitzer (SG) pins Sajed Abdelmanin (D) 2:34

Oakdale 52 - Southern 27
106 - Brison Dixon (SG) pins Jeremy Welch (Oak) :58
113 - Nate Tasker (SG) pins Dakota Fragel (Oak) :55
120 - Wyatt McCoy (Oak) pins Jake Sweitzer (SG) 1:05
126 - Camran Deluca (Oak) pins Zach Burgess (SG) :25
132 - Kyle McDonald (Oak) m dec Jace Guy (SG) 17-4
138 - Devan Hamrick (SG) pins Shaun Herndon (Oak) 1:52
145 - Jimmy Schwab (SG) dec Malik Boyd (Oak) 6-4
152 - Jake Nielson (Oak) pins Corey Horner (SG) 1:16
160 - Chase Demaille (Oak) pins Joey Embleton (SG) 1:22
170 - Ryan Shubert (Oak) pins Patrick Duggan (SG) 2:54
182 - Zach Grenier (Oak) pins Bernie Sislo (SG) 1:17
195 - Bryce Demaille (Oak) pins Hunter Park (SG) :17
220 - John Yacoubain (Oak) pins Scotty Tichnell (SG) :15
285 - Cole Sweitzer (SG) via Forfeit

Sophomore Jake Sweitzer loses in OT to a ranked wrestler from Damascus

Flexing at Musselman

Brison Dixon with another pin to remain unbeaten at 18-0

The Southern Rams hit the road again this weekend to test themselves against a strong group of teams from VA, MD, WV and NY at the 2015 Musselman Duals.  When the dust settled on Saturday evening, the Rams found themselves with a solid 7-2 record, sitting in 3rd place out of the 16 team field.  In addition to the great team results, the Rams boasted three all-tournament team members as Brison Dixon, Jake Sweitzer and Devan Hamrick were chosen as best wrestlers in their respective weight classes.

 

Cole Sweitzer went 7-2 this weekend at 285

Wrestling started on Friday with a big win against Hedgesville, WV by the score of 54-30.  The next match was against the NY team from Central Square HS near Syracuse.  Traditionally one of the tougher teams in this tournament, we were able to build a big lead early and hold off a late charge to secure our second win of the tournament by the score of 46-31.

 

Devan Hamrick punishes Mountain View's top wrestler

After a big win against Spring Mills, WV, we were set to face a tough team from Spring Valley, WV.  Their team was rough and tough and gave us a great challenge.  Spring Valley built a 30-15 lead through the heart of their line-up but we were able to battle back to take a 33-30 lead into the final bout.  Jake Sweitzer found himself losing 3-1 heading into the final period with the match on the line.  Sweitzer kept his cool and was able to tie up the score and then go in for the kill and the pin to give the Rams a 39-30 victory and a perfect 4-0 Friday.  The win was Coach Taylor and his staff's 250 career win with Southern Garrett Wrestling.

 

Saturday started with a big match-up with the Berkeley Springs Indians.  The tough team from the small WV town built up a 33-18 lead that we were not able to make up.  In the end, the Rams dropped the match by a 39-36 margin for the team's first loss of the tournament.  It didn't get much easier from there.  Next up was a solid team from Riverbend, VA.  The match was close throughout, but in the end, the Rams pulled out a 41-33 victory for the team's 5th win of the tournament.

Freshman Nate Tasker has an impressive 17-1 record

 

Round 7 found the Rams up against the defending champions for Mountain View, VA.  In the match against this team last season, we lost all but one of the 14 weight classes.  This year, things were different.  We started off with a big pins by Devan Hamrick and a victory by Corey Horner to take a 9-6 lead.  Unfortunately, we lost the next 6 matches by pin and found ourselves in a big hole 42-9.  We were able to win the final 5 bouts for a 7-7 match split, but their pins were too much for us to overcome, dropping the dual 42-35.

