Red - White Results

Austin Shaffer and Devan Hamrick @ The Red/White Scrimmage

As is usually the case, good prevailed over evil last night as the White Knights beat the Red Devils in our annual Red/White Scrimmage in front of a large, spirited crowd.  There were some impressive displays from both experienced kids and new wrestlers and we were even treated to two excellent matches by future Ram wrestlers from the Southern Mat Club.  A special thanks to the SMC who allowed Nathan Tasker, Jake Sweitzer, Jace Guy and George Zimmerman to entertain the crowd last night.

 

Tanner Massey in control in the first match of the evening.

The evening began with the battle between two of last season's starters, Austin Sines and Tanner Massey.  This time, it was Massey's turn, as he was tough on top and earned a solid decision.  Next were a string of very close and very exciting matches including a couple overtime bouts.  The fans got their money's worth and more (free admission) as these matches kept everyone on the edge of their seats.  Justyce Fulmer, Will Foulke, Brian Rinker and Ausin Sines all won close matches that came down to the wire.  John earned the win over Jacob in the battle of the Zimmermans.  Captain Cooper McCauley wrestled a great match against defending state champion Austin Shaffer, but Shaffer  proved he was ready to go after another title this season as he controlled both of his opponents on the evening. 

 

Captain Steve-O and Logan Tichinel with the students watching in the background.

Seniors Scott Cooper and Stephen Collins led the way in the second half of the match with strong wins, proving they will lead this team both as captains and as solid competitors as the regular season begins next week.  Several newcomers were very impressive as well.  Junior Seth Kisner and Senior Johnny Lascaris both gave their more experienced opponents great matches last night.  These two, along with our incoming freshmen and our returning wrestlers have proven that wrestling is alive and well at Southern Garrett High School.

 

Red/White Results:

• Tanner Massey (W) dec. Austin Sines (R)
• Corey Horner (W) dec. Zach Tichnell (R)
• Justyce Fulmer (R) dec. Johnny Lascaris (W) ot
• Brian Rinker (R) dec. Dalton Cooper (W) ot
• Austin Shaffer (W) dec. Cooper McCauley (R)
• Stephen Collins (W) pin Logan Tichinel (R)
• Will Foulke (R) dec Seth Kisner (W)
• John Zimmerman (R) dec. Jacob Zimmerman (W)
• Austin Sines (R) pin Johnny Lascaris (W)
• Tanner Massey (W) dec. Justyce Fulmer (R)
• Scott Cooper (W) dec Brian Rinker (R)
• Dalton Cooper (W) dec Marcus Tichinel (R)
• Austin Shaffer (W) dec Devan Hamrick (R)

Good vs. Evil - Red/White Scrimmage 2012

          Our Annual Red/White Scrimmage is Thursday, November 29th at 7pm in the Southern High School gym.  This annual tradition pits one half of our team against the other half in an exciting dual meet format.  Some very entertaining and very competitive matches have occurred during this event in past years and there is no doubt that will be the case again this season.  Please join us as we introduce our 2012/2013 squad.

Here are the tentative match-ups and order of bouts for the Red/White Scrimmage 2012:

 

The Red Devils	The White Knights
aka: “The Bad Guys”	aka: “The Good Guys”
Austin Sines	Tanner Massey
Zach Tichnell	Corey Horner
Justyce Fulmer	Johnny Lascaris
Brian Rinker	Dalton Cooper
Devan Hamrick	Brandon Uphold
Cooper McCauley	Austin Shaffer
Bonus Matches	SMC Wrestlers
Logan Tichinel	Stephen Collins
Will Foulke	Seth Kisner
John Zimmerman	Jacob Zimmerman
Austin Sines	Johnny Lascaris
Justyce Fulmer	Tanner Massey
Brian Rinker	Scott Cooper
Marcus Tichinel	Dalton Cooper

 

 

 

Keyser Scrimmage

On Monday evening, we welcomed the Keyser Golden Tornado to our gym for a scrimmage.  The boys had a really good night on the mats and took full advantage of having "new blood" in the gym.  We started out with a little review session and then some pretty hard drilling.

Steve-O leading the star jumps

After a good drilling session, we went right into live wrestling.  Our kids took full advantage of this time with new opponents, and looked very strong.  We did not keep score in these matches but we were very happy with the outcome.

