By DENNIS C. WAY
dway@timesherald.com
Posted: 02/11/12 05:35 pm

WORCESTER — The years grow long and the memories grow short.

There was once a time, in the not-too-distant past, when Methacton and Wissahickon Highs could not step onto the same wrestling mat without war breaking out.

For years, the two were the dominant teams in what was then the Suburban One League’s Freedom Division. And them getting along was about as likely as Rush Limbaugh and Nancy Pelosi holding hands through the tunnel of love.

“At Wissahickon, it didn’t matter if you went 1-20,” recalled Methacton High wrestling coach A.J. Maida, who wrestled and coached for Wissahickon. “If that one win was against Methacton the season was a success.

“Now, I don’t even know if our kids know I once wrestled and coached there.”

The fact is, with Methacton ensconced in the Pioneer Athletic Conference for its fourth year, nary a Warriors wrestler has ever wrestled Wissahickon in a league match.

And if Saturday’s non-league hook-up between the two programs was any indication, perhaps the Trojans should consider themselves fortunate.

Methacton turned Wissahickon every which way but loose en route to a dual-meet-season ending, 48-17, victory.

And not only did the Warriors (15-7) win, they looked impressive doing it.

Consider, Wissahickon did not manage a takedown until the match’s ninth bout, and had only scored a combined four points (one reversal, two escapes) on the mat.

By then, the Warriors were in front, 39-0, and mere moments away from a Senior Day post-match feast.

“They handed it to us,” said Wissahickon head coach Anthony Stagliano. “They came out aggressive and took it to us. Give them credit, they have a good squad.

“With A.J.’s connections to Wissahickon, maybe he got them ready to go better than I did. But it looked like it was a bigger deal for them than it was for us.”

If so, it wasn’t because the Warriors were looking to right some past wrongs.

“We knew what to expect because we wrestled them before,” said Warriors senior 106-pounder Joey Savella, referring to the Octorara Duals. “We knew they were going to come back hard against us. But we’ve been pulling together as a team lately and we were able to show it today.

“(Wissahickon) is a tough team, but we try not to focus on just one match. We’re trying to better ourselves, no matter who we wrestle.”

Savella said Perkiomen Valley has replaced Wissahickon at the head of Methacton’s Most Hated Rival list.

“Every year it’s a grudge match against (Perk Valley),” Savella said. “I guess it’s the same with us and them as it used to be between Methacton and Wissahickon.”

And now, with the postseason landscape changing and sectionals going the way of the eight-track tape and giving way to a postseason league championship tournament after this season, the Trojans and Warriors could conceivably not wrestle each other again, barring the odd non-league match.

“When we left Suburban One, that was the piece we left behind,” Maida said, “those kinds of rivalries, like us and Wissahickon or us and Norristown.

“I would argue that the PAC-10 is the best wrestling conference in District One and we’re happy to be in it. Now we gauge ourselves against a different set of teams. And when sectionals end next week, we’ll see even fewer of those teams in the future. And I’ll miss that.”

BACK POINTS: The match of the day came at 126 where Methacton’s Joe Staley dueled Wissahickon’s Aaron Rodriguez. Rodriguez grabbed a 4-2 lead after one via a pair of takedowns, only to see Staley take a 5-4 lead after two thanks to a late takedown. Rodriguez reversed Staley in the third and clamped on a cradle. But Rodriguez got himself in trouble, and when he tried to bail out of the cradle, Staley reversed him to his back for a five-point move and a 10-6 win. “That was just a good, hard match,” Stagliano said. “Even though our guy didn’t win, that was fun to watch.” ... Maida had some kind words for 132-pound senior Eric Mitchell, who closed out his Warriors dual-meet career with a tough, 3-0 win over Wissahickon’s Cody Franko: “When I took over the program four years ago, I’d go to the football team and see if any of them wanted to wrestle,” Maida said. “Eric came from a middle school (Visitation) that didn’t offer wrestling, so he’d never wrestled in his life. But he was trying to make friends, and he showed up at the start of wrestling practice. So even though he might get into trouble once in a while when he’s wrestling guys who have wrestled since they were four, he’s come a long way. He wants to be good, which is the most important thing. And I’d love to have him for four more years.”

By BARRY SANKEY
bsankey@journalregister.com

PHOENIXVILLE — Methacton and Phoenixville closed out the Pioneer Athletic Conference wrestling season Thursday night on the Phantoms’ mats.

The visiting Warriors chalked up victories in 12 of 14 bouts to run away with a 61-9 victory over the Phantoms

Methacton thus finished the PAC-10 slate with a winning record at 5-4 (14-7 overall) while Phoenixville dropped to 1-8 (2-13 overall).

The Warriors recorded three pins, accepted four forfeits and won two bouts via technical falls. Brett Duvernois (120 pounds), Paul Russo (160) and Jahar Ferrodji (195) picked up pins for the visitors while Joe Staley (126) and Dan Damato (138) had the technical falls.

The Phantoms got a fall from Brendan Bonner at 145 and a 6-5 decision from Jordan Valenteen over Mike Baccaro at 182.

“We are starting to look like we’re ready for sectionals,” said Methacton coach A.J. Maida. “That is what is coming up so that’s nice to see.”

The Warriors wrestled without regulars at 170, 195 and 132 Thursday night, but other grapplers stepped in to fill the vacancies with some strong efforts. Those types of performances made Maida pleased following diligent practice routines all week long.

At 132, Jack Ryan moved in and responded with a 7-4 decision over Phoenixville’s Trey Romance. At 220, James Jones went the full six minutes with a 9-3 verdict against the Phantoms’ Colin Mea.

Methacton finished in fifth place in the final PAC-10 standings behind Owen J. Roberts, Spring-Ford, Boyertown and Upper Perkiomen.

“They (Phantoms) had a forfeit in the middle so we were able to bump up from 152 to 160 and get a fall, and that was nice to see,” said Maida.

The Warriors’ philosophy has been to simply improve from each day to the next and from each meet to the next.