 

Jimmy Schwab for the pin and a 7-2 weekend

After beating East Hardy 66-15, we were set for the final match of the day against the host school, the Musselman Applemen.  It was an exciting match, with many close, well wrestled matches.  In the end, Southern was too strong for the host school, defeating Musselman 45-33 to finish the tournament 7-2.  Photos courtesy of Bev Rasel

Individual Results
9-0 - Brison Dixon (106)
9-0 - Devan Hamrick (138)
8-1 - Nate Tasker (113)
8-1 - Jake Sweitzer (120 & 126)
7-2 - Jace Guy (132)

Jake Sweitzer wins the final match of the day and goes 8-1

7-2 - Jimmy Schwab (145)
7-2 - Cole Sweitzer (285)
5-2 - Corey Horner (152)
Other winners:
4 wins - Partick Duggan
3 wins - Scotty Tichnell
2 wins - Zach Burgess
2 wins - Luke O'Brien
2 wins - Joey Embleton
2 wins - Bernie Sislo

Team Results
Southern 54 - Hedgesville 30

This team is pretty close and is having an excellent season

Southern 46 - Central Square 31
Southern 72 - Spring Mills 12
Southern 39 - Spring Valley 30
Berkeley Springs 39 - Southern 36
Southern 41 - Riverbend 33
Mountain View 42 - Southern 35
Southern 66 - East Hardy 15
Southern 45 - Musselman 33



Grinding It Out

Junior Brison Dixon remained unbeaten

The Southern Rams made the long trip to Westminster, MD this weekend to compete in the Grindstone Duals at Winters Mill High School.  The tournament saw some great competition and outstanding wrestling teams, big and small, from all over the state.  As the dust settled on Saturday evening, the Rams found themselves in a 4 way tie for second place with a solid 6-2 record.  After the criteria was calculated, Southern finished in third place behind Leonardtown and the host school.

 

Freshman Nate Tasker was 8-0 at the tournament

Junior Jimmy Schwab went 7-1 this weekend

On Friday, the Rams opened the tournament with a dominating effort against Lackey High School, winning 48-22.   Southern followed that match with an equally solid 50-27 victory over Mardela High School from southern Maryland.  For the final round on Friday evening, the Rams faced the eventual tournament champions Leonardtown High.  Southern started fast and built a 15-3 lead, but Leonardtown was able to win six straight bouts to take a commanding 36-15 lead with four matches remaining.  The Rams picked up pins in the next three bouts to close the gap to 36-33 heading into the last bout.  Unfortunately, Leonardtown would win the final match and take the dual meet by a 42-33 score.

 

On Saturday, the Rams started with two big wins, 66-18 over Dulaney and 78-0 over AACS to bring the team's record to 4-1 on the weekend.  Next up was the host school Winters Mill, a team all too familiar to the Rams.  It was a tight match throughout and the intensity level was high.  In the end, the Falcolns were able to secure a 39-33 victory over the Rams.  The Rams stood at 4-2 with two tough matched remaining.

 

Up next was Owings Mills, another team with a lot of history and familiarity to the Rams.  The last time Southern and Owings Mills met head to head in a dual meet was in the state finals in 2009.  On that day the Ram prevailed 48-24, on this day the Rams prevailed 42-19.  That win gave the Rams a 5-2 record heading into the final match against 6-1 Paint Branch.

 

Sophomore Joey Embleton was the hero on Saturday

The final match started out on a somber note as the whole team was a little down after losing one of their captains to a broken ankle that occurred in the previous match.  Paint Branch took advantage and built up a solid 29-0 lead before the Rams got their first win of the dual.  From there, Southern reeled off win after win, most by pins, to storm back to tie the score at 34 with one match remaining.  In the final bout, sophomore Joey Embleton took the mat and soon found himself down 4-0 in the third period with the clock running.  As has been his trademark throughout his short career, Joey never quit wrestling and was able to storm back and pull off the amazing 9-6 stunning victory to propel his team to a 6-2 record for the tournament.  Photos courtesy of Bev Rasel.



Senior team leader Devan Hamrick in charge

Individual Results
8-0 - Brison Dixon (106)
8-0 - Nate Tasker (113)
8-0 - Devan Hamrick (138)
7-1 - Jimmy Schwab (145)
7-1 - Joey Embleton (160)
6-2 - Jake Sweitzer (126)
6-2 - Jace Guy (132)
5-3 - Corey Horner (152)
4-3 - Ethan Bittinger (170)
Zach Burgess, Hunter Park and Cole Sweitzer each earned 3 wins and Patrick Duggan won twice.

