Red/White Scrimmage 2014

It was an exciting night under the spotlight at Southern High School last night as the Rams presented the 2014 version of our annual Red/White Scrimmage.  This season, The RedHOTZ took on The Snowmen in the inter-squad clash in an epic battle that came down to the final minutes of the final bout.  In the end, The RedHOTZ, coached by Tim Rush, defeated the Snowmen, coached by Chad King, 45-39 in exciting fashion.

 

The evening started with the battle two of our top wrestlers and likely state place winners.  Senior co-captain Josh King battled sophomore Jimmy Schwab.  King scored a late takedown in the first period to take the lead and Schwab escaped early in the second to tighten the match.  In a flurry of action, Jimmy looked to be on the verge of scoring the go ahead takedown when Josh kicked over with a slick move to send Schwab to his back.  King tightened the hold and scored the second period fall to give the RedHOTZ a quick 6-0 lead.

 

The Snowmen won the next two bouts with a Dalton Cooper tech fall and an Alec Horner major decision to give them a 9-6 lead.  That lead would not last long as the RedHOTZ scored 4 straight pins to open a commanding 30-9 advantage.  Winning by pin during that streak were Luke O'Brien, David Lewis, John Mayne and Jake Zimmerman.  Ethan Bittinger finished out the first half with an exciting 9-8 decision to give the RedHOTZ the 33-9 lead at intermission.

 

During intermission, we were entertained by 5 matches featuring 10 of the top youth wrestlers in the Southern Mat Club.  Their excellent training was very evident as they performed with great skill and technique.  They hit cradles, singles and doubles, sit outs and switches and half nelsons like pros and one match even went into overtime.  The future of Southern Wrestling looks very bright.

 

As the second half of the Red/White scrimmage began, the Snowmen knew they had better start winning some matches, and they did.  The white team reeled off five straight wins, 4 by pin, to take a 36-33 lead.  Winning by pin for the Snowmen were Jake Sweitzer, Corey Horner, Alec Horner and David Lewis.  The highlight match of the second half pitted defending state runner-up Devan Hamrick against senior Josh King.  In the first period, King was the aggressor and shot repeatedly to try and score the first points.  Hamrick was able to fight off each and every takedown attempt and the 1st period ended scoreless.  Devan chose bottom in the second and was able to get the escape and the 1-0 lead.  The remainder of the match was spent on their feet with repeated takedown attempts by both wrestlers and great defense on all those attempts.  The match ended 1-0 in Hamrick's favor to give the white the 36-33 lead.

Marcus Tichinel score a pin to give the red a 39-36 lead then Joey Embleton scored a decision for the white to tie the score at 39 with one match remaining.  The final bout of the evening was between two freshmen, Zach Burgess and Michael Duggan.  With the entire night's match on the line, these two young wrestlers squared off under the spotlight with both teams cheering on their wrestler.  Duggan scored the first points of the match with a takedown in the first period.  He added to his lead with an escape in the second, making it 3-0.  As the third period began with Burgess on top, everyone knew that he would need to turn Michael to win the match for his team.  An opportunity opened up and Zach sank a half nelson and did turn Duggan, pinning his shoulders to the mat to score the pin and give his team the 45-39 victory.

The evening was filled with excitement and promise for this season and the future of Southern Garrett Wrestling.

Josh King (R) pins Jimmy Schwab (W) 2:45
Dalton Cooper (W) techs Matt Jones (R) 20-5
Alec Horner (W) m dec Trenten Friend (R) 10-2
Luke O'Brien (R) pins Michael Duggan (W) 2:35
David Lewis (R) pins Tristan Newcomb (W) 5:16
John Mayne (R) pins Bernie Sislo (W) 6:48 ot
Jake Zimmerman (R) pins Max Bittinger (W) 5:06
Ethan Bittinger (R) dec Patrick Duggan (W) 9-8

Jake Sweitzer (W) pins Zach Burgess (R) 3:34
Devan Hamrick (W) dec Josh King (R) 1-0
Corey Horner (W) pins Matt Jones (R) 3:32
Alec Horner (W) pins Luke O'Brien (R) 5.12
David Lewis (W) pins John Mayne (R) 2:35
Marcus Tichinel (R) pins Max Bittinger (W) 4:28
Joey Embleton (W) dec Ethan Bittinger (R) 9-3
Zach Burgess (R) pins Michael Duggan (W) 4:27

 

2014-2015 Season Preview

Southern Rams, 2104/2015

Meet the 2014/15 Southern Rams

The 2014/2015 regular season begins on Saturday afternoon with a 4pm dual meet at Allegany High School vs. The Campers.  The Southern Rams take the mat with a strong determination to overcome the loss of over half of last year's team.  Seven starters from last year's squad graduated, including state champion Austin Shaffer, and one moved away.  Ordinarily, this would crush a normal team, but the Southern Rams have reloaded with some incredible talent and look to have another outstanding season.