“Our goal is to get better every day,” said Maida. “If we can do that after practice, we have done our job.

“Our lesser known guys are having some succcess. It is not about one kid. We are all improving and are headed in the same direction. We have struggled at times with that. But some of our kids who have not had a lot of mat time came through. That is a testament to their practices and how they prepare themselves.”

Phoenixville coach Joe Youngblood said his team is making strides and learning lessons each time out on the mats.

“We are coming around,” said Youngblood. “Obviously, we are still working at this point right through the season. We are seeing improvement, but we still have a long way to go.”

Bonner built up a 6-0 lead prior to his fall in 3:58. Valenteen, after a scoreless first period, used three reversals to offset Baccardo’s escape, takedown and reversal. Valenteen’s final reversal came with 26 seconds remaining in the third period.

At 106, Methacton senior Joe Savella earned a 4-0 decision over freshman Garrett Serwatka.

The Warriors, who piled up a 15-1 advantage in takedowns, got forfeit victories from Jacob Qawasmy (152), David Qawasmy (170), Tracey Green (285) and Eric Straup (113) in the last weight class of the evening card.

By Dennis Weller
Special to the Mercury

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE — There has been a lot going on for the Spring-Ford and Methacton wrestling teams over the last couple of weeks, with one tough opponent followed by another without much if any break in between, and with still more to come.

But the Rams - who will be right back in action Friday in the District 1-AAA Duals Tournament – and the Warriors – who have suffered a pair of recent losses that went right down to the final bout - still managed to stay focused on the task at hand on Wednesday night.

All but four of their bouts lasted the full six minutes, with Spring-Ford taking a 38-20 Pioneer Athletic conference win.

Ram coach Tim Seislove said his team had no trouble getting motivated between a losing battle for the league lead last Saturday against Owen J. Roberts and two District 1-AAA Dual Tournament matches coming up on Friday. “No, this is a league match,” he said. “The kids, off the loss to Owen J., were anxious to get back out on the mat.”

Methacton coach A.J. Maida, who hadn’t been too happy with some of the individual efforts by his team of late, saw a definite improvement in that area against the Rams.

“I thought tonight they showed some fight,” he said. “Win or lose, we just want guys to go out and battle. I think it actually started with our JV guys tonight. They give you effort, and that carried over into the varsity match.”

The night began at 120 pounds with two top competitors in Spring-Ford’s Sean Hennessey and Methacton’s Brett Duvernois. Hennessey gave the Rams (7-1 PAC-10, 18-2 overall) the first three team points with a 7-1 decision. Then two more wrestlers in the midst of excellent seasons hooked up in the next bout with Joe Staley tying the score for the Warriors (3-4, 12-7) with a couple of takedowns in the final period and a 9-5 decision over Jimmy Stong.

That set the tone for the match with close bouts from one end of the lineup to the other, even when there were experienced wrestlers up against relative newcomers.

Maida was especially pleased with the efforts of Jack Ryan at 138 pounds and Eric Mitchell at 132 pounds, despite losses to quality opponents.

“Jack Ryan did a phenomenal job,” said the Warrior coach. “He’s up two weight classes and he holds Jesse Quave (to a 15-7 decision). It was a four-point decision right to the buzzer. And Eric Mitchell (a 13-9 loser to Adam Dombrosky) literally comes out as a wrestler in ninth grade. The outcome isn’t what we want, but we want the kids to see that their work is starting to show.”

Jason Dombrosky gave the Rams a 16-3 lead with a pin at 145 pounds and Kyle Surbrook added to the visitors’ advantage with a come-from-behind 6-5 win Then David Qawasmy picked up the only pin of the night for the hosts, Dan Lawrence won a decision for the Rams, and Mike Baccaro took a 3-2 nod for the Warriors over Tyler McGuigan in a matchup between wrestlers who each already have over 20 wins for the year.

Spring-Ford wrapped it up with a pin by Mason Romano and a major decision by Josh Boyer for a 32-12 lead with just three bouts to go. Methacton heavyweight Tracey Green (now 23-3) followed with a major decision, as did teammate Joe Savella at 106 pounds before the Rams’ Cody Brown finished up with his team’s third pin.

“Methacton’s a good program and they‘ve had a good year,” said Seislove. “They come out and fight you. It’s been a busy time. It doesn’t get any easier with district duals and Pennsbury.”

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE — There was no one key performance, or even two or three, for Boyertown in Saturday morning’s Pioneer Athletic Conference wrestling match at Methacton.

All up and down the lineup, those who were expected to win came through and others did whatever they could to help the team as the Bears went home with a come-from-behind 40-33 win.

Chase Garber wrapped it up with a pin in the final bout at 220 pounds. That came after Jordan Wertz had given Boyertown (5-1 PAC-10, 7-8 overall) its second one-point lead of the day with a pin in the previous bout. The Bears wound up with wins in five of the last six matchups after Methacton (3-3, 12-6) started out with a pair of pins and led by as much as a 27-15 score coming down the stretch.

“We thought we had some kids really perform and step up,” said Bears coach Pete Ventresca. “All up the lineup, we had some kids who really stepped up for us. We had some guys we thought would perform and did. Some who were in tough matches hung in there and fought hard the whole time.”

The first five bouts of the day all ended with falls as heavyweight Tracey Green and Joe Savella picked up pins for the Warriors, Dylan Wertz and Eddie Kriczky answered for the Bears, and Brett Duvernois put the hosts back on top.

Then the teams exchanged a couple of close decisions when Joe Staley won a back-and-forth match for the Warriors with an overtime takedown for a 7-5 win and Reuben Maldonado hung on for a 1-0 decision for the Bears after a third-period escape.

