The Rematch

On Tuesday evening, the Southern Rams hosted the Northern Huskies in a huge rematch with post-season implications.  The match was equally intense as the first meeting with the final outcome not determined until the last bout of the night.  Unfortunately for the home team, the Huskies prevailed with a hard-fought, well-wrestled 33-31 victory under the light in Southern's gym.  The place was packed with fans on both sides and despite the loss by Southern, all fans were treated to another great wrestling match between cross-county foes.

Alec Horner trying hard for a fall

Prior to the varsity match, the fans were treated to some excellent bouts between the Southern and Northern Mat Club wrestlers.  Next up, the Southern JV wrestlers won all three of their matches against the Huskies and the main event was set to begin.  The captains met in the center of the mat, the Huskies won the toss and the match was set to begin at the 152 pound class.

Joe Embleton pinning quick

The Rams took an early lead with a major decision at 152 by Jimmy Schwab, a win at 160 by Alec Horner and a pin at 170 by Joe Embleton.  Southern led 13-0 heading into 182.  Northern got on the board at 182 with an exciting match that came down to the final seconds the Hunter Park added 6 more points for the Rams with a fall at 195.  The score stood at 19-3 in Southern's favor heading into the two upper weight classes.

Scotty Tichnell lost another close, exciting bout at 220 and Northern picked up a big pin at 285 to cut the Rams' lead to 19-12 heading into the lower weights.  Brison Dixon kept his unbeaten season alive with a quick pin at 106.  Northern got those six points back at 113 with a pin of their own, moving the team score to 25-18.  After both Jake Sweitzers lost their bouts at 120 and 126, Southern found themselves trailing for the first time in a long time, 27-25. 

Nate Tasker at 132 and Jace Guy at 138 won in dominating fashion, but were unable to score bonus points, each winning 7-0 decisions.  The match score stood at 31-27 in Southern's favor with one bout remaining.  The Huskies must have felt good as one of their top wrestlers took the mat at 145 with the entire match on the line.  The Northern wrestler scored the fall in the second period to clinch it for the visiting Huskies.

Northern 33 - Southern 31
106 - Brison Dixon (SG) pins Jesse Harmon (N) 1:00
113 - Hunter Wilhelm (N) pins Joey McComas (SG) 1:27
120 - Steven Yutzy (N) pins Jake W Sweitzer (SG) 5:51
126 - Devin Wilhelm (N) dec Jake E Sweitzer (SG) 5-0
132 - Nate Tasker (SG) dec Jarrett Kelly (N) 7-0
138 - Jace Guy (SG) dec Luke Lowry (N) 7-0
145 - Jordan Day (N) pins Erik Fike (SG) 2:26
152 - Jimmy Schwab (SG) m dec Randall Ganoe (N) 12-4
160 - Alec Horner (SG) dec Tony Walker (N) 7-3
170 - Joe Embleton (SG) pins Jordan Grove (N) 1:17
182 - Sam Beeman (N) dec Patrick Duggan (SG) 3-1
195 - Hunter Park (SG) pins Hunter Shockey (N) 2:36
220 - Riley Brick (N) dec Scotty Tichnell (SG) 7-5
285 - Brian Tiermersma (N) pins Cole Sweitzer (SG) 5:55

Double the Fun

Last night, we made the trip to Cumberland, MD for our annual tri-match with Fort Hill and Keyser.  We had already wrestled both teams this season, but were well prepared for anything.  Wrestlers come and go and change weights and bump around but we were confident that our line-up could handle anything these two teams could throw at us.

We started the evening facing off against the home standing Fort Hill Sentinels.  After Scotty Tichnell won by forfeit at 220, our big man, Cole Sweitzer, took the mat in an attempt to avenge a loss from the earlier meeting.  These two wrestlers were closely matched and it was an exciting heavyweight match.  In the end, Cole dropped a 4-2 decision.  The Rams won the next six bouts which led up to another rematch of a great match from the earlier meeting.  Jimmy Schwab faced off against Braeden Askins at 145 in a bout that was even closer and more exciting than the hwt. match.  Schwab and Askins ended regulation tied at 1 and we were headed to overtime.  After three scoreless overtime periods, Askins was able to win the match in the ultimate ride-out.  The team score stood at 41-6.