The Rams will be led this season by state runner-up Devan Hamrick and senior co-captains Josh King, Tristan Newcomb and Dalton Cooper.  A great crop of freshmen and the other returning wrestlers make up our amazing team.

Our Team Captains
Dalton Cooper, Devan Hamrick, Josh King, Tristan Newcomb

The Lower Weights

State runner-up Devan Hamrick leads the Rams in the lower weight classes.  Joining Devan are freshmen Zachary Burgess, Jake Sweitzer, Alec Horner, Luke O'Brien and junior Trenten Friend.  The Southern Mat Club has given us several very tough freshmen who will contribute right away in these lower classes.

The Middle Weights

Regional qualifiers from last winter, Jimmy Schwab and Josh King, lead a strong group in our middle weight classes.  Fighting to fill the other classes in the middle are juniors Corey Horner, Matt Jones and Ethan Bittinger, sophomore Patrick Duggan and freshmen Dalton Rinker, Joey Embleton and Michael Duggan.  Once again, the Southern Mat Club is helping us by sending us quality wrestlers who will step right in the line-up.

The Upper Weights

Senior co-captains Dalton Cooper and Tristan Newcomb lead a tough group of  athletes in these upper weights.  They are joined by last season's 285 Marcus Tichinel and seniors David Lewis and John Mayne and juniors Jake Zimmerman, Max Bittinger and Bernie Sislo.

The 2014/2015 Southern Garrett Rams will look a little different that last season's squad, but you can count on hard work, great effort and a few surprises along the way.  Most people would count out a team who lost 8 of 14 starters, but the Rams, powered by the Southern Mat Club, will take the mat with new faces but the same old talent and intensity that our fans have come to know and love.

2014-2015 Southern Rams

106-120   Jake Sweitzer (9)
106-120   Zachary Burgess (9)
113-126   Alec Horner (9)
113-126   Devan Hamrick (11)
120-132   Trenten Friend (11)
120-132   Luke O'Brien (9)
126-138   Josh King (12)
126-138   Michael Duggan (9)
132-145   Jimmy Schwab (10)
138-152   Ethan Bittinger (11)
138-152   Joey Embleton (9)
145-160   Patrick Duggan (10)
145-160   Corey Horner (11)
152-170   Dalton Rinker (9)
160-182   Matt Jones (11)
170-195   Bernie Sislo (11)
170-195   Dalton Cooper (12)
182-220   Tristan Newcomb (12)
195-285   David Lewis (12)
195-285   John Mayne (12)
195-285   Jacob Zimmerman (11)
220-285   Max Bittinger (11)
220-285   Marcus Tichinel (11)

2014-2015 Schedule

Date                Opponent                                           Location         Time   

Dec. 3             Red/White Scrimmage                      Home                 7:00pm

Dec. 6              Allegany                                             Away               4:00pm          

 

Dec. 16            Fort Hill/Keyser – JV only                  Keyser             6:00pm

Dec. 17           Brunswick                                          Away               1:30pm

Dec. 19/20     Musselman Duals                              Away              

Dec. 30           Northern                                            Away               7:00pm     

 

Jan. 2/3          Super Duals                                       Fort Hill          4:00pm           

Jan. 8               Hyndman/Meyersdale                     Meyersdale    6:00pm

Jan. 9/10       Hub Cup                                             North              5:00pm

Jan. 14            Frankfort (w/Northern)                  Home              6:00pm          

Jan. 17            Allegany                                             Home              6:00pm

Jan. 21           Fort Hill/Keyser                                Home              6:00pm                      

Jan. 29            Northern                                            Home              7:00pm          

Jan. 31            Williamsport                                      Home              1:00pm

Feb. 5              Mountain Ridge                                 Away               7:00pm          

 

Feb. 7              Keyser/Oakdale                                Home              1:00pm

Feb. 11           Regional Duals                                  TBA

Feb. 14           State Duals                                         TBA                 1:00pm

Feb. 21           Bi-County Tournament                    M. Ridge         10:00am        

Feb. 28           Regional Tournament                      TBA                 10:00am      

Mar. 6/7         State Tournament                             UMD   

Don't Blink

Don't Blink

40 years goes faster than you think

by: Coach Dave Taylor

 



The Barrington Broncos

Forty years ago this month, I started my wrestling career.  It was in November 1974 that my friends, Steve and Pat, suggested I drop out of the chess club and join the Barrington Bronco wrestling team.  I studied my options, with the intensity of world chess champion Gary Kasparov, and decided to give up the pawns, knights and bishops for a life of sweats, singlets and a jock strap.

 


In 1973, my family relocated to the Chicago area from western Pennsylvania.  I was a little freshman in high school when we arrived in the big city, and when I say little, I mean about 90 pounds of nothing.  Joining the chess club was the obvious choice.  My first group of friends (outside of my chess club friends) did not remain that way for very long.  When one of the boys showed up at my front door smelling of pot smoke, Mom and Dad suggested I find a new group of pals if I ever wanted to see daylight again.  That's when I met up with Pat and Steve.  Ironically, Pat lives in Maryland and his son will be a freshman in high school this year and is an outstanding wrestler.

