Daylight Destruction

Joe Embleton picked up career win #100

On Thursday, the Southern Rams hosted the Brunswick Railroaders in an afternoon match at home in front of our school's student body.  It was a great day for the home team as we won all but one bout on our way to a 67-3 victory.  In addition to the dominate match, senior Joe Embleton was able to pick up his 100th career win in front of his classmates.  Our JV wrestlers also did well, winning all three bouts by pins.

Cole Sweitzer wins by the ultimate tie-breaker

The matched started at the 195 pound weight class and the fans were treated to a close bout.  When the final buzzer sounded, the Railroaders held and early 3-0 lead.  At 220, freshman Chris Mersing got Southern on the board and our fans buzzing with a reversal and pin to give Southern a 6-3 lead.

Senior Kris Mersing working for the fall

The bout at 285 was as close and a wrestling match could ever be.  The bout was tied at 0 at the end of the first period.  Each wrestler scored an escape in the second and third period and the match stood at 1-1 heading into overtime.  It remained tied heading in to the final, ultimate tie-breaker, period where junior Cole Sweitzer was able to ride the match out to victory.  The Rams led 9-3 heading into the light weight classes.

Freshman Brogan Kealy sinks a half

Brunswick forfeited four of the next five bouts and freshman Brogan Kealy added a first period pin at 113 and the Rams suddenly led 39-3 in front of a rowdy home crowd.  The bout at 138 was a re-match from last season where sophomore Jake W. Sweitzer lost his first match ever in high school.  The results from this season's contest was quite different.  Sweitzer used a takedown and a set of back points to build a 5-2 advantage and was able to coast to a solid victory.

Sophomore Jake W. Sweitzer wins the re-match

Southern also won the final five bouts, 2 pins, 1 forfeit, 1 decision and 1 major decision, to bring the final team score to 67-3 in favor of the home-standing Southern Rams.  At 170 pounds, Southern's Joe Embleton too the mat in search of his 100th career win.  Embleton was in control throughout the match and would cruise to a 6-2 to become the 18th wrestler in Southern's history to reach the century mark.  Special thanks to Pics by Trisha for the outstanding photographs!

Senior co-captain Alec Horner after his 44 second pin

Southern 67 - Brunswick 3
195 - Cody Cooper (B) dec. Nathan Sweitzer (SG) 4-1
220 - Chris Mersing (SG) pinned Quinn Lear (B) 1:53
285 - Cole Sweitzer (SG) dec. James Marker (B) 3-2 utb
106 - Colum McCann (SG) via forfeit
113 - Brogan Kealy (SG) pinned Ethan Grossnickle (B) 1:15
120 - Evan Paugh (SG) via forfeit
126 - Joey McComas (SG) via forfeit
132 - Jake E. Sweitzer (SG) via forfeit
138 - Jake W. Sweitzer (SG) dec. Shane Cockerham (B) 5-2
145 - Jace Guy (SG) via forfeit
152 - Declan McCann (SG) m dec. Anthony Pecora (B) 8-0
160 - Alec Horner (SG) pinned Eston Connor (B) :44
170 - Joe Embleton (SG) dec. Brady Kerns (B) 6-2
182 - Kris Tusing (SG) pinned Aiden Christie (B) 1:43

JV Matches
Cole Baker (SG) pinned Henderson (B) :59
Quinn Iden (SG) pinned Powell (B) 2:53
Evan Dewitt (SG) pinned Aguilar (B) 2:25

It was a great day to be a Ram!

Flexing

Junior Nate Tasker is a pinning machine!

On Friday, we traveled to Inwood, West Virginia as defending champions to compete in the 2017 Musselman Duals.  The tournament featured 20 teams from Maryland, West Virginia and Virginia.  The action began with pool competition on Friday afternoon.

Jace Guy remains unbeaten this season

Our first match of the tournament was against Clarke Co., VA.  We have a long history of tough battles with this team, but their numbers are down and they could not overcome the forfeits.  The Rams won round 1 by the score of 57-22.  In the next round, we faced off against a team we had never competed against in a dual meet, Walt Whitman high school from down state Maryland.  Whitman had nearly a full team but the Rams were in control from the beginning, scoring a 59-10 victory.

Joe Embleton punished opponents all weekend

The final two rounds on Friday night were against two local WV teams, Hedgesville and Berkeley Springs.  First up were the Eagles from Hedgesville and the results were the same as the first two rounds, this time an impressive 69-12 victory.  In the final match of the night, the result was the same.  Southern 57, the Indians of Berkeley Springs 16.