Eric Mitchell followed with a pin at 145 pounds shortly after he had almost been pinned himself to give the Warriors their 27-15 advantage. But sophomore Cody Richmond began the Bear comeback with a decision that he turned into a 13-4 major with a takedown with eight seconds remaining. Then senior Jon Neiman (23-3) did what he was supposed to do for Boyertown with a pin in 31 seconds to pull his team to within 27-25 and a 6-2 win by Gray Garber, after he fell behind early, put the visitors ahead for the first time.

Methacton went back on top with a forfeit win, but Jordan Wertz pinned his opponent in 1:17 and Chase Garber won by a fall in 49 seconds to give the young Bear squad its fourth win in a row overall and fifth straight in the league after an opening setback to Owen J. Roberts.

“Cody Richmond did a nice job,” said Ventresca. “Jordan Wertz did a nice job. Gray Garber did a nice job. All up and down the lineup, a lot of good performances. A tough team, Methacton. They come out and fight. We feel fortunate to win. It could have gone either way.”

The Bears earned the win with a lineup that included six sophomores and three freshmen.

“This is good,” said Ventresca. “Next year we’re going to be adding some guys to our lineup and we’re only losing two guys.”

For the Warriors, it was the end of a rough eight-day period that included one-sided defeats to Upper Perkiomen last Saturday and Owen J. Roberts on Wednesday and a one-point loss to Downingtown West the following night in the opening round of the District 1-AAA Duals Tournament. They’ll have another tough assignment on Wednesday when they host Spring-Ford.

“It doesn’t get any easier,” said Methacton coach A.J. Maida, who is concerned about more than just his team’s technique on the mat.

“I think our issues we have going on right now aren’t wrestling issues,” he said. “We’ve had struggles right now. We have some guys who are still trying to do things with their own ideas, as opposed to how we ask them to do it. The way to win and create good performances is to do the right things outside of wrestling in addition to the mat and the wrestling room.

“It’s the extra effort. We have some fantastic guys who are doing fantastic things 100 percent of the time. When we all pull together and do that, we’ll improve.”

LOWER POTTSGROVE — The particulars of the match will indicate that Methacton fell to Downingtown West, 33-32, in the opening rounds of the District 1-Class AAA Team Duals via a fall in final bout.

But the Warriors and head coach A.J. Maida know better.

In close dual meets, it’s the points that weren’t gotten and the points that were given up along the way that often tell the tale.

And the Warriors came out on the wrong end of both totals.

“It came down to, and the story with us is, you can’t give up six in certain spots,” said Maida, after West’s Peter Rhoads pinned Trevor Nyce in the middle of the second period to give the Whippets the dramatic victory. “Trevor wasn’t going to make or break us. In fact, he did a great job just getting ready for this match. He’s been out since the second match of the year with a concussion.

“But we need guys to have the attitude that they’re not going to be pinned, no matter what.”

A lot went well for the Warriors, who had lost by double digits to West back in December. Mike Baccaro’s early fall at 195 pounds, Tracey Green’s major decision at heavyweight and Joe Savella’s come-from-behind, 4-3 decision at 106 helped Methacton to 13-9 lead.

And when Joe Staley pinned at 126, the Warriors were on the fat end of a 23-15 lead.

And it nearly held up.
“We’ve improved so much since we wrestled them the first time,” said Warrior senior Brett Duvernois, who won by major decision at 120. “We felt things went well for us for most of the match. We felt we were getting the points we needed.”

Eric Mitchell rode Manoa Taniguchi out for the entire third period to gain one big win at 138. Both Dan Damato and Paul Russo did not give up bonus points in defeat, at 145 and 152, respectively.

And when David Qawasmy pinned at 160, Methacton was up five going into the final bout.

But the verdict changed dramatically in the final match, and Nyce was unable to get off the mat following the fall.

“Looking back, I’m real proud of the way we wrestled,” Maida said. “We got our heads handed to us (Wednesday) against Upper Perk, and I was afraid of some hangover.

“But the kids really responded. They showed they belonged in this tournament.”

BUCKTOWN — While Brad Trego’s weight class for the postseason individual wrestling tournaments that begin in less than a month has not yet been decided, the Owen J. Roberts junior certainly made a strong case for heavyweight Wednesday night against Methacton.

Trego pinned one of the toughest competitors around – one of five wins by fall for the Wildcats – as part of a 59-6 Pioneer Athletic Conference win for the Wildcats. Both teams will be right back in action tonight in the opening rounds of the District 1-AAA Team Duals Tournament.

Trego was bumped up to heavyweight from his usual 220-pound slot and trailed Tracey Green midway through the match, but pulled off a reverse and a pin right after that for a win in 3:39.

“Just because they knew it would be a better match for me,” Trego said of the coaches’ decision to move him up to heavyweight. “They’re deciding where I’m going to wrestle in the postseason.”

The meeting was not the first between the two.

“We wrestled twice at summer camp,” said Trego. “I was lucky enough to beat him both times. They were both close matches.”

On Wednesday, Trego spun around to get the reverse and tie the score at 2-2, and then took it from there.

“It was there. I ran the cradle,” he said. “As soon as I hit the reverse, his head was down.”

Trego thus raised his record to 18-8 on the year while dropping Green to 20-3. He now has 11 pins. Last year he finished just above .500 at 20-19.

“Big improvement from last year,” he said. “I’ve been working hard with James (Warta) in the practice room. Probably I’m better on my feet, more confident. The coaches can put me wherever they want to in the postseason, wherever it helps the team.”

Andrew Kinney, Kyle Shronk, Warta and Derek Gulotta also won by fall for the Wildcats (6-0, 11-0 overall). That came after Joe Staley earned the only win of the night for the Warriors (3-2, 12-4), that by a pin in the opening bout at 126 pounds.

OJR coach Steve DeRafelo thought some of his wrestlers might have been looking ahead to district duals and Saturday’s match for the PAC-10 lead at Spring-Ford.

“Methacton ... their kids are physical kids,” he said. “Some of our kids had other things on their minds like district duals and Spring- Ford. They got a couple of our kids out of our game tonight. You can’t overlook kids like that. We wanted to get a couple good matches. Their 182-pounder (Mike Bacarro) is pretty good. Gordon (Bolig) wanted to wrestle him.”