Live wrestling (except for the 3 in the background)

After a quick break (thanks to Heather Cooper for bringing us drinks!) we had our usual mid-practice ritual....story time.  The guys were a little shy, but we did hear stories about wrecking vehicles and finding cash.  Then is was back to work with 30 more hard minutes of live wrestling.  When everyone was pretty much worn out, we went into conditioning, led by the seniors.  It was a great workout and with the season ready to begin, both teams are a little more prepared for opening night.

Senior leading conditioning at the end of our scrimmage

Overall, it was a great night on the mats for the Southern Rams and the Keyser Golden Tornado.

Many Thanks!

It is Thanksgiving morning and we all have so much and so many people to be thankful for, we thought it would be a great idea to list everyone here.  I am sure I will miss an important person or two, but I am getting old and everyone should be thankful that I can remember anything at all......

So here it goes (in no particular order), The Southern Garrett Wrestling Team is very thankkful for:

• Our Wrestlers.  From the teams in the early years to our team today, we are thankful for great kids who have come from great families who have dedicated themselves to this difficult sport.  It takes a special person to be a wrestler and we have been very lucky to have so many great kids.
• The Wrestling Parents.  It also takes a special person to be a great wrestling parent and we have been blessed here as well. 
• Our Fans.  We have wrestled in a lot of places and nowhere are the fans as loud and supportive as the Southern Garrett Wrestling fans.  We are very thankful to have such a great group of followers.
• My Boss.  He is obviously the greatest boss EVER to allow me to leave work every day and coach the sport I love.  Thanks boss!
• Southern High School Students and Staff.  In many schools, wrestling is ignored and not supported.  Southern High School is certainly not that way and we are very thankful to have such a strong following among the students and staff of our school. 
• Our Assistant Coaches.   We give thanks to Tim Rush and Dan Clark for giving their time to this team as assistant coaches this season and we are also thankful for those who have helped in the past like Justin Gregory, Jason Burgess, Chuck Fitzwater and even George Scheffel.
• Matt Redinger.  He is the man who keeps the athletic programs successful.  Anything we need, Matt is the go to guy.
• Jim Maddy and Tom Woods.  We have been blessed with high school principal's who have fully supported our team.  This is not the case everywhere and we could not have been as successful without their blessings.
• My Girls.  My daughters sacrificed a lot so their dad could coach this team.  I am very thankful that they turned out to be great young ladies even though my committment to Southern Wrestling kept me away at times.  Thanks Sam and Kelly!!
• The Southern Mat Club.  Our feeder program has sent numerous excellent wrestlers to the high school program.  The club is strong and everyone involved works tirelessly to promote our sport.
• Our State Champions.  It is no secret, I love coaching state champions and we have been blessed with the following wrestlers who have reached the top.  Johnny Hayhurst (2x), Scott Wildesen, Justin Ratliff, Brutus Scheffel (4x), Jordan Skipper, Bubba Scheffel (3x), Davey Stewart, Lex Ozias (3x), Coy Ozias and Austin Shaffer.  I am also very thankful for those who have made it to the state finals but fell just short of the title.  Daniel Carr, Sean Sisler and Ryan Bennett.
• Liz Shiflett.  Mama Liz is everything to our team.  She loves the sport and loves the kids does anything and everything to help us be more successful.
• The Bosleys.  They are a great coaching family and an excellent source of material for my stand-up comedy routine.
• The SGAA and Our Alumni.  These people have paved the way for our team's success.  We thank them for everything they have done for our team and for all Southern Athletics.
• Kurt Lear.  Mr. Lear is the man who invited me into the coaching position at Southern.  He is a wrestling coach and a wrestling fan and is as responsible for the team's success as anyone.
• Ed Wildesen.  Ed is the man who first contacted me about coaching wrestling in the first place.  About 20 years ago, he asked if I would coach his son and the Southern Mat Club and I have been involved ever since.
• Jane Wildesen and Jeff Gregory.  They have run the clock and scoreboard for Southern Wrestling for as long as I can remember.
• Heather Cooper.  Heather is currently in the position as the parent leader, heads the concession stand, takes care of hotel rooms and clothing orders.  She is the latest in a long line of great parents who have taken the lead.
• The Basketball Coaches.  We share the gym and scheduling gets tricky, but these other coaches have been great to work with over the years.  We work together for the kids and for each other's programs.
• Walter Lee.  Walt is our go to guy for everything around the gym and in case of injuries.  The man will do anything to keep our athletes healthy and safe.
• Kayla and Mrs. Gregory.  Simply put, if we need it, they make it happen.  We are blessed.
• Maria.  Last, but certainly not least, there is Maria.  There is no person that hears more about the Southern Garrett Wrerstling Team than Maria.  She is always there to listen (and offer her opinion) when I start rambling about every aspect of the season.  The schedule, the next match, the weight classes, the match-ups, the trouble makers (very few!), the exceptional kids (a lot more!), the parents, the staff, the fans...... the list goes on and on and Maria is always there the hear me out and help me out.  Thank you.

