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By John Hartsock
jhartsock@altoonamirror.com
HOLLIDAYSBURG -- The Tyrone Area High School wrestling team is off to a good start this season, and the Golden Eagles are learning from the best.
Quentin Wright, a former four-time NCAA All-American and two-time NCAA champion at Penn State, and two-time PIAA champion at Bald Eagle Area High School, brings lofty credentials to the Eagles' wrestling room this winter in his first year as the team's head coach.
After opening this season with a win at Northern Bedford last Friday, Tyrone raised its dual meet record to 2-0 Tuesday night by staving off Hollidaysburg, 38-27 at the Hollidaysburg Area Senior High School gymnasium.
"We're getting better with each and every match,'' Wright said. "We're trying to make sure that we keep making improvements. We did a better job with our conditioning tonight than we did against Northern Bedford.
"I'm very proud of this group of kids,'' Wright added. "They're very respectful, and they're doing what I am telling them to do.''
With a coach of Wright's stature in the practice room, the wrestlers would be foolish not to pay attention.
"He has a good knowledge of the sport, and it's showing off in the wrestling room,'' 132-pound senior Ashton Sipes said of Wright. "He's creating an exciting atmosphere. Just expect a lot of winning this year from Tyrone.''
Sipes logged a 16-1 technical fall over Jacob Brua in 1:50 to help Tyrone bolt out to a 20-0 lead in a dual meet that lasted just 36 minutes and in which only eight of the 13 weight classes featured live action.
Junior Reese Wood picked up six team points for Tyrone with a 42-second pin of Quinton Ritchey at 152, while freshman Logan Rumberger pinned freshman James Bialo in 47 seconds at 120. Sophomore Remington Fleck staved off a last-second arm-bar attempt by Zach Lindemann to hold on for a 5-4 Tyrone victory at 126.
Wood said that Wright has been enjoyable to learn from this season.
"It's amazing,'' Wood said. "It's a lot of fun. From the experience that he has, he shows you a lot of stuff that no other coach has taught.''
Tuesday was the season-opening dual meet for a young Hollidaysburg team that has 10 freshmen on its varsity roster.
One of them, Mitchell Baronner, looked very impressive in logging a 2:55 win by fall over Brody Klein after moving up a weight to 145.
Other Hollidaysburg winners in live matches included senior Aaron Sleeth, who used a slick counter to pin Jason Barr in 3:16 at 189 pounds, and senior Nicklaus Eppihimer, who logged a 6-0 decision over Cody Schneider at 285. In between those two bouts, Hollidaysburg sophomore Luke Onkst came out on the good side of a flurry to pin Jacob Rice in 1:34 at 215.
"We were missing some guys in the middle of our lineup because of some injuries, and we had to move several wrestlers up a weight class, but it was a very competitive match,'' said Hollidaysburg coach Christian Harr, whose team fell behind, 38-6 before taking the last four bouts.
Korry Walls (113 pounds), Jermaine Myers (160) and Zach Lash (172) got forfeit victories for Tyrone, while Carson Krupka (106) was awarded a forfeit win for Hollidaysburg. There was no match at 138.
"Our 160-pounder was ill, and Jermaine Myers making weight there was huge for us,'' Wright said. "Jermaine stepped up and made weight on short notice.''
Both teams will participate in the Panther Holiday Classic at Mount Aloysius College this Friday and Saturday.
113--Walls, T, won by forfeit. 120--Rumberger, T, pinned Bialo, :47. 126--Fleck, T, dec. Lindemann, 5-4. 132--Sipes, T, tech. fall Brua, 16-1, 1:50. 138--No match. 145--Baronner, H, pinned Klein, 2:55.
152--Wood, T, pinned Ritchey, :42. 160--Myers, T, won by forfeit. 172--Lash, T, won by forfeit. 189--Sleeth, H, pinned Barr, 3:16. 215--Onkst, H, pinned Rice, 1:34. 285--Eppihimer, H, dec. Schneider, 6-0. 106--Krupka, H, won by forfeit.
Records: Tyrone (2-0), Hollidaysburg (0-1).
Official: Gary Barger
Exhibition matches: Richard Rawlings, T, won by fall; Wyatt Maines and Rally Hoover, H, both won by fall