Senior Ethan Bittinger gets a pin prior to his injury

Match Scores
Southern 48 - Lackey 22
Southern 50 - Mardela 27
Leonardtown 42 - Southern 33
Southern 66 - Dulaney 18
Southern 78 - AACS 0
Winters Mill 39 - Southern 33
Southern 42 - Owings Mills 19
Southern 37 - Paint Branch 34

Great Season Opener

A fine looking, hard working bunch of young men

The Southern Rams traveled off the mountain to tangle with the Campers of Allegany High School in the season opener on Saturday.  It was one year ago that the Campers shocked the Rams with the upset victory on day one of last season.  The Rams were determined to not let that happen again.

 

The match started at 195 and Allegany sent out their top wrestler to take on our Freshman Hunter Park.  Allegany was able to get the pin and take an early lead.  The Campers were able to get pins in the next two weights and the home crowd was excited to have an 18-0 lead heading into the lower weights.  After forfeiting 106, 113 and 120, the team score was tied at 18.

 

Joey Embleton runs the bar to earn the fall

At 126, sophomore Jake Sweitzer scored a second period pin to give the Rams a lead we would never give back.  We received a forfeit at 132 then picked up a 1 minute pin by defending state champion Devan Hamrick at 138 and the rout was on.

 

Jimmy Schwab, Corey Horner, Joey Embleton and Ethan Bittinger all gave the Rams big pins to stretch the lead to 60-18 heading into the final bout.  At 182, junior Patrick Duggan fought hard and was able to come away with a 7-6 victory to finish off the Campers bringing the final score to 63-18.

 

The Southern Rams start the season 1-0 and will be back in action this Friday as we travel to Winters Mill HS to compete in the Grindstone Duals.

 Southern 63 - Allegany 18

195 - Jordon Patterson (A) pins Hunter Park (SG) :55
220 - Caleb Wilt (A) pins Gunnar Ward (SG) 1:46
285 - Jacob Riffe (A) pins Scotty Tichnell (SG) 2:56
106 - Evan Paugh (SG) via forfeit
113 - Brison Dixon (SG) via forfeit
120 - Nate Tasker (SG) via forfeit
126 - Jake Sweitzer (SG) pins Carter Nave (A) 2:36
132 - Jace Guy (SG) via forfeit
138 - Devan Hamrick (SG) pins John Dye (A) 1:00
145 - Jimmy Schwab (SG) pins Michael Snyder (A) :52
152 - Corey Horner (SG) pins Austin Saxburg (A) :41
160 - Joey Embleton (SG) pins Steven Conrad (A) 3:55
170 - Ethan Bittinger (SG) pins Craig Offut (A) 1:30
182 - Patrick Duggan (SG) dec Jeremy Harrison (A) 7-6

White Squad Wins in Epic Battle



Freshman Nathan Sweitzer with the pin!

The World Class White pulled away in the second half of our annual Red/White scrimmage to earn a hard fought 51-37 victory last night at Southern High in an epic inter-squad battle.  The match-ups were solid and the big home crowd was treated to some excellent matches.

 

The teams split the first four bouts to tie the team score at 10.  The White squad won three of the next five to take a 25-19 lead into intermission.  During the halftime break, the fans were treated to some outstanding matches by members of the Southern Mat Club youth organization.  It didn't take long for everyone in attendance to see that the future of Southern Wrestling looks very bright indeed.

Captains Schwab and Hamrick battle in the circle

The start of the second half of action saw the Red team tie up the score quickly with a 2nd period pin by team captain Corey Horner and then take the lead with another 2nd period fall, this time by freshman Nathan Sweitzer.  Unfortunately for the Rambunctious Red, the white team would reel off six straight victories to put the match out of reach.  The red won the final bout of the evening by fall, but the 6 match run by the World Class White was the difference.

 

Overall, we were treated to some solid wrestling, outstanding effort and great sportsmanship by all team members.  Tomorrow in Cumberland, the regular season begins with a match against the Allegany Campers.

Brison Dixon (R) pins Evan Paugh (W) 3:10
Nate Tasker (W) m. dec. Zach Burgess (R) 14-0
Jace Guy (W) pins Jake Sweitzer (R) 3:52
Jimmy Schwab (R) m. dec. Luke O'Brien (W) 15-3
Devan Hamrick (W) pins Alec Horner (R) 5:12
Michael Hollingsworth (W) pins Mikey Greene (R) 2:45
Scotty Tichnell (R) pins Gunnar Ward (W) 5:06
Hunter Park (W) dec Bernie Sislo (R) 5-4
Ethan Bittinger (R) dec Patrick Duggan (W) 12-10 ot