Bolig won by a 6-3 decison. Then there was the arranged match between Trego and Green.

“It was close,” said DeRafelo. “We knew it would be a fun one.”

Methacton coach A.J. Maida said his team’s objective was to wrestle hard, no matter the team score.

“We still have some kids who are learning,” he said. “Really, what we talked about all week to get ready for this is go out and brawl a little bit. I don’t think we did that in every match. That’s what I’m a little bit disappointed in.”

The Wildcats enter the district team tournament as the No. 1 seed and will take on the winner between West Chester East and Upper Darby.

“I think they definitely get top billing there for a reason in the duals,” said Maida. “They’re as complete a lineup as we’ve faced.

That’s the best team in the region.”

The Warriors will open tonight against Downingtown West, a team it lost to at the Exeter Duals, 44-29.

“We have about five minutes to think about this one,” said Maida. “We have to wrestle a team we lost to. And if we win that, we get the o. 2 team in the region (Norristown).”

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE – To say things were a bit intense in Upper Perkiomen’s practice room Thursday and Friday would be an understatement.

It became apparent, rather quickly, when Upper Perkiomen returned to the mats for a Saturday Night Live show at Methacton.

• The Indians, who earlier in the week were dealt one of their worst losses since head coach Tom Hontz took over the program 22 years ago, looked like their old selves by stringing seven pins – along with three decisions – to dump the Warriors, 51-16, in a Pioneer Athletic Conference match that most figured to be considerably closer than that final spread.
  
  But it wasn’t.  Not at all like their last two meetings ... which saw the rivals split the combined 28 individual bouts right smack down the middle in the two Upper Perkiomen wins.
  
  For a while, or just beyond the halfway point, Methacton was still in it after Tracey Green accepted a forfeit at 285 pounds to get the hosts to within 27-13. That’s when the Indians gave their hosts the ol’ one-two, or the Steffenino Swat – Dustin Steffenino’s pin at 106 and Dante Steffenino’s pin at 113 – and clinched the win.
  
  Trevor Weeks and Raymond Young actually ignited the pin parade in the evening’s first two bouts at 145 and 152, respectively. An ailing Dalton Fleming, still going with essentially one leg because of an injury on the other, and Tyler Godshall added two more at 195 and 220. And after the forfeit to Green, the Steffenino’s followed with their two.
  
  That was enough, of course, but Wolfgang McStravick closed out the affair with his 68-second pin at 138.
  
  “Coach Hontz picked up the intensity in the practice room all right,” said Dylan Steffenino, the 16-year-old twin of Dante, who contributed a 6-4 decision over Methacton’s tough Joe Staley at 126 to up his record to 22-3. “He wanted us to come in here, wrestle well, get the win, and bring our confidence back up.”
  
  If the Indians (3-1, 11-7 overall) needed a shot of mojo, 14-year-old Dustin Steffenino may have provided it by turning his 6-0 lead and apparent decision into a pin at the 5:31 mark.
  
  “I didn’t really feel any pressure,” the youngest of the Steffenino threesome said after improving to 4-3. “I just go out and wrestle my match. I just go out for the win.”
  
  He gets some help from the other two in the household, too.
  
  “We kind of feed off each other,” said Dante Steffenino, now 18-4 on the season. “We’re pretty competitive ... and I guess it’s partly being family, too. But when one of us does well the others want to do better.”
  
  It was hard to separate any of their performances Saturday night. Actually hard for Hontz to overlook anyone in the lineup.
  
  “We talked about this a while back, that regardless of what may happen against Owen J. Roberts we knew we had to come right back for another tough match with Methacton,” Hontz explained. “That (53-7) butt-kicking we got the other night woke us up a little bit.
  
  “I was very pleased with the guys in this one. We were more crisp, more aggressive.”
  
  And no one needed to plead that case with Methacton head coach A.J. Maida, whose team lost for the first time in the PAC-10 (3-1) and saw an eight-match win streak end (12-3 overall).
  
  “You can look up the story about our match (with Upper Perkiomen) two years ago and the story about our match (with Upper Perkiomen) last year ... it’s the same story,” Maida said. “You just can’t get pinned like this. You can’t do that and expect to win any matches.
  
  “But that’s a credit to Upper Perkiomen’s kids, and a credit to their kids not named Steffenino and McStravick, too. They’re all very scrappy. Every one of their kids had fight in them. That’s what we’re lacking.”
  
  Paul Russo got the Warriors on the board with a major decision at 160. After the Indians got three back on Casey Cook’s decision at 170, the most entertaining bout of the evening followed with the Warriors’ Mike Baccarro using a reversal and three-point near fall – all in the final seven seconds – to pull out a 6-5 decision at 182. But except for Green’s forfeit, it was the Warriors’ final hurrah until Eric Mitchell’s decision at 132. The match was well out of hand at that point, though.
  
  “We knew we were in for a tough one here,” Dylan Steffenino said. “Coach (Hontz) just told us to wrestle our match.”
  
  NOTES
  Upper Perkiomen’s other points came from Kyle Fellman’s 1-0 decision at 120. Fellman escaped from Brett Duvernois’s ride with six seconds remaining the second period for the lone point of their bout. ... Green improved to 20-2 after accepting the forfeit.

By DENNIS C. WAY
dway@timesherald.com

WORCESTER — Tracey Green was a football player looking to become a basketball player.

That is, until his basketball coach, fresh off penciling Green’s name onto the cut list, suggested he try wrestling.

The rest may one day become Methacton High wrestling history.

For the moment, suffice to say Green took to wrestling like Dillinger took to robbing banks.

“I loved the contact,” said Green, who in his sophomore season already has 49 career varsity victories and a trip to districts under his young belt, and who is on pace to become the first Warriors heavyweight to reach 100 wins. “I liked that it was a one-on-one sport and I liked the competition.

“It’s kind of like a fight that you don’t get in trouble for.”