Declan McCann with a pin

Day two began Saturday morning with the final match of pool competition, a rematch from last season with Spring Valley, WV.   Last year the battle was close throughout with Southern losing in the end.  This season's battle was a bit different.  Southern built a 36-15 lead and cruised to a 54-24 victory to win pool C with a 4-0 record.

Jake E. was 8-1 with 7 pins

At that point, the Rams were four wins away from the tournament championship.  The top teams in each pool were set to face off for the tournament championship.  First, we defeated Winfield, WV 54-24 and then took care of Millbrook, VA 66-12.  The final two matches of the tournament ended up with the same results, a 51-28 victory over George Washington, WV and a 62-18 win over Eastern View, VA in the final match.  The Southern Rams ended the weekend with a perfect 9-0 record and were able to defend the tournament championship.

Jake W. was also 8-1 with 7 pins

 Team Scores

Southern Garrett 57 - Clarke Co, VA 22
Southern Garrett 59 - Walt Whitman, MD 10
Southern Garrett 69 - Hedgesville, WV 12
Southern Garrett 57 - Berkeley Springs 16
Southern Garrett 54 - Spring Valley, WV 24
Southern Garrett 54 - Winfield, WV 24
Southern Garrett 66 - Millbrook, VA 12
Southern Garrett 51 - George Washington, WV 28
Southern Garrett 62 - Eastern View, VA 18

2017 Musselman Duals Champions!

Individual Results
9-0 - Nate Tasker (132) 6 pins
9-0 - Jace Guy (145) 5 pins
9-0 - Joe Embleton (170) 6 pins
8-1 - Colum McCann (106) 4 pins
8-1 - Jake E. Sweitzer (126) 7 pins
8-1 - Jake W. Sweitzer (138) 7 pins
7-2 - Cole Sweitzer (285) 6 pins
6-3 - Brogan Kealy (113) 3 pins
6-3 - Declan McCann (152) 4 pins
6-3 - Kris Tusing (182) 4 pins
6-3 - Hunter Park (195) 4 pins
5-4 - Alec Horner (160) 2 pins
4-5 - Joey McComas (120) 2 pins
Also winning matches were Brad Davis and Nathan Sweitzer.

The All-Tournament Team Joe Embleton, Jace Guy and Nate Tasker

Embracing The Grind

Sophomore Jake W. Sweitzer was 7-0 this weekend

The Southern Rams hit the road this past weekend to compete in the Grindstone Duals at Winters Mill High School in Westminster, MD.  Ten teams were scheduled to compete, with most being big schools from down state.  The east coast snowstorm took it's toll on attendance, but that did not stop the Rams from wrestling some very tough competition.

Junior Jace Guy was also 7-0 at the tournament

Round one on Friday found us up against a tough Paint Branch team who was able to knock us off last season.  The outcome this season would be drastically different.  Southern took an early lead and poured it on throughout the match, coming away with a solid 51-22 victory.  The second round was against Owings Mills, a team we know very well from previous seasons.  This match was quite a battle from beginning to end.  The Rams won the first bout then dropped the next three to fall behind 15-3.  After winning the next three matches, Southern led 19-15.  It was back and forth the rest of the way, coming down to the final bout to determine the winner.  Freshman Colum McCann was in a situation where he needed to pin his opponent for the Rams to pull off the victory.  It was a crazy match with each wrestler scoring a ton of points.  McCann had his opponent on his back several times but could never finish him off.  In the end, the scoreboard read 25-23 in favor of the Owings Mills wrestler giving his team a hard fought 39-31 victory over the Rams.

Senior Jake E. Sweitzer earned his 100th career win on Saturday

Next up was the team from Digital Harbor where the result was the same as Wednesday's Allegany match, an 84-0 perfect score.  This match featured 8 pins and six forfeits.  The final match on Friday evening was against Westminster.  Southern scored first period pins in each of the first three bouts to jump out to an 18-0 lead.  The Rams continued to dominate Westminster, winning a total of 11 of the 14 bouts on the way to a 61-13 win.

Senior co-captain Joe Embleton was 6-1

The east coast snowstorm messed up Saturday's schedule as only 5 schools were permitted to return for the second day.  Up first for the Rams was a match with the host school, the Winters Mill Falcons.  Southern took an early lead with pins at 138 and 145 before Winters Mill won the next 5 bouts to take a lead they would never give up.  The Rams battled hard in the remaining matches but ended up falling to the host school by the score of 41-30.

