Ring Side Ramblings

Congratulations on making it through your introductory grapplin’ experience.

Some of you were pretty successful. Some of you were average. Some of you were beaten like a drum.

I’d like to address this last group.

 You know who you are. I won’t name individuals. But if you don’t wish to continue to be known as Pearl and Zabian [obscure percussion reference] I have two words for you.

Mike. Gardner.

As a sophomore at McCaskey, Mike Gardner went 1-10-1. You can look it up.

Two years later he’s in the state finals where his state championship was stolen by a perfidious pairing of an unethical coach and a cowed official.

But that’s another story, for another time.

What’s important here is 1-10-1 to state finals. How’d he do it?

First of all, he grew up. Heck, anybody, everybody, can do that.

Then he sought out his shortcomings and worked to turn them into positives.

And he burnished what worked for him.

And he relentlessly hit the out-of-season tournament trail.

It’s a self-evident truth, but nothing helps you to get better in wrestling than wrestling.

You don’t have to be a drudge. You don’t have to forsake other sports you might participate in to be a slave to the Resilites.

Quite the contrary. Nothing rounds a wrestler like doing other sports.

But if you put your headgear away in February, and don’t get it back out until November, you’ll never turn those Ls to Ws.

These days, everybody videos their matches. Look at your videos as an outsider might. What are you doing right? Work on that so you’re even better. What are you doing wrong? Work on that to get better.

And above all, wrestle.

You will get better.

Nearly 300 mourners, perhaps even more, gathered yesterday at St. Mark’s UMC in Mt.Joy to say goodbye to Tom Miller.

Or rather, as Pastor Steve Jencks noted, say goodnight.

Tom Miller, Elizabethtown’s first, and thus far only, PIAA State wrestling champion, died a week ago today and, again to paraphrase Pastor Jencks, as much as we are unwilling to accept that reality, we are also unable to deny it.

Tom was not only E-town’s first state champ, he was my first state champ too. I had been covering wrestling for the Sunday News for seven years by the time Tom, as a junior 119-pounder, made his first state tournament appearance. But that tournament was the first time my editor, Bill Fisher, gave me the keys to the Cadillac, letting me cover the state tournament. Haven’t missed one since.

Tom didn’t win that year. He lost in the finals to Trinity’s carpet-bagging Bob Truby [after winning 2 Maryland state titles, Truby transfered to Trinity and won 2 Pa. titles].

But Miller returned to Hershey as a senior, pinning Tom Best of Williamsport in the 1987 126-pound finals. His victory broke a 16-year, state-tournament drought for Lancaster wrestling, [about an hour later, Manheim Central’s Scott Henry would also win, putting an exclamation point on the night], and my only regret is that, as the writer reporting their success, I was not equal that night to their level of excellence.

In the summer of ‘85 then E-town assistant Paul Herman was working as a finish carpenter at the center where I took my kids for child care. We would talk wrestling when I dropped off my son and daughter and one day he flat out declared that Tom Miller was going to be a state champ.

This was just months after I watched Miller completely melt down after losing in the District III 3rd-place match and failing to advance to states.

“No way he ever wins states,” I thought to myself. “Too immature.”

What did I know.

Miller lost one more match in his high school career, the ‘86 state finals.

He was similarly driven in college where he won two ACC championships for the University of Maryland, earning All-American honors as a senior. A 2-time National qualifier, Miller was a favorite at 142 his senior year, but was upset in his first match. He dug deep, won seven matches over two days and earned the 3rd-place medal.

As an athlete, a scholar, a businessman, by any standard of measurement, Tom Miller was a successful young man. Off the mat, he battled another opponent.

It is tragic that he was ultimately successful in ending the torment of depression. And it is tragic that the love that so obviously surrounded and enveloped him in every facet of his life could not overcome that torment.

The world is emptier today without Tom Miller. A strong faith can be the only way those closest to him carry on. That, and the knowledge that Tom is in a better place and at peace.

And what does this have to do with L-L wrestling, you ask?

Well, with Tabar gone, does Shipp’s 2-time NCAA D-II runnerup, Steve Fittery, now return?

Or has Elvis left the building?

Reading between the lines in a late-December discussion with Fittery, “creative differences” with Tabar led to Fittery taking a, more-or-less, self-imposed red shirt this year.

While Fittery excelled wrestling unattached this year, the internet was abuzz with his possible landing spots should he transfer.

American University was a fan favorite.

So, is the hassle of transfering credits, etc., not to mention assuring eligibility, worth the move, or does Fittery decide to return to the Raiders?

Lancaster Catholic’s Michael Blaszczyk won the Crusader’s first state wrestling medal since 1990, taking seventh place at the PIAA Class AA championships.

Blaszczyk defeated Corey Mattila of Boiling Springs, 6-4, in the consolation finals.

It was the second time in as many weeks that Blaszczyk bested Mattila, whose lone career win over Blaszczyk was the one that mattered: The District III championship match.

Blaszczk opened a 5-2 lead on a takedown, reversal and escape, saw Mattila close to 5-4 on a reversal thenheld Mattila at bay the last 1:04 after Mattila cut him loose.

Interestingly, six of the top eight placewinners at ‘71 came from Blaszczyk’s half of the bracket including Nathaniel Brown, Lewisburg (3rd); Cody Catalina, Beth-Center (5th); Glenn Miller, Hamburg (6th)’ Blaszczyk and Mattila.

Leading the way in the bracket was Grove City’s Caleb Kolb, who wrestled Octorara’s Josh Smith in the finals.

Selinsgrove’s Spencer Myers did what many in the world of Pennsylvania wrestling thought he could do and all in the world of Warwick wrestling feared he would do.

Myers crushed the state championship dream of Antonio Giorgio, scoring six unanswered third-period points to deliver an 8-5 win.

Down 5-4 with under a minute to go, Myers scored a takedown near the edge of the mat and turned Giorgio for a quick 2-point nearfall before Giorgio asked for, and received, an injury timeout.

Off the restart, after the interruption, Myers rode Giorgio to the buzzer to complete the victory.

145-pound AAA semis on right now … Dylan Alton [Central Mt.] beating Jake O’Hara [Crestwood] 6-2, Joey Napoli [Cumberland Valley]beating Cole Baxter [Butler], 8-4.

Alton (135) and Napoli (145) are returning state champions.

These four, coming in, are a combined 169-1 this year! Cole has the lone loss.

Make that two of the three … Alton wins, 6-2; Napoli, 8-6. 

Antonio Giorgio is headed for the 215-pound Class AAA semifinals of the PIAA state championship wrestling tournament.

The Warwick junior stopped Carl Bucholz of Great Valley, 7-4, in the quarterfinals, doing the majority of his scoring on a second-period petersen roll.

Four other Lancaster wrestlers were defeated in the quarterfinal round.

Penn Manor’s Andrew Eshleman dropped a 10-4 decision at 140 to Tye Boyer of Indian Valley.

At 189 E-town’s Shane Rosenberry fell 13-3 to Jamie Callender of Council Rock North.

Hempfield’s duo of Austin Miller and Jordan Miller lost at 103 and 152, respectively.

Austin Miller ran into a takedown machine in Derry Area’s Jimmy Guilbon as Gulibon scored seven takedowns in a 19-5 major.

Down 4-2 to Hopewell’s Matt Hundenski, midway through the third period, Jordan Miller got caught in bad position while shooting