Like all newcomers to the sport, Green’s early days on the mat were not fraught with success. He may have loved his new-found sport, but it didn’t love him back.

“That seventh-grade year was real tough,” Green said with a smile. “To be honest, I was really bad.”

But Green was anything but discouraged. He worked on his wrestling in the off-season, emphasizing strength and conditioning.

And when he hit the mats in eighth grade, his fortunes did a 180.

“It was an undefeated season,” Green said proudly. “I stuck with wrestling because I loved it.”

Last year saw Green’s entrance into the varsity ranks.

He got noticed right away, but not necessarily for his mat prowess.

“He was pretty raw,” recalled Methacton head coach A.J. Maida. “He had a boxing stance. He actually came out on the mat with his fists balled up, like it was boxing match.

“We told him the first thing he was going to have to learn was to bend his legs.”

“Yeah, my stance was kind of funky,” Green laughed. “I had a boxer’s stance. It was weird.

“I saw myself on video and said, ‘Oh, I’m going to have to change that.’”

After changing his stance, the 240-pound Green let his athleticism take over. He recognized immediately that he was not an average heavyweight. He was not the static, bearhug-and-headlock type.

Instead, he used his quickness and strength.

“Middle school was all about headlocks and a real slow pace,” Green said. “High school is about technique. It’s all about balance and moving your feet.

“I’m more like a lightweight. I move around more. I shoot, try and penetrate to the legs.”

What Green didn’t learn through competition, he learned from asking Maida — continuously.

“The kids who really excel are the ones who want to get better,” Maida said, “and Tracey’s an open book. He tries to do all the right things because he wants to be successful.

“I think he sees he has some potential, and he’s willing to do what he needs to do to get better. There’s nobody that wants to see Tracey Green get better more than Tracey Green.”

To compensate for his relative lack of size, Green has worked hard on his conditioning.

“I’m not big, like most heavyweights,” he said. “So I have to have stamina. I have to be able to be strong in the third period.”

His freakish strength is one of his major attributes. But it didn’t come naturally.

“Tracey’s strength is really unique,” Maida said. “I think he sees the weight room as something that’s going to get him to the next level in this sport.

“And if he keeps working the way he is, he’s giving himself the best opportunity to be successful.”

Success on a large scale is one of the things missing on Green’s resume at the moment.

But he’s hoping to change that this season.

His goal is to qualify for the PIAA Championships. From there, his goals don’t get smaller.

“I’d like to finish high school with a state championship,” he said. “I’d like to go to junior college or maybe a Division II school and win a national championship. From there, I’d like to go to the Olympics.

“I’m trying to make it all happen. So I work hard, try and eat right and put school first. But to reach my goals, I’d do anything I had to do. I’ll sacrifice anything. Girlfriends, anything.”

“Tracey still has a lot of learning to do,” Maida said. “But he picks up things very quickly. The things we show him in the room one day we see him applying on the mat the next day.” 

And so the love affair with the sport continues, with perhaps some Methacton wrestling history soon to come. “I don’t know what I’d do if couldn’t wrestle,” Green said. “I’d by crying every night. I don’t know if I’d even want to go to school if I couldn’t wrestle.”

By Jeff Stover
jstover@pottsmerc.com

POTTSTOWN — Crunching the numbers left the Pottstown wrestling team with mixed feelings Wednesday.

On the one hand, the Trojans could take pride in being the near-equal of Methacton ... in contested bouts, that is. But the reality of their 48-22 loss to the Warriors at Pottstown High’s Strom Gymnasium was how half the visitors’ points were compiled off the home team’s thinned ranks.

Forced to forfeit four weights — two at each end of the lineup — negated Pottstown’s solid showing against its Pioneer Athletic Conference guests. It was very much in control of the middle weights, winning five of the seven divisions between 132 and 170 en route to coming away with a 22-21 lead.

“That’s what it was,” Pottstown head coach Jamie Gill admitted. “It’s hard to fill holes. We had a rough weekend, wrestling five times and getting hit with injuries.”

The Trojans (0-2) strung together four wins off a match-opening forfeit at 120, and a second-period pin by Methacton’s Joe Staley at 126 to go up 19-12. Pins by Trenton Clifford (138) and Sebastian Shiffler (152) meshed with Patrick Bohn’s major decision at 132, and Jasheel Brown’s regular verdict at 145, to put Pottstown in good stead.

The Warriors responded with Paul Russo’s second-period pin at 160 and David Qawasmy’s decision at 170 to regain a 21-19 lead. That lasted only as long as it took Rashaad Lighty to finish off a 5-1 decision of Methacton’s Michael Baccaro at 182.

“I was impressed with our kids,” Gill said. “We told them the match would take care of itself, and they should worry about the individual matches.”

But it was all Methacton the rest of the way. While James Jones (195), Tracey Green (285) and Joe Savella (106) were accepting forfeits from Pottstown, Tahar Ferradji posted a first-period fall at 220 while Eric Straup racked up a match-finishing 8-3 decision on Robbie McCoy.

“I thought some of our kids wrestled good in their individual bouts,” Methacton head coach A.J. Maida said. “In others, we didn’t have great matches.

“We didn’t know how their (Pottstown) lineup would come out with all the scratches. You had to credit their kids for the way they wrestled.”

OCTORARA — When the Methacton High wrestling parents gather with head coach A.J. Maida before the start of every season, the coach presents a very clear message.

"I tell them that the team comes first,” Maida said. “Individuals are considered second, if at all.”

The team is numero uno, with a bullet, and so far it’s been the Warriors team that has carved out a very nice niche for itself in the season’s early going.

Ignoring the star system, the Warriors have adopted the motto of the Three Musketeers, and their all-for-one approach helped them deliver Maida his first dual-meet tournament victory as a coach Saturday when Methacton topped Perkiomen Valley, 39-31, in the finals of the Octorara Duals.

The Warriors went through their five matches unscathed, capped by the win in the finals that came only because Methacton won the final five bouts.