Senior Alec Horner in control vs Westminster

The final two matches of the day were all Southern, a 66-18 win over Northern and a 63-14 win in a rematch with Westminster.  As the dust settled, the Southern Rams won 5 of 7 matches and claimed runner-up honors in the 2017 Grindstone Duals.  Junior Jace Guy was 7-0 with 6 pins and one forfeit and was awarded the outstanding wrestler award for the lower weights.  Sophomore Jake W. Sweitzer was also 7-0 at the Grindstone Duals with 6 pins and a 14-0 major decision.  Senior Jake E. Sweitzer won his 100th career match with a pin over his Northern Garrett opponent on Saturday.

Grindstone Duals runner-up team

Team Scores
Southern Garrett 51 - Paint Branch 22
Owings Mills 39 - Southern Garrett 31
Southern Garrett 84 - Digital Harbor 0
Southern Garrett 61 - Westminster 13
Winters Mill 41 - Southern Garrett 30
Southern Garrett 66 - Northern Garrett 18
Southern Garrett 63 - Westminster 14

Thanks!

Individual Results
7-0 Jake W. Sweitzer (138) 6 pins
7-0 Jace Guy (145) 6 pins (OW)
6-1 Jake E. Sweitzer (126) 4 pins (100th win)
6-1 Joe Embleton (170) 4 pins
6-1 Hunter Park (195) 5 pins
5-2 Brogan Kealy (113) 3 pins
5-2 Joey McComas (120) 3 pins
5-2 Nate Tasker (132) 5 pins
5-2 Alec Horner (160) 4 pins
4-3 Colum McCann (106) 3 pins
4-3 Cole Sweitzer (285) 4 pins
3-4 Declan McCann (152) 3 pins
Other wrestler winning matches: Brad Davis, Kris Tusing, Chris Mersing and Nathan Sweitzer.

Congrats Jake, 100 wins!

Congrats Jace, tournament OW

The Perfect Start

Red was the dominate color in the bleachers at Allegany HS

The pursuit of perfection is seldom achieved.  The pursuit of the perfect 84-0 score in a wrestling match is seldom achieved as well.  On Wednesday evening in Cumberland, the Southern Rams took the mat with that goal in mind.  The team was well prepared and ready for battle.

Now that's a wrestling team!

The match started at the 160 pound weight class and featured senior co-captain and returning state qualifier Alec Horner taking the mat for the Rams.  After a quick (and beautiful) ankle pick, Horner went to work and picked up the pin in only 52 seconds.  Horner was followed by another senior co-captain and state placewinner Joe Embleton at 170.  The result was about the same.  Embleton scored a quick takedown and went on to score a pin in just 44 seconds.  Senior Kris Tusing was awarded a forfeit at 182 and Southern had an early 18-0 lead against the Campers.

At 195, junior Hunter Park took the mat looking to keep the ball rolling.  He wasted no time, throwing his Allegany opponent to his back and scoring the fall in only 44 seconds.  Next up was freshman Chris Mersing at 220.  In his first match ever, Mersing took it to the Allegany grappler and built 13-1 lead before pinning his opponent at the 5 minute mark.  Junior state qualifier Cole Sweitzer continued the domination by recording a 46 second pin at 285 to bring the team score to 36-0 heading into the lower weights.

Thanks to our sponsor

Allegany forfeited 106 through 126 which made the score 60-0 with junior state qualifier Nate Tasker up next at 132.  Tasker did what his teammates had already done, score a quick takedown and a pin in under a minute.  At 138, sophomore Jake W. Sweitzer scored a first period pin and junior state placer Jace Guy did the same at 145.

Declan McCann with the final pin of the night

The team score sat at 78-0 with only the 152 pound bout remaining.  A pin for the Rams would complete the perfect score.  The final bout featured sophomore Declan McCann in his first varsity match against Austen Crowe for the Campers.  The first period was scoreless as neither wrestler was able to get the advantage on the other.  Halfway through the second period, McCann was able to turn his opponent and within a few seconds, the official was slapping the mat signifying the pin and the completion on the perfect 84-0 team score.

The Rams are back in action this weekend in Westminster, MD as we compete in the Grindstone Duals at Winters Mill High School.