The Rams won four of the final five bouts to win the overall match by the score of 65-12.  Scoring pins for Southern were Joey McComas, both Jake Sweitzers and Joe Embleton.  The win for junior Jake W Sweitzer was his 30th of the season against only three losses.  Sophomore Nate Tasker also won his 30th of the season against 4 losses.

After our win over Fort Hill

After some great matches by our JV wrestlers, we were ready for our varsity rematch with the Keyser Golden Tornado.  This match started at 285 where Cole Sweitzer found himself matched up with another solid heavyweight who is currently ranked 4th in the state of West Virginia.  Cole won the first meeting by pin and this bout was much closer.  Sweitzer was able to score a 1st period takedown which would prove to be enough for the 2-1 win over Matthew Stewart.

Joey McComas avenges an earlier loss against Keyser

Next up was Brison Dixon who did not wrestle in the first meeting between these two schools.  He scored a first period pin to put the Rams in front 9-0 heading into the 113 match.  This bout was a rematch from the earlier meeting.  Last time, Joey McComas lost by decision, but during the second meeting, Joey was able to win by pin.  After both Jake Sweitzers won by fall, the Rams led 27-0 leading into one of the evenings marquis match-ups at 132.  Bryant Dixon from Keyser is ranked third in the state at 132 and Nate Tasker came into the match with a 30-4 record on the season.  It was a great match with Dixon coming out on top, winning the decision for Keyser.

Despite giving up early points, Jace Guy dominated

At 138, Jace Guy fought back from an early deficit to win an 11-5 decision, bringing the team score to 30-3.  Next up was 145 and found Jimmy Schwab facing another solid wrestler, Dalton Wilt from the Golden Tornado.  Schwab used a takedown in the second and a reversal in the third to eek out a tough 4-3 decision.  Alec Horner followed that with a 14-7 win, making it 36-3 in Southern's favor.

Alec Horner scores 14 against Keyser

Keyser scored a pin at 160 and Joe Embleton followed that with a pin for Southern at 170.  Patrick Duggan was awarded a forfeit at 182 and Hunter Park scored a takedown in overtime to win the match at 195.  Keyser won a decision in the final match of the evening to bring the final team score to 51-12 in favor of the Southern Rams.  Our overall record now stands at 31-4 on the season and we are 9-1 in dual meets that count for MPSSAA regional dual qualification.

Southern 65 - Fort Hill 12
106 - Brison Dixon (SG) tech Jacob Diehl (FH) 16-1
113 - Joey McComas (SG) pins Trey Harper (FH) :44
120 - Jake W Sweitzer (SG) pins Zach Farris (FH) 1:13
126 - Jake E Sweitzer (SG) pins Noah Jack (FH) 1:40
132 - Nate Tasker (SG) via forfeit
138 - Jace Guy (SG) via forfeit
145 - Braeden Askins (FH) dec Jimmy Schwab (SG) ot (utb)
152 - Alec Horner (SG) via forfeit
160 - Brad Davis (SG) via forfeit
170 - Joe Embleton (SG) pins Carson Driver (FH) 2:58
182 - Wyatt Brehm (FH) pins Patrick Duggan (SG) 2:33
195 - Hunter Park (SG) via forfeit
220 - Scotty Tichnell (SG) via forfeit
285 - Richard Hess (FH) dec Cole Sweitzer (SG) 4-2