“Everyone is trying to do their part,” said 126-pounder Joe Staley, who secured the win in the finals with a solid, 7-0 win over PV’s Tyrelle Robinson. “Whether it’s getting a pin, winning by decision or not giving up a pin. Whatever it takes to win.

“On this team, no one is special and no one is the best.”

Strangely enough, the matchup in the finals almost didn’t happen. Considering the finalists are Pioneer Athletic Conference rivals, there was thought to not matching up until the two meet in a PAC matchup in early February, and there were actually contingent plans being readied if the two wound up in the finals.

But Maida said the talk never reached the serious stage.

“As I told Timmy (PV head coach Tim Walsh), both of our lineups are going look very different on February 4,” Maida said. “No one cares whether you win a dual meet in January, they care how much the kids improve toward trying to compete in the league and how they end up in March.
It’s important they improve.”

Methacton needed to defeat eventual third-place finisher Wissahickon in the semifinals, and did so, 47-25, after pinning out after trailing, 25-17.

Established Warrior wrestlers Tracey Green and Joe Savella, got falls in that run. But so did sophomore Eric Straup, who went 5-0 on the days.

“We lost some seniors that did a lot for us last year,” Staley said. “But this year everyone has stepped up and done extra work, for themselves and for the team.

“They’ve made up for what we lost.”

If Methacton is able to continue its success, there are some achievable goals ahead.
“I think we can win more dual meets than we lose, place high in some tournaments and finish top four in the PAC-10,” Staley said.

D’Artagnan and his mates would be proud.

• BACK POINTS: With a lineup shortened by injury, PV’s Walsh had to do some juggling, and it worked, especially in a win over Wissahickon, where the Vikings bumped tough middleweight Nick Giangiulio away from Trojans standout Pat Fennell - a matchup that Giangiulio actually won recently. ... In a 45-29 semifinal win over Octorara, PV’s Anthony DiElsi lost by disqualification due to what was ruled a slam. ... Wissahickon finished 3-2, a solid tournament considering it was missing its regulars at 113 and 120 pounds. Aaron Rodriguez (126). Fennell (145), Brennan Weiss (152) and Dan Schueren (160) all enjoyed 5-0 days. Weiss’ day included a win over PV’s Giangiulio.

Taken from the Pottstown Mercury

OCTORARA DUALS: Methacton recovered from a 19-point deficit by winning the final five bouts and defeating Pioneer Athletic Conference rival Perkiomen Valley, 39-31, for the Octorara Duals title. The Vikings led 31-12 through nine bouts before surrendering the lead and match. Heavyweight Tracey Green ignited the comeback with a pin, with Joe Savella (106), Eric Straup (113) and Brett Duvernois (120) following with pins and Joe Staley (126) ending it with a 7-0 decision.

The Vikings and Warriors, who will wrestle their PAC-10 match Saturday, Feb. 4, both swept their first four matches.

Methacton (10-2 overall) defeated Interboro (64-16), Episcopal Academy (49-10), host Octorara (54-17) and Wissahickon (47-25) to get into the final with PV. Savella, Straup, Duvernois and Green – who needed 1:04 to pin Interboro’s Matt Gould, the No. 2 ranked heavyweight in District 1 – all finished with unblemished 5-0 records. Staley, David Qawasmy (160) and Mike Baccaro (182) all went 4-1 on the day, while Jack Ryan (132), Paul Russo (152) and C.J. DeShields (220) contributed three wins apiece.
 

by Dennis Weller, Special to the Pottstown Mercury

Posted on January 5, 2012

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE - A couple of unsung wrestlers in the middle of the lineup helped Methacton take the lead over Pottsgrove on Wednesday night.

After that, things went pretty much as the Warriors had hoped they would and they pulled away to a 45-19 win in the Pioneer Athletic Conference opener for both teams.

Eric Mitchell's pin at 138 pounds gave Methacton (5-2 overall) a 14-10 advantage and Ryan Rinz followed with a 10-3 decision, and the hosts captured six of the eight bouts after that.

"Ryan Rinz came through," Warrior head coach A.J. Maida said of his 145-pound senior, who had gone into the night with a 1-7 record for the year. "He has such a funky leg ride and he used it. After 145, it opened up. We did what we do well."

Riley Michaels brought the Falcons to within 17-16 with a pin midway through the third period. But an 8-3 decision by Paul Russo got the hosts going again and they led by at least five points the rest of the way.

"It didn't really shape up the way we thought it would," said Maida. "They had some guys out. We had it as a much closer match."

Pottsgrove head coach Jeff Madden certainly saw some positive signs from his team as it wrestled its first dual match of the year.

"I thought some of our younger guys did really well," he said. "Justin Rodriguez did a real nice job for us at 113."

Rodriguez, out on the mat for the first time this season, opened the match at 113 pounds and earned a major decision (15-7) after pulling off a reversal in the final seconds.

"In the middle, we really battled," said Madden. "Our conditioning isn't what it needs to be, but this is our first match of the year. Through the middle, we wrestled about as well as we could."

In fact, Madden saw some good things from various parts of the lineup.

"(Khiree) Montague (a loser by a late pin in the heavyweight bout against tough Tracey Green) can go with anybody," Madden said. "Jalen Mayes (also a loser by a late fall to Mitchell) ... he's amazing. Both Michaels did a great job. That was a great match for Danny (a 3-1 winner over Mike Baccaro at 182 pounds) and Riley moved up and got us a big pin."

But it was some of the lesser-known Warriors who were keys to the win.

"They're just a great group of guys who came out in eighth grade and ninth grade," Maida explained. "They stuck around and put the time in, and now it's their turn.

"It's nice to see Ryan Rinz and Eric Mitchell come through in big situations."