Half-Time Score  World Class White 25 - Rambunctious Red 19

Corey Horner (R) pins Joey Embleton (W) 2:30
Nathan Sweitzer (R) pins Michael Hollingsworth (W) 3:54
Nathan Tasker (W) pins Brison Dixon (R) 2:43
Jace Guy (W) dec Alec Horner (R) 5-4
Devan Hamrick (W) m. dec. Jimmy Schwab (R) 11-0
Luke O'Brien (W) pins Mikey Greene (R) 3:30
Hunter Park (W) dec Scotty Tichnell (R) 7-3
Patrick Duggan (W) m dec Bernie Sislo (R) 14-5
Jake Sweitzer (R) pins Brad Davis (W) 1:31

Final Score  World Class White 51 - Rambunctious Red 37

The 2015 Edition of Red Vs. White



The 2015/2016 Rams

The 2015 Edition of our annual Red White Scrimmage is here.  Tonight, on the mat at Southern High School, the annual inter-squad clash will signal the start to the 2015/2016 season.  The action should be exciting and entertaining as the boys take the mat for the first time this year in front of the home crowd.

 

Highlighted match-ups tonight include Devan Hamrick vs. Jimmy Schwab, Corey Horner vs. Joey Embleton and Jake Sweitzer vs. Jace Guy.  The action should be fast and furious and fun to watch.

 

The match ups are set and it looks to be a battle that might come down to the last match of the evening.  We hope to have a great turnout for this fun and FREE event.  See you there.

The RAMbunctious Red	The World Class White
Brison Dixon	Evan Paugh
Zach Burgess	Nate Tasker
Jake Sweitzer	Jace Guy
Jimmy Schwab	Luke O’Brien
Alec Horner	Devan Hamrick
Mikey Greene	Michael Hollingsworth
Scotty Tichnell	Gunnar Ward
Bernie Sislo	Hunter Park
Ethan Bittinger	Patrick Duggan
Southern Mat Club	Southern Mat Club
Corey Horner	Joey Embleton
Nathan Sweitzer	Michael Hollingsworth
Brison Dixon	Nate Tasker
Alec Horner	Jace Guy
Jimmy Schwab	Devan Hamrick
Mikey Greene	Luke O’Brien
Scotty Tichnell	Hunter Park
Bernie Sislo	Patrick Duggan
Nathan Sweitzer	Brad Davis

vs.

2015/2016 Schedule

Sophomore Joey Embleton looks to have  great season.

The 2015/2016 season is fast approaching and we have put together an exciting, challenging and demanding schedule for the season.  It all starts on Saturday, Dec. 5th with a return trip to Allegany where the Campers upset the Rams in the season opener last year.  The boys are excited and focused and have there eyes set on a successful campaign.

Returning state champion Devan Hamrick is joined by a great mix of returning starters and outstanding newcomers to create a 2015/2016 team who looks to come out of the gate strong and has the potential to finish at the top at season's end.  We hope you enjoy the ride.

Dec. 5             Allegany                                            Allegany        2:00pm        

Dec. 11/12   Grindstone Duals                            Winters Mill 4:00pm

Dec. 16          Keyser/Northern  (JV Only)         Home             6:00pm        

Dec 18/19    Musselman Duals                           Musselman   4:00pm

Dec. 23          Oakdale/Damascus                                    Damascus     2:00pm

Jan. 7              Hyndman/Meyersdale                  Hyndman      6:00pm

Jan. 8/9         Fort Hill Super Duals                     Away              5:00pm        

Jan. 12           Brunswick                                        Home             2.00pm

Jan. 13           Frankfort (w/Northern)               Frankfort      6:00pm        

Jan. 20           Fort Hill/Keyser                              Keyser           6:00pm

Jan. 21           Catoctin                                             Home             6:00pm                    

Jan. 28           Northern                                           Away              7:00pm        

Jan. 30           Williamsport                                    Away              7:00pm

Feb. 4             Mountain Ridge                              Home             7:00pm        

Feb. 6             Northern                                           Home             6:00pm        

Feb. 11          Regional Duals                                TBA

Feb. 13          State Duals                                       North Point  12:00pm

Feb. 20          Bi-County Tournament                 TBA                 10:00am      

Feb. 26/27   Regional Tournament                   Garrett           10:00am      

Mar. 4/5        State Tournament                          ???      