Southern 51 - Keyser 12
106 - Brison Dixon (SG) pins Tanner Staggs (K) 1:21
113 - Joey McComas (SG) pins Tyler Staggs (K) 3:04
120 - Jake W Sweitzer (SG) pins Brendan Pattison (K) 1:39
126 - Jake E Sweitzer (SG) pins Ezra Parks (K) 2:51
132 - Bryant Dixon (K) dec Nate Tasker (SG) 6-0
138 - Jace Guy (SG) dec Tyler Mason (K) 11-5
145 - Jimmy Schwab (SG) dec Dalton Wilt (K) 4-3
152 - Alec Horner (SG) dec Tristan Fox (K) 14-7
160 - Shayden Daugherty (K) pins Brad Davis (SG) :54
170 - Joe Embleton (SG) pins Austin Kitzmiller (K) :48
182 - Patrick Duggan (SG) via forfeit
195 - Hunter Park (SG) dec Hugo Perez (K) 7-5 ot
220 - Jacob Biser (K) dec Scoty Tichnell (SG) 7-1
285 - Cole Sweitzer (SG) dec Matthew Stewart (K) 2-1

King of the Hill

2017 Super Dual Champions

The annual tournament known as the Super Duals was held on Friday and Saturday January 6th and 7th at Fort Hill High School in Cumberland.  The Southern Rams entered the event as defending champions and looking to continue their winning ways in the Queen City.  The tournament was filled with 8 teams representing MD, PA and WV.  Wrestling began on Friday evening and the blind draw found us up against the team we wrestled in the final round last season for the championship.

Jake E Sweitzer in control

Boonsboro entered the match with a solid 5-1 record and several ranked wrestlers on their squad.  It soon became apparent that the Southern Rams would add a loss to their record.   The Rams won each of the first four bouts to take a 23-0 lead.  Boonsboro was able to win the next two, scoring their only points of the match, bringing the team score to 23-12.  Southern then ran off 8 straight wins to finish off Boonsboro by the score of 65-12.

Scotty Tichnell on his way to the win

Our second match of the evening was against the Hyndman Hornets.  The result was about the same.  Southern built up a big lead and finished off the match strong with a solid 52-15 win.  The final match of Friday evening was against the Allegany Campers and the result was even more one-sided.  The final score against Allegany was 78-3 and the perfect first night came to an early end.

Jimmy Schwab places second

The tournament resumed Saturday morning with two dominating performances by our boys.  We beat Moorefield 78-6 then followed that with a 75-6 win over the host school.  Our toughest test of the tournament came in round six against Hampshire High School.  Southern lost each of the first three bouts against Hampshire and found ourselves in unfamiliar territory, losing 15-0.  Five bouts later, after five big wins, we had a 30-15 lead with six matches remaining.  We split the final matches with Hampshire and came away with a 46-33 victory.

Nate Tasker for the pin

We finished the tournament by defeating Petersburg in round 7 by the score of 51-24 then beating Hampshire again, this time 49-27 to finish the weekend with a perfect 8-0 record.

Super Duals Recap
Southern 65 - Boonsboro 12
Southern 58 - Hyndman 15
Southern 78 - Allegany 3
Southern 78 - Moorefield 6
Southern 75 - Fort Hill 6
Southern 46 - Hampshire 33
Southern 51 - Petersburg 24
Southern 49 - Hampshire 27

Our award winners at the Super Duals (Erik Fike not pictured)

Individual Results
12 out of 14 of our wrestlers earned awards at the Super Duals.
1st place - Brison Dixon (8-0)
1st place - Joey McComas (8-0)
1st place - Nate Tasker (8-0)
1st place - Alec Horner (8-0)
1st place - Jake E Sweitzer (7-1)
2nd place - Jake W Sweitzer (7-1)
2nd place - Jace Guy (7-1)
2nd place - Jimmy Schwab (6-2)
2nd place - Erik Fike (5-3)
3rd place - Joe Embleton (7-1)
3rd place - Cole Sweitzer (6-2)
3rd place - Scotty Tichnell (4-4)

Crushing the Cougars

A splash of red in a blue gym

We knew the bus ride to Thurmont, MD on Tuesday night would be much longer than our dual meet against the Catoctin Cougars, but wrestling a team with high quality competitors made it worth the trip.  Unfortunately, Catoctin only had 8 wrestlers and awarded us 6 forfeits.  In any event, the action that actually took place on the mat that evening was tough and intense.