NOTES

Nico Demetrio earned the other win for the Falcons with a pin at 132 pounds. ... Brett Duvernois and Joe Staley countered the opening win by Rodriguez with a pair of major decisions for the Warriors. David Qawasmy boosted the Methacton lead to 24-16 with a 14-0 decision at 170 pounds, Tahar Farradji made it 30-19 with a pin at 195, and C.J. DeShields followed with a 9-2 decision to wrap up the win.

FAIRVIEW VILLAGE –The work never ends, the conditioning never abates, the training never stops when you’re involved with a sport as physically and emotionally demanding as wrestling – and the Methacton Warriors are obviously all in with the concept.

That was apparent Wednesday night when the Warriors celebrated their 45-19 Pioneer Athletic Conference conquest of Pottsgrove in atypical style ... with an indoor running session.

“It’s a simple goal,” said Methacton coach A.J. Maida. “Whether we win or lose, finish dead last in a tournament or win it – something we’ve already done this year – we have one mindset, and that's getting better every single day.”

Rest on your laurels and you’ll wind up on your back, hearing the slap. Keep pushing forward - It's become the preeminent theme for the Warriors.

Methacton has already run the gamut this season of failure and success, opening with a rock-bottom, eighth place finish at the Nazareth Invitational. Four dual meet victories in a six-match stretch got the Warriors back on track heading into the holidays, which were punctuated by a championship at the 21-team Wetzel Invitational at Hatboro-Horsham this past weekend.

“We liked how (winning the Wetzel) gave us momentum,” said Methacton 145-pound senior Ryan Rinz, who provided some momentum of his own by posting a pivotal 10-3 victory Wednesday. “But we know we have to keep going, keep working hard.”

That work ethic was put to the test by the Falcons, who got pins from Nico Demetrio (132), Riley Michaels (152) and a major from Justin Rodriguez (113) to keep the match close until Tahar Ferradji sealed the deal with a fall at 195.

Pottsgrove’s most accomplished wrestler, 182-pounder Danny Michaels, also delivered a 3-1 win over Mike Baccaro in the best match of the evening. Michaels was coming off a third-place finish at the ultra-competitive Christmas City Tournament over the weekend at Bethlehem Catholic. But he had his hands full with Baccaro, who nearly sent the match into overtime with a late takedown that occured one second after regulation time expired. Baccaro was one of three Methacton wrestlers – including Joe Staley (126) and Tracey Green (285) – on the gold medal stand at Hatboro.

“Our conditioning isn’t quite where it needs to be,” said Pottsgrove coach Jeff Madden. “But a lot of our young guys wrestled well. Both Michaels (brothers) did a great job, and so did Demetrio. I thought Justin Rodriguez did a real nice job, especially considering he wasn’t in shape and was wrestling his first match of the season.”

The rust never showed. Rodriguez got the match going by dominating Joe Savella, who was coming off a runner-up finish at the Wetzel and was 7-2 on the season.

Methacton regrouped, getting major decisions from Brett Duvernois (120) and Staley and a pin from Eric Mitchell (138) to gain a 14-10 lead. Rinz followed with his decision, and the Warriors were on their way in the PAC-10 opener for both schools.

“I don’t think it went exactly the way we planned,” said Maida. “There’s danger with a team that hasn’t wrestled (a dual). It’s extremely difficult. Coach Madden always does a great job – his kids are always physical and tough. Those kids didn’t give an inch.”

There is very little give anywhere to be found in the rough-and-tumble PAC-10.

“This is such a tough league,” said Rinz. “Every win is big. Our thinking is, ‘you have to want to succeed as much as you want to breathe.”

The breathing may have been a bit labored after the win, considering the extended cardio work taking place outside the gym. But it is all part of the job, fueling the will to succeed, the commitment to excel.

“We have guys that want to get to the medal stand at Hershey,” said Maida, whose club got bonus points from David Qawasmy (major at 170) and Green (pin at 285). “Some of our other, less experienced guys just want to make it through the season. Right now, we know we’re not good enough. We need to keep getting better.  

“It’s a credit to the kids to know exactly where they are, what they have to do to improve.”

Even if it brings an entirely different way to celebrating a victory.

BACK POINTS: Madden was especially happy with the work of sophomore Jalen Mayes at 138 and senior Khiree Montague at 285. Both hung tough before getting turned. “Montague can go with anybody,” said Madden. “Mayes is the same way, he’s just an amazing athlete.” … Pottsgrove heads to the Devil Duals at Avon Grove over the weekend while Methacton participates in the Octorara Duals.

Methacton 45, Pottsgrove 19

113 – Justin Rodriguez (P) major dec. Joe Savella, 15-7 (0-4)

120 – Brett Duvernois (M) major dec. Matt Cimino, 12-3 (4-4)

126 – Joe Staley (M) major dec. Qwhadir Miller, 10-2 (8-4)

132 – Nico Demetrio (P) pinned Cody Rupp, 3:38 (8-10)

138 – Eric Mitchell (M) pinned Jalen Mayes, 4:56 (14-10)

145 – Ryan Rinz (M) dec. Evan Weneck, 10-3 (17-10)

152 – Riley Michaels (P) pinned Jacob Qawasmy, 4:53 (17-16)

160 – Paul Russo (M) dec. Dominic Bridi, 8-3 (20-16)

170 – David Qawasmy (M) major dec. Jared Ludy, 14-0 (24-16)

182 – Danny Michaels (P) dec. Mike Baccaro, 3-1 (24-19)

195 – Tahar Ferradji (M) pinned Dylan Bryan, 2:47 (30-19)

220 – C.J. DeShields (M)  dec..Tom Sephakis, 9-2 (33-19)

285 – Tracey Green (M) pinned Khiree Montague, 5:02 (39-19)

106 – Sam Berman (M) won by forfeit (45-19)

By Mercury Staff
sports@pottsmerc.com

HORSHAM – It was a good finishing flourish by the Methacton wrestling team.

The Warriors came away from the first day of the Ralph Wetzel Classic holding down second place in the team standings, with five wrestlers moving through the winners’ bracket and another five alive in the consolations. On Thursday, they continued that surge by claiming the team championship at Hatboro-Horsham.