 

Scrimmages

Nov. 27   Meyersdale Scrimmage 10:00am

Dec. 1    Home Scrimmage with Keyser & Northern 4:30pm

Dec. 3      Red/White Scrimmage – Home – 7pm

 

On The Fence

Ask Seth what he thinks

This is a very important weekend for the future of wrestling at Southern Garrett High School and at schools all around the country.  This is the weekend that high school students who are considering joining the sport, or are "on the fence" about their decision, need to say yes or no to the team.  It has been our experience over the last 15 years, that many kids stay "on the fence" and have a hard time taking the plunge.  As they look back on their lives, many regret the decision to delay.

 

For a team from a small town like ours, getting all available kids to participate is very important.  All schools have kids walking the halls who can help the winter sport teams, the tricky part is getting them in the room and committed to the team.  It takes a joint effort from the coaches, existing team members, alumni, teachers and the administration to encourage all kids to "be a part" of something special.

 

Junior, Brison Dixon is pumped for the new season.

A great example can be found in current wrestler Brison Dixon.  Last year, he was "on the fence" and had a hard time deciding if he would join our team.  It took encouragement from a number of people for Brison to finally take the plunge.  Today, he is as excited as anyone to get on the mat and get the season started and will be the first person to say "I wish I had started earlier".

 

I wish I had a dollar for every time I have heard a wrestler say "I wish I would have started earlier".  Seth Kisner, Cooper McCauley, Keith Chapman, Zach Tichnell, Johnny Lascaris come to mind, and the list goes on and on.  Each of these young men had to be encouraged to join and will quickly tell a kid today who is "on the fence" to get in the room and get started NOW.

 

Wrestling made a huge impact
in Cooper McCauley's life.

Of course there have been a few that have tried it out and decided that the sport was not for them, but they are a better person for giving it a shot.  It is much better to have tried and failed than to not have tried at all.  I have never heard a kid say "I wish I hadn't wrestled", but I have heard many say "I wish I had".

 

Please, take the time to encourage kids to get involved and take the plunge.  Your word of encouragement might make the difference in a student's decision to join the team and ultimately have a powerful impact on their lives.

 

Feel free to share this blog post with any student who is trying to decide what direction they will go.  Thanks, Coach

A Tough Way To End

This story's sponsor

The Southern Rams closed out the regular season on Saturday with two more matches against tough teams.  In the end, the Rams dropped both matches by close scores and finished the regular season with a 7-7 record.


Mt. Ridge 52 - Southern 21
106 - Teddy Baker (MR) dec Brison Dixon (SG) 7-2
113 - Jake Sweitzer (SG) pins Devin Femi (MR) 4:43
120 - Devan Hamrick (SG) pins Cameron Ritchey (MR) 1:45
126 - Brock Petenbrink (MR) pins Alec Horner (SG) 3:57
132 - Cody Matthews (MR) dec Josh King (SG) 8-0
138 - Jimmy Schwab (SG) dec Marcus Folk (MR) 7-4
145 - Colten White (MR) pins Joey Embleton (SG) 3:38
152 - Connor Baker (MR) dec Ethan Bittinger (SG) 9-5
160 - Adam Martz (MR) pins Patrick Duggan (SG) 1:05
170 - Corey Horner (SG) pins Michael Wright (MR) :55
182 - Christain Wright (MR) pins Bernie Sislo (SG) 3:49
195 - Austin Clark (MR) pins John Mayne (SG) :16
220 - Matt Whetstone (MR) pins Dalton Cooper (SG) 3:43
285 - Brian Fuente (MR) pins Jake Zimmerman (SG) 3:11

Oakdale 43 - Southern 33
106 - Brison Dixon (SG) pins Garret Ballard (O) 3:02
113 - Kyle McDonald (O) pins Zach Burgess (SG) 3:21
120 - Carson Cunha (O) dec Jake Sweitzer (SG) 7-4
126 - Devan Hamrick (SG) pins Xavier Ali (O) 1:51
132 - Josh King (SG) pins Ryan Fangmeyer (O) 2:28
138 - Logan McCoy (O) dec Jimmy Schwab (SG) 15-6
145 - Jake Nielson (O) pins Joey Embleton (SG) 3:14
152 - Jaden Hawes (O) pins Ethan Bittinger (SG) :10
160 - Corey Horner (SG) dec Michael Adams (O) 9-2
170 - Ryan Shubert (O) pins Patrick Duggan (SG) 1:11
182 - Zach Greiner (O) pins Bernie Sislo (SG) 1:07
195 - Dalton Cooper (SG) pins Nick Ranallo (O) 2:52
220 - John Yacouban (O) pins John Mayne (SG) 1:18
285 - David Lewis (SG) via Forfeit