Southern Garrett 84 - Allegany 0

160 - Alec Horner (SG) pins Tyler Murphy (A)  :52
170 - Joe Embleton (SG) pins Ryan O'Neal (A)  :44
182 - Kris Tusing (SG) via forfeit
195 - Hunter Park (SG) pins Amadeus Swinton (A)  :44
220 - Chris Mersing (SG) pins Ethan Neidhart (A) 5:00
285 - Cole Sweitzer (SG) pins Devon Loewendick (A) :46
106 - Colum McCann (SG) via forfeit
113 - Brogan Kealy (SG) via forfeit
120 - Joey McComas (SG) via forfeit
126 - Jake E. Sweitzer (SG) via forfeit
132 - Nate Tasker (SG) pins Caden Weaver (A)  :55
138 - Jake W. Sweitzer (SG) pins Tyler Dunmeyer (A) 1:46
145 - Jace Guy (SG) pins Yusef Moore (A) :38
152 - Declan McCann (SG) pins Austen Crowe (A) 3:17

Red/White Scrimmage 2017

Here is the line up for tonight's

Red/White Scrimmage

Subject to change

The Rammers	The Slammers
Mike Greene (12)	Brad Davis (12)
Elisha Skipper (9)	Will Gearhart (9)
Colum McCann (9)	Brogan Kealy (9)
Trenton Tasker (10)	Jacob McRobie (10)
Alec Horner (12)	Joe Embleton (12)
Kyle Horvath (10)	Evan Paugh (11)
Jake W. Sweitzer (10)	Jace Guy (11)
Declan McCann (10)	Cole Baker (10)
Jake E. Sweitzer (12)	Nathan Sweitzer (11)
SMC Matches	SMC Matches
Quinn Iden (12)	Blade Sharpless (10)
Michael Moon (11)	Justin Richter (9)
Cole Sweitzer (11)	Scotty Tichnell (12)
Jake E. Sweitzer (12)	Nate Tasker (11)
Joey McComas (10)	Brogan Kealy (9)
Kyle Horvath (10)	Chris Wheeler (11)
Kris Tusing (12)	Joe Embleton (12)
Chris Mersing (9)	Nathan Sweitzer (11)
Trenton Tasker (10)	Hunter Park (11)
Alec Horner (12)	Jace Guy (11)

Thanks to our sponsors!

Season Outlook

We are ready for the season to begin.

There is a lot of excitement #behindthebluecurtain as the new season has begun for the Southern Garrett wrestling team.  Coming off a record setting season last year, the Rams are working hard every day in hopes of competing for a 1A state championship in February and placing a number of wrestlers on the podium come March.  This year's team is led by 4 captains, all returning state qualifiers from previous years.  Seniors Joe Embleton, Alec Horner and Jake E. Sweitzer along with junior Jace Guy were selected by their teammates to lead the team this season as team captains.

Thanks for your support

We are blessed this season to have a great mix of younger and older wrestlers and wrestlers with a ton of experience blending with a bunch of new kids.  There are six wrestlers on our squad this season who could reach to 100 career win plateau and 17 wrestlers who have previous varsity experience.  Eleven of our fourteen regional qualifiers from last season are back and ready to make a run again this year.  Look for more records to be broken in the 2017/2018 season of Southern Garrett Wrestling.

106-120 Preview

Regional qualifier Joey McComas, who won 27 matches last season, leads a talented group of young wrestlers looking to fill the lower weight classes this season.  McComas is joined by juniors Evan Paugh and Chris Wheeler, sophomores Tyler Landis, Will Gearhart and Zane Jones and freshmen Colum McCann, Brogan Kealy, Elisha Skipper and Brian Davis who will all be fighting to fill those varsity spots.

126-138 Preview

State qualifiers Nate Tasker and Jake E. Sweitzer and regional qualifier Jake W. Sweitzer lead the way in the battle for these roster spots.  Junior Michael Moon and sophomore Kyle Horvath, each in their second year on our team, will be fighting for these spots as well.

145-170 Preview

Senior Joe Embleton and Junior Jace Guy, both state placewinners last season, and state qualifier Alec Horner lead a solid group of Southern wrestlers looking to fill these middle weight spots.  Seniors Mike Greene, Quinn Iden and Brad Davis will join sophomores Cole Baker, Declan McCann, Brayden Warnick and Blade Sharpless and freshman Justin Richter in the battle for the starting spot in these varsity weight classes.