Jake W Sweitzer vs. #2 ranked Zach Bryant

The match began at 170 where Joe Embleton faced off against RJ Monaghan for the second straight year.  The result was the same as last season, Embleton winning a 2 point decision against the Catoctin wrestler.  After two forfeits, Scotty Tichnell scored a quick fall at 220 to give the Rams a 21-0 lead.  After three more forfeits, we led 39-0 and the match was well in our hands.

In control half way through the match

Catoctin got on the board at 120 as the #2 ranked wrestler in the state scored a 12-0 major decision over our freshman "Little" Jake Sweitzer.  They added 6 more points at 126 as another of their ranked wrestlers scored a fall, this time over Michael Moon, to bring the team score to 39-10.  Sophomore Nate Tasker won by decision at 132 and Jace Guy was awarded the final forfeit at 138 to stretch our lead.  After Jimmy Schwab won a decision at 145, the Rams were in control by a score of 51-10 going into the final two bouts.

Brad Davis vs #21 ranked Jake Baker

Alec Horner dropped a decision to another of Catoctin's ranked wrestlers and Brad Davis did the same at 160 to close out the evening's match.  In the end, Catoctin's four ranked wrestlers picked up their only four wins to bring the final score to 51-16 in favor of the visiting Southern Rams.

Southern 51 - Catoctin 16
106 - Brison Dixon (SG) via forfeit
113 - Joey McComas (SG) via forfeit
120 - Zach Bryant (C) dec Jake W Sweitzer (SG) 12-0
126 - Ethan Fuss (C) pins Michael Moon (SG) :58
132 - Nate Tasker (SG) dec Travis Fields (C) 6-2
138 - Jace Guy (SG) via forfeit
145 - Jimmy Schwab (SG) dec Wyatt Payne (C) 6-3
152 - Josh Small (C) dec Alec Horner (SG) 5-2
160 - Jake Baker (C) dec Brad Davis (SG) 8-1
170 - Joe Embleton (SG) dec RJ Monaghan (C) 7-5
182 - Patrick Duggan (SG) via forfeit
195 - Hunter Park (SG) via forfeit
220 - Scotty Tichnell (SG) pins Matt Linker (C) :54
285 - Cole Sweitzer (SG) via forfeit

Big Night on the Road

The Southern Rams are now 28-4 on the season.

It was a big day in the Cove last evening as the Southern Rams were in search of their 28th win of the season and the 300th win of Coach Taylor's career in a match against the Frankfort Falcons.  After some exciting youth matches, the captains reported to the center and the match was set to begin.

Wrestling started at 285 where freshman Trenton Tasker made his varsity debut, filling in for Cole Sweitzer who was out sick for the evening.  Tasker wrestled very well against the bigger, older opponent and dropped a decision to give the Falcons the early lead.  That lead did not last as Brison Dixon took the mat at 106 and picked up his 30th win of the season with a 16-0 tech fall.  Joey McComas and Jake W Sweitzer were awarded forfeits and the Rams led 17-4.

At 126, Jake E Sweitzer turned a tight match into a big pin to stretch the Ram's lead to 23-4.  Nate Tasker picked up another 6 points for his team at 132 and we were well in control.  At 138, Brandon Mersing was filling in for Erik Fike and lost the bout to Frankfort's premier wrestler, bringing the team score to 29-9.

Joe Embleton puts the finishing touches on the victory

Senior co-captain Jimmy Schwab took the mat at 145 and made quick work of his Falcon opponent, pinning him in the first period.  Jace Guy added a dominating decision at 152 and Alec Horner was given a forfeit at 160 and Southern led 44-9.  Joe Embleton wrestled in 170 pound class and scored another 1st period pin for the Rams.  The final three weigh classes were forfeits to Patrick Duggan, Hunter Park and Scotty Tichnell to bring the final team score to 68-9 in Southern's favor.

Next up for the Rams is a trip to Catoctin High School next Tuesday for a 5pm match.  Currently, Southern sits with an overall 28-4 record on the season and a 6-1 record in the MPSSAA regional dual qualification system.  Senior Brison Dixon remains undefeated with a record of 30-0 and several wrestlers are close behind with excellent records.