Keyser 34 - Southern 30
106 - Brison Dixon (SG) pins Tyler Staggs (K) 1:02
113 - Bryant Dixon (K) pins Zach Burgess (SG) 2:39
120 - Jake Sweitzer (SG) pins Tanner Deal (K) :48
126 - Devan Hamrick (SG) dec Ethen Whitlock (K) 6-0
132 - Josh King (SG) dec Dalton Wilt (K) 2-0
138 - Jimmy Schwab (SG) dec Lanny Johnson (K) 2-0
145 - Garrett Crites (K) via Forfeit
152 - Joey Embleton (SG) dec Shayden Daugherty (K) 10-3
160 - Beau Horner (K) dec Corey Horner (SG) 5-4
170 - JT STewart (K) dec Patrick Duggan (SG) 4-2
182 - Jacob Biser (K) dec Bernie Sislo (SG) 10-1
195 - Cody Rodeheaver (K) pins John Mayne (SG) :29
220 - Dalton Cooper (SG) pins Mark Clark (K) 1:30
280 - Matthew Stewart (K) pins David Lewis (SG) 3:08

Cross-County Clash



Coach Rush congratulates Josh King during senior night

Saturday, January 31st was Senior Night at Southern High School as the Rams honored the wrestlers in the class of 2015.  Seniors Dalton Cooper, David Lewis and Josh King were honored in a ceremony prior to the night's action.  Senior John Mayne was unable to attend due to a prior commitment.  By the end of the evening, all three seniors in attendance were victorious in their bouts against Northern.

 

For the second night in a row, the young Southern Rams took on an unbeaten team in front of the home crowd in the Ram Arena in Oakland.  On Saturday, the 10-0 Northern Huskies made the trip to Southern to try and keep their


This Story's Sponsor

season perfect.  The Rams fell short on Friday against Williamsport but were hopeful the match against Northern would end differently.  The Huskies were weakened by the loss of three wrestlers who were not with the team for disciplinary reasons.

 

The match began at 220 with Southern and Northern trading forfeits in the top two classes.  The first bout wrestled was at 106 with Dixon and Wilhelm meeting for the 4th time of the season.  Once again, Wilhelm came out on top with a pin to give the Huskies a 12-6 lead.  Steven Yutzy also scored a pin for Northern to extend the lead and when Southern's Jake Sweitzer dropped a close decision at 120, the Rams were in a hole at 21-6.

 

Senior Josh King with his 60th career win

Devan Hamrick took the mat at 126 for his third meeting of the season with Lane Rounds.  The two wrestlers had split their earlier bouts but on Saturday, Hamrick dominated with an 8-0 major decision.  At 132, Josh King scored a first period pin to cut Northern's lead to 21-16.  The Huskies' top wrestler bumped to 138 but was awarded a forfeit as the Rams did a little bumping of their own.

Devan Hamrick dominates

 

Freshman Joey Embleton with a big comeback

A pair of 138 pound wrestlers squared off at 145 with Northern's Luke Lowry squeaking out a 1-0 decision over Jimmy Schwab to put his team on the verge of clinching the team victory with a 30-16 lead.  At 152, Southern's freshman Joey Embleton bumped up from 145 to wrestle one of Northern's senior co-captains.  It was a wild match where Embleton found himself in a hole 8-4 with time winding down.  In a flurry of action, Joey was able to score a reversal and 3 back points to pull off the exciting 9-8 come-from-behind victory, keeping his team alive.

 

Junior Corey Horner with a win by pin

The Huskies extended their lead at 160 with a pin and Southern answered at 170 with Corey Horner scoring a first period fall of his own.  Northern secured their team's victory with a pin at 182 and Dalton Cooper finish the night off by receiving a forfeit in the final bout at 195.  The Northern Huskies defeated the Southern Rams for the third time of the season to remain unbeaten and have likely qualified for the regional duals.

 

Southern's dual meet record stands at 7-4 and still have three challenging matches remaining in the regular season.  The Rams travel to Frostburg on Thursday for a clash with the Mt. Ridge Miners then return home next Saturday to close out the dual meet season with a tri-match against Keyser and Oakdale.