182-285 Preview

State qualifier Cole Sweitzer and regional qualifiers Hunter Park and Scotty Tichnell lead a "huge" group of Rams looking to anchor the upper wight classes on this season's squad.  They are joined by senior Kris Tusing, junior Nathan Sweitzer, sophomores Trenton Tasker and Jacob McRobie and freshmen Evan Dewitt and Chris Mersing who will each battle for a position.

As you can see, all areas of our 2017/2018 line-up are filled with quality wrestlers hoping to help this squad win a state championship.

Wrestling Roster 2017/2018

Our Super Seniors!

Seniors

Joe Embleton
Bradley Davis
Scotty Tichnell
Alec Horner
Mike Greene
Quinn Iden
Jacob E Sweitzer
Kris Tusing

Our Juniors

Juniors

Cole Sweitzer
Evan Paugh
Michael Moon
Chris Wheeler
Nathan Sweitzer
Nate Tasker
Jace Guy
Hunter Park

Our Sophomores

Sophomores

Jake W Sweitzer
Joey McComas
Blade Sharpless
Trenton Tasker

Tyler Landis
Zane Jones
Jacob McRobie
Cole Baker
Kyle Horvath
Will Gearhart
Declan McCann
Brayden Warnick

Our Freshmen

Freshmen

Chris Mersing
Elisha Skipper
Brian Davis
Colum McCann
Justin Richter
Evan Dewitt
Brogan Kealy

2017/2018 Schedule

Here is our 2017/2018 wrestling schedule.

We are excited for the opportunity to take the mat next week as the regular season begins.  There is one change from the original schedule that was handed out at the beginning of the season.  We are now on the road on January 27th at Winters Mill HS to take on the Falcons and Perryville in a tri match.  Winters Mill will travel to Oakland next season.

Date                Opponent                                           Location         Time               Depart

Dec. 6              Allegany                                              Away              7pm                 5pm

Dec. 8/9           Grindstone Duals – Winters Mill        Winters Mill    4pm                 11am

Dec. 12            JV Dual                                               Keyser             6pm                 4pm

Dec. 14            Musselman JV Tourney                      Away              6pm                 3pm

Dec. 15/16       Musselman Duals                               Away              4pm                 11am

Dec. 19            JV Invitational                                    Home              6pm

Dec. 20            Hyndman                                            Away              7pm                 4:45pm

Dec. 21            Brunswick                                           Home              2pm

Dec. 30            Oakdale/Century                                 Oakdale           12:30pm          8am

Jan. 3                Northern                                              Home              7pm

Jan. 5/6            Super Duals                                         Fort Hill          4pm                 2pm

Jan. 10             Frankfort/ w/Northern                         Home              6pm

Jan. 15             JV Tournament                                   Home              10am

Jan. 17             Fort Hill/Keyser                                  Home              6pm

Jan 18             Northern                                              Away              7pm                 5:15

Jan. 24             Williamsport                                        Away              6pm                 2:50pm

Jan. 27             Winters Mill/Perryville                        Winters Mill    1:30pm

Feb. 1               Mountain Ridge                                  Home              7pm

Feb. 7              Regional Duals                                   TBA                5:30

Feb. 10            State Duals                                          North Point     12pm

Feb. 17            Bi-County Tournament                       TBA                10am

Feb. 24            Regional Tournament                         Boonsboro       9am

Mar. 2/3          State Tournament                                Showplace Arena    12:30

2017/2018 Roster

We are blessed to have such an outstanding group of young men on our team this season.  We have seven seniors on this year's squad and that is our smallest class.  We have eight juniors, twelve sophomores and seven freshman rounding out the 2017/2018 Southern Rams.  We are excited to get started and will be hosting a scrimmage on Saturday morning at 9am.  The public is welcome to stop by and see the Rams in action.

Senior Joe Embleton demonstrating proper form

Seniors

Joe Embleton

Bradley Davis

Scotty Tichnell

Alec Horner

Mike Greene

Quinn Iden

Jacob E Sweitzer
Kris Tusing

Juniors

Cole Sweitzer

Evan Paugh

Michael Moon

Chris Wheeler

Nathan Sweitzer

Nate Tasker

Jace Guy

Hunter Park

Sophomores

Jake W Sweitzer

Joey McComas

Blade Sharpless

Trenton Tasker

Tyler Landis

Zane Jones

Jacob McRobie

Cole Baker

Kyle Horvath

Will Gearhart

Declan McCann

Brayden Warnick

Freshmen

Chris Mersing

Elisha Skipper

Brian Davis

Colum McCann

Justin Richter

Evan Dewitt

Brogan Kealy