Southern 68 - Frankfort 9
106 - Brison Dixon (SG) tech Haden Plum (F) 16-0
113 - Joey McComas (SG) via forfeit
120 - Jake W Sweitzer (SG) via forfeit
126 - Jake E Sweitzer (SG) pins Brendon Emerick (F) 3:12
132 - Nate Tasker (SG) via forfeit
138 - Austin Pumphrey (F) tech Brandon Mersing (SG) 23-6
145 - Jimmy Schwab (SG) pins Noah Kiszka (F) 1:35
152 - Jace Guy (SG) dec JC Cousins (F) 6-3
160 - Alec Horner (SG) via forfeit
170 - Joe Embleton (SG) pins Ethan Mulligan (F) 1:42
182 - Patrick Duggan (SG) via forfeit
195 - Hunter Park (SG) via forfeit
220 - Scotty Tichnell (SG) via forfeit
285 - Troy Pricer (F) dec Trenton Tasker (SG) 9-1

Team Leaders Thru 1/11/17

Overall Record
30-0  Brison Dixon
29-3  Jake E Sweitzer
28-4  Nate Tasker
25-4  Joe Embleton
20-3  Jake W Sweitzer
19-3  Joey McComas
25-7  Jace Guy
24-7  Cole Sweitzer
22-10 Alec Horner
20-8  Jimmy Schwab
21-11 Scotty Tichnell
13-9  Hunter Park
12-9  Erik Fike
7-2   Zach Burgess
9-12 Patrick Duggan

Most Pins
18 - Brison Dixon
17 - Jace Guy
16 - Joe Embleton
16 - Cole Sweitzer
14 - Jake W Sweitzer
14 - Alec Horner
12 - Jake E Sweitzer
12 - Jimmy Schwab
12 - Scotty Tichnell
  9 - Joey McComas
  9 - Nate Tasker
  9 - Erik Fike
  7 - Hunter Park

Rammin' the 'Roaders

Joe Embleton in control of his match at 182

It was a long, sloppy trip yesterday to Brunswick, MD for an afternoon match between the home-standing Railroaders and the visiting Southern Rams.  After a slight little problem with Old 42 (our school bus that likes to give us trouble) we arrived, weighed in and were ready to put our 26-4 season record on the line.

Scotty Tichnell with the 1st period fall

The match started at 132 and we went straight to work.   Junior Jake E Sweitzer took the mat and ran up the score to 12-1 before securing a 3rd period pin to give the Rams a 6-0 lead.  Nate Tasker, Jimmy Schwab, Alec Horner and Patrick Duggan scored pins of their own while Jace Guy won by tech fall and the rout was on.  Southern took a 35-0 lead into the match at 182. 

At 182, Joe Embleton churned out a dominating victory to stretch our lead.  Hunter Park was awarded a forfeit while Scotty Tichnell and Cole Sweitzer added pins to bring the team score to 56-0 heading into the lower weights.

Brunswick was able to score victories at 106 and 126 and we were given forfeits at 113 and 120 to bring the final match score to 68-9 in favor of the visiting Southern Rams.  Prior to the varsity match there were two JV bouts.  Brandon Mersing did a great job wrestling against his Brunswick opponent and Gunnar Ward had a victory in his grasp but was not able to put it away.  Both wrestled great!

Southern returns to action tonight in a match against the Frankfort Falcons that will be wrestled at Northern High School at 6pm.  The Rams are now 27-4 on the season.

Gunnar Ward going for the pin

Southern 68 - Brunswick 9
106 - L. Bartholomew (B) dec Evan Paugh (SG) 10-3
113 - Brison Dixon (SG) via forfeit
120 - Joey McComas (SG) via forfeit
126 - Shane Cockerham (B) pins Jake W Sweitzer 5:19
132 - Jake E Sweitzer (SG) pins Roland Rohrback (B) 4:55
138 - Nate Tasker (SG) pins Anthony Pecora (B) :37
145 - Jimmy Schwab (SG) pins Eston Conner (B) 1:35
152 - Jace Guy (SG) tech Cody Cooper (B) 22-4
160 - Alec Horner (SG) pins Quinn Lear (B) :36
170 - Patrick Duggan (SG) pins Aiden Christie (B) 1:24
182 - Joe Embleton (SG) dec Brady Kerns (B) 10-4
195 - Hunter Park (SG) via forfeit
220 - Scotty Tichnell (SG) pins Chance Curry (B) 1:21
285 - Cole Sweitzer (SG) pins James Marker (B) 2:50