Northern 42 - Southern 31

106 - Devin Wilhelm (NG) pins Brison Dixon (SG) 1:52
113 - Steven Yutzy (NG) pins Zach Burgess (SG) 1:17
120 - Tylor Thomas (NG) dec Jake Sweitzer (SG) 7-2
126 - Devan Hamrick (SG) m dec Lane Rounds (NG) 8-0
132 - Josh King (SG) pins Richard Ravenscroft (NG) 1:25
138 - Justin Opel (NG) via forfeit
145 - Luke Lowry (NG) dec Jimmy Schwab (SG) 1-0
152 - Joey Embleton (SG) dec Connor Spiker (NG) 9-8
160 - Nate Durst (NG) pins Ethan Bittinger (SG) 3:50
170 - Corey Horner (SG) pins AJ Durst (NG)  1:34
182 - Kyle Beard (NG) pins Bernie Sislo (SG) 3:32
195 - Dalton Cooper (SG) via forfeit
220 - David Lewis (SG) via forfeit
285 - Ben Beeman (NG) via forfeit



Senior Night with Dalton Cooper and his family

Clawed

Corey Horner gets the Rams on the board with a pin.

It was a cold, snowy afternoon on the mountaintop, perfect for a clash between the undefeated Williamsport Wildcats and the 7-2 Southern Rams.  The Wildcats made the 2 1/2 hour bus ride through the snow squalls with the intent of keeping their record perfect.  The Rams had other plans.

 

Dalton Cooper picks up a pin for the Rams

The match started at 152 and the 'Cats took a quick lead as their senior captain earned a first period fall.  Southern tied the score at 6 with Corey Horner pinning his opponent at 160.  Williamsport won the next three bouts convincingly to pull ahead of the Rams 23-6 heading into the 220 pound class.  At 220, senior Dalton Cooper won by fall and Williamsport won by fall at 285, bringing the score to 29-12 heading into the lower weights.

 

Hamrick and Beckeley square off

The Wildcats stretched their lead with a pin at 106 and gave up a forfeit at 113 to make the team score 35-18 heading into the marquis match up of the day.  It was a battle of state place-winners and old friends at 120 when Devan Hamrick squared off with Justin Beckeley.  Hamrick was able to score a first period takedown to grab an early lead.  In the second period, Beckeley chose the bottom position and Hamrick was able to ride him out to take the 2-0 lead into the third period.  Hamrick selected bottom and earned a reversal and near fall points to claim the 6-0 victory in a very well wrestled match.

 

Ringy ding dinger, it's a pin by the Kinger

Southern was forced to forfeit at 126 before Josh King scored a second period pin at 132 to bring the team score to 41-27 with two bouts remaining.  At 138, Jimmy Schwab had a rematch against a Williamsport wrestler that he met at the Hub Cup earlier in the month.  It was a tight match throughout, but in the end, Schwab dropped a 2-0 decision.  In the final bout, Williamsport was able to earn a major decision the bring the final score to Williamsport 48 - Southern 27.

 

The Southern Rams are now 7-3 in dual meet competition and face another unbeaten team tonight as the Huskies of Northern Garrett come to town for a 7pm rivalry match on senior night.

Williamsport 48 - Southern 27

106 - Cody Crawford (W) pins Brison Dixon (SG) 1:01
113 - Jake Sweitzer (SG) via Forfeit
120 - Devan Hamrick (SG) dec Justn Beckeley (W) 6-0
126 - Todd Feuerstien (W) via Forfeit
132 - Josh King (SG) pins Coby Brady (W) 3:02
138 - Tanner Canfield (W) dec Jimmy Schwab (SG) 2-0
145 - Jerry Moschel (W) m dec Joey Embleton (SG) 13-0
152 - Sinjin Shoop (W) pins Ethan Bittinger (SG) 1:14
160 - Corey Horner (SG) pins Devan Nalley (W) 1:47
170 - Barry Loeser (W) pins Patrick Duggan (SG) 1:35
182 - Kobe Baker (W) tech Bernie Sislo (SG) 16-1
195 - Austin Keadle (W) pins John Mayne (SG) :27
220 - Dalton Cooper (SG) pins Corey Frey (W) 2:39
285 - Austin Golden (W) pins David Lewis (SG) :22

In JV action, Trenten Friend hooking up the fatal cradle