As I said in the beginning, we sure have a lot to be thankful for.  We hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving and we go back to work tomorrow as the season continues.

It's On!

The boys, stretching it out on day #1

          The 2012/2013 wrestling season has begun.  We are done with 2 practices and it looks to be a very promising season.  We have a nice mix of experienced studs and eager new wrestlers and they have been working extremely hard to learn new skills and improve their existing skills.

Co-Captain Scott Cooper working on a front headlock

          In all aspects of practice so far this season, we have seen exciting improvements for previous years.  The running has been fast-paced, the stretching has been better than ever (despite the photo I posted on facebook), the willingness to learn and improve has been excellent and the intensity during the live wrestling sessions has been strong.  Above all, the attitude has been as  good as any team I have ever coached.  This group of young men will be a joy to work with this season.

          Yesterday, on day #2, we selected team captains.  We are happy to announce, seniors Scott Cooper, Cooper McCauley and Stephen Collins will be leading our team this season.  These three young men have happily accepted the role as leader and will work very hard to help the coaches develop this team into a diciplined, successful group.

"Story Time"

          Many things are different this season, but three things have remained the same.  The first is that the coaches and wrestlers are looking for great things from the Southern Garrett Wrestling team this year, secondly, we still have "story time" every day and thirdly, we still meet in our secret meeting room every day.  These are three traditions that will remain and may never change as long as the Rams are hitting the mats.

2012-2013 Schedule

Southern Garrett Wrestling Schedule

Date                Opponent                                           Location         Time             

Dec. 5              Frankfort/Boonsboro                       Frankfort       6:00pm          

Dec. 8              Harford Tech/Winters Mill              Home              1:00pm          

Dec. 14            South Hagerstown                             Home              6:00pm

Dec. 15            Musselman Duals                              Away              9:30am

Dec. 19            Brunswick                                          Away              5:30pm

Dec. 28/29       Wheeling Park Duals                        Away              10:00am         

Jan. 3              Mountain Ridge                                Away              7:00pm          

Jan. 4/5           Super Duals                                       Fort Hill          4pm                

Jan. 10            Northern                                            Away              7:00pm          

Jan. 16            Fort Hill / Keyser                               Keyser           6:00pm          

Jan. 22            Allegany                                             Away              7:30pm          

Jan. 26            Williamsport                                      Home              2:00pm          

Jan. 31            Northern                                            Home              7:00pm          

Feb. 2             Hyndman                                           Away              6:00pm          

Feb. 6              Regional Duals                                  TBA

Feb. 9              State Duals                                         TBA

Feb. 16            Bi-County Tournament                    ???                  10:00am

Feb. 22/23       Regional Tournament                       Oakdale          10:00am         

Mar. 1/2          State Tournament                             UMD 

Where ya goin'?

      The question all wrestling coaches hear at this time of the year between the kids on the team and the new kids who are being recruited is "Where ya goin'?"  It is not a question regarding the plans that each of the kids has for the upcoming weekend, nor does it relate to which restaurant a wrestler will go for his last big, good, fattening meal.  "Where ya goin'?" is a question directed to every wrestler asking what weight class they intend to compete in during the upcoming season. 

      I don't put a whole lot of faith in the answers I hear to this question.  I have found in the last 10 years, that in most cases, wrestlers under-estimate their actual weight when answering this question, while they tend to over-estimate their weight when talking about it with other wrestlers and their coaches.  A kid might weigh 150 but he tells everyone he weighs 165 and his answer to the question "where ya goin'?" is 132.  As a coach, these discussions have humored me for may years.  Sometime, the kids are more accurate, but most of the time I don't count on their answer as being accurate and I just smile, nod my head and carry on with my business.

      It has been my experience, that after a week of practice and the nightly weigh-outs, I know "where they are goin'" and when they will be able to get there.  The practice of over and under estimating weight and weight classes is nothing new.  I am sure that most of the boys in the state champs picture were guilty of this in their day as well.

      So, the next time you see a kid on a high school or college wrestling team, go ahead and ask them "where ya goin'?" but don't have a whole lot of faith that their answer will be all that accurate.