An Instant Classic

Ram v Huskies in front of a packed house

As far as high school wrestling matches go, it doesn't get much better than last night's clash between the Southern Rams and the home-standing Northern Huskies.  The match had it all; a packed house, two excellent teams, no forfeits, great wrestling and a 2+ hour barn-burner that came down to the final bout of the evening.

Ram Fans had a lot to cheer about

Just like the old days, the match started at the 106 pound class and ended with the heavyweights.  It didn't take senior Brison Dixon long to get the Rams on the board as he scored a second period fall to remain undefeated (20-0) on the season and give Southern a quick 6-0 lead.  Freshman Joey McComas dropped a decision at 113 to set up a clash at 120 between Northern's undefeated senior Steven Yutzy and Southern's undefeated freshman Jake W Sweitzer.  The Huskies were able to get the 9-1 win at 120 and took the lead 7-6.

The Huskies made a big move in their line-up from 126 to 152 in an attempt to get the upper hand in this tight battle by inserting Jarrett Kelly in at 126 and bumping the rest up one weight class.  The Rams thwarted this move and took back the lead 9-7 at 126 with junior Jake E Sweitzer winning by a 4-3 decision.  The Huskies returned the favor at 132 with a win by decision of their own to bring the match score to 10-9 in favor of Northern.  They stretched their lead to 16-9 with a pin at 138 to set up two tough bouts coming up at 145 and 152.  The match at 145 saw sophomore Jace Guy defeating senior Luke Lowry 5-2.  At 152, the Huskies score a decision of their own and the match score stood at 19-12 in Northern's favor.

Southern can storming back win big pins at 160 by Alec Horner and at 170 by Joe Embleton to give the Rams the lead.  That lead did not last long when Northern scored a fall at 182 to go up 25-24 with only three bouts remaining.  At 195, sophomore Hunter Park picked up a huge win by pin for the Rams to give his team a 30-25 lead going into the final two matches.

At 220, the Northern wrestler dominated but Scotty Tichnell fought hard but ended up losing a 16-8 decision setting up the final, winner-take-all bout to determine the overall match.  Sophomore heavyweight Cole Sweitzer took the mat as both sides of the gym were chanting and cheering for their respective wrestler.  The atmosphere was amazing and in a flurry of action in the second period, Sweitzer put the Husky grappler to his back and scored the epic win by pin.

The Rams move their overall record to 18-4 on the season and will travel to Fort Hill this weekend for the annual Fort Hill Super Duals tournament.

Southern 36 - Northern 29

106 - Brison Dixon (SG) pins Jesse Harman (NG) 2:53
113 - Hunter Wilhelm (NG) dec Joey McComas (SG) 5-0
120 - Steven Yutzy (NG) m dec Jake W Sweitzer (SG) 9-1
126 - Jake E Sweitzer (SG) dec Jarrett Kelly (NG) 4-3
132 - Devin Wilhelm (NG) dec Nate Tasker (SG) 8-4
138 - Tyler Thomas (NG) pins Erik Fike (SG) 2:06
145 - Jace Guy (SG) dec Luke Lowry (NG) 5-2
152 - Jordon Day (NG) dec Jimmy Schwab (SG) 6-4
160 - Alec Horner (SG) pins Randall Ganoe (NG) 3:12
170 - Joe Embleton (SG) pins Tony Walker (NG) 5:20
182 - Sam Beeman (NG) pins Patrick Duggan (SG) 3:12
195 - Hunter Park (SG) pins James Lewis (NG) 2:48
220 - Riley Brick (NG) m dec Scotty Tichnell (SG) 16-8
285 -  Cole Sweitzer (SG) pins Brian Tiermersma (NG) 3:15