Joe Staley headed a trio of gold-medal performers for Methacton, which also had two other grapplers claim silver and three of their consolation qualifiers finish in the medal hunt. Staley also was accorded Outstanding Wrestler honors while Brett Duvernois was feted for having the most falls in the least amount of time.

Staley’s title at 126 was complemented by similar finishes from Mike Baccaro (182) and Tracey Green (285). Joe Savella (106) and Duvernois (120) were runners-up in their respective divisions.

In the wrestlebacks, Paul Russo was fifth at 126 while Eric Mitchell (138) and C.J. DeShields (220) scored sixths. They all factored in Methacton scoring 170 team points en route to its team-title finish

HORSHAM — As Joe Staley went, so did Methacton.

That assertion might be perceived as a bit heavy on the melodrama. But in the storyline that was the Warriors’ run in the Section 3 Tournament Saturday, Staley’s championship bout with Wissahickon’s Andrew Rodriquez could have been a precursor to the bigger team picture.

With Methacton and Wissahickon running second and third in the team standings behind Norristown headed into the night’s final round, head-to-head bouts like the Staley/Rodriquez pairing at 126 would factor significantly in the final outcome. So his 10-3 decision was not good just for a sectional title ... it, along with a slew of other medal performances, was key to the Warriors’ runner-up showing at Hatboro-Horsham.

“I wanted to help the team out,” Staley said afterward. “We want to beat Norristown, but I think their lead was too far ahead. So we want to maintain second place.” To be sure, Staley (27-6) continued his domination over Rodriquez, the bracket’s top seed. He scored decisions over the Trojan junior in two previous bouts this year, by scores of 11-4 and 10-6; but the second go-round, when Rodriquez scored a pair of takedowns on him, was foremost in his mind.

“I know he’s good on his feet,” Staley said. “I wanted to take him down, ride him … turn him, and get enough of a lead.”

Staley and Tracey Green, another Methacton champion at 285, headed a hefty Methacton medal count of 11, which included three silvers and four third-place bronzes. While figuring in the team’s 171 team points — 30 more than the 141 third-place Wissahickon mustered — all those medalists qualified for next weekend’s District 1-North Tournament at Quakertown, as did four from Perkiomen Valley.

“I have mixed feelings about that,” head coach A.J. Maida said. “I think we left some points out there we could have earned. On the other hand, three years ago people were saying this group wasn’t going to get better.

“That same year, we had three go to districts. Last year it was seven, and this year 11. So these guys can be proud of themselves ... they stepped up and did a great job.”

While Staley answered the experience side of the Warrior program, Green (29-3) spoke to a bright future. The sophomore pinned his way through the Section 3 field, capping the run with a 2:37 drop of Hatboro-Horsham’s Lex Ludlow.

Green came out of the first period with a 4-1 lead, chose the top position to start the second, and and executed a “Michigan” move — by his description, applying pressure and leverage on an opponent’s arm to turn him — to get the slap 37 seconds in.

“I’m trying to be at the top of my game,” Green said. “I try to go out and wrestle, to be the best I can.”

Green started out his day with a flourish, needing less than a minute to dispatch PV’s Jason Michener. He then tilted Norristown’s Rasheed Lusane in 5:22 to set the stage for his title duel with Ludlow, a senior sporting a 24-9 record.

“The first match is the one I worry about all the time,” he said. “After wrestling the first, I feel fine the rest of the day. But I also take everyone seriously, because at heavyweight you never know what can happen.”

“He’s an athletic kid who learns a lot every day,” Maida said of Green. “I didn’t know he could be a pinner ... he’s so good on his feet.”

Joe Savella (106), Eric Straup (113) and David Qawasmy (160) were runners-up for Methacton while Brett Duvernois (120), Paul Russo (152), Mike Baccaro (170) and Devin Bradley (195) scored thirds. Eric Mitchell and Tahar Ferradji were fourth at 132 and 220, respectively.

Tyrelle Robinson was the bright spot for Perkiomen Valley, scoring its lone gold medal at 120. And it came under circumstances that took the Viking sophomore — among others — aback.

Starting the second period of his match with Wissahickon’s Nick Natale in the down position, Robinson (18-13) executed a sitout with the intention of pulling a Peterson roll. But while he was developing the move, Robinson got the pin 11 seconds into the period.

“I’m not very big on the neutral position,” Robinson said. “Top or bottom is where I score points. When I sat out, he was in good position for me to catch him.”

It was a satisfactory finale to what had been a productive day for Robinson. Seeded fourth at 120, he opened with an 8-2 decision of Plymouth-Whitemarsh’s Gianpiero Dibatista before upending the top-seeded Duvernois in the semifinals, 5-3.

“I was really happy with the way this ended,” Robinson said. “Early in the season, he (Duvernois) beat me. I definitely improved on top, holding him down.”

Nick Giangiulio added a silver medal at 145 to the Vikings’ total, coming out on the short end of a 9-4 decision with Plymouth-Whitemarsh’s Jason Staudenmayer. Anthony DiElsi (182) and A.J. Strickland (138) were a respective third and fourth in their weights for the Vikings, who were seventh among the 10 schools with 68.5 points.

NOTES
Norristown 160-pounder Brett Harner (37-3) was accorded Outstanding Wrestler honors. The junior spent a combined 81 seconds on the mats during the day, the amount of time needed for him to pin his way to a sectional title. … Russo’s advancement to the 152 consi final came about when he was head-butted by Upper Merion’s Steven Burkert in the third period of their bout. Russo had built a 6-2 lead at the time of the incident, where he was awarded the victory via Burkert’s disqualification on the flagrant misconduct. … The Warriors had gone into the night session trailing Norristown in the team standings by eight points (155-147), but more than 18 ahead of third-place Wissahickon (128.5). While both teams had five wrestlers in the gold-medal chase, Methacton had an 11-9 edge over the Trojans in total medal qualifiers.