The "Wrist and Half" worked 40 years ago too!

 

In the fall of 1974, as wrestling season was approaching, my new buds turned up the pressure with statements like "hey, you're from western PA, you were born to wrestle" and "I'll drive you home from practice".  Finally, they convinced me to join the team.  At the time, as a sophomore in high school, I had no idea how long I would stay involved in the sport.  In that first season, I was entirely too busy learning how to watch my weight and not get killed by the older, more experienced kids.  I had grown to a staggering 119 pounds and by mid season, I could hold my own.  As I look back at that point of my life, it amazes me how different the world is today than it was in 1974.

 

Here is a look at life in 1974 as I was beginning a 40 year career in my favorite sport.

• 1974 began with Larry Czonka winning the Super Bowl MVP award and ended with Franco Harris and the Pittsburgh Steelers winning their 1st of 6 Super Bowl Titles.
• Jimmy Fallon, Derek Jeter and Leonardo DiCaprio were born in 1974
• Duke Ellington, Bud Abbott, Dizzy Dean and Ed Sullivan died that year.
• The real Elvis was alive in 1974.  He died in 1977 at the conclusion of my high school wrestling career.
• The average new car cost only $3,750.00, the average new house cost $34,900 and the price of a stamp was only 8 cents.
• The average person's annual income was $13,000 and the average monthly rent was $185.
• Hank Aaron hit home run #714 to break Babe Ruth's record.  He would end the season hitting # 733 in his final at bat.
• Bob Gibson surpassed 3,000 strikeouts, Lou Brock surpassed 700 stolen bases and Nolan Ryan broke the 100 mph pitch barrier.
• There were no cell phones, personal computers or laptops way back in 1974.  The first pocket calculator was sold that year and cost nearly $50.
• There was no cable TV, CNN, HBO or ESPN.  We watched ABC, CBS or NBC and that was it.  The first VCR was released around this time, but were not readily available for a couple more years.  We also had to get out of the chair to change channels as remote controls were not available yet either.
• Also in 1974, the first MRI was performed and the first UPC code was used on a pack of chewing gum.
• There was an energy crisis in full swing that began in 1973 and caused long lines at gas stations and forced the government to begin daylight savings time in January in an effort to save energy.  The crisis also drove prices through the roof.  A gallon of gas jumped from 39 cents a gallon all the way to a whopping 55 cents a gallon in 1974.
• The stock market stood at 616 in 1974 and closed at 17,300 this past Friday.
• In 1974, Barack Obama was a 13 year old kid, going to middle school in Hawaii.  Brett Farve was a 5 year old little kid.  Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Big Ben would not even be a twinkle in their mother's eye for several more years.
• Even the great Cael Sanderson, 4X undefeated national champion and head wrestling coach at Penn State would also not be born for 5 more years.
• Happy Days premiered on TV and we all wanted to be as cool as Fonzie.  The 6 Million Dollar Man also premiered and we all wanted to be as tough as Steve Austin.
• The Cleveland Indians hosted a "10 cent beer night" during the season and the evening ended early with 1000s of drunk fans storming the field, causing the game to be cancelled.
• Muhammad Ali beat George Foreman in the famous "Rumble in the Jungle" championship fight in Zaire using the Rope-A-Dope in a fight that most people did not think he could win.
• Serial killer Ted Bundy killed the first of more than 30 women in a murderous spree that spread from coast to coast.
• The Pittsburgh Steelers hit the jackpot in the 1974 NFL draft, selecting Lynn Swann, Jack Lambert, John Stallworth and Mike Webster in the same year.  They are the only team to ever pick four future hall of fame players in a single draft.
• President Nixon resigned amid the Watergate scandal, Gerald Ford took office and pardoned Nixon of all wrong-doing.
• UCLA basketball's record setting 88-game win streak was snapped with a one point loss to Notre Dame.
• Newspaper heiress, Patty Hearst, was kidnapped by the Symbionese Liberation Army and held for ransom.  Later that year, she joined the group to fight for their cause, changed her name and was photographed robbing a bank as a full member of the SLA.
• Pittsburgh Pirate Willie Stargell won The Roberto Clemente Award even though the Bucs were beaten in the NL Championship Series that year.
• "The Streak" by Ray Stevens and "Cat's In The Cradle" by Harry Chapin were top hits in 1974.  Four years later, I met Harry Chapin while he was playing a concert at my college.  One of my biggest regrets was turning down an offer to have dinner with Chapin so I could save my front row seat.
• The Vietnam War was ending as I was starting my life of wrestling.  Our direct involvement in combat was over, but the "Fall of Saigon" would not take place until the spring of 1975.

1974 was a great year and set the tone for the rest of my life.  Wrestling impacted where I went to college and, the Coach in the picture above, actually got me my first job, working in a garden center on the northwest side of Chicago.  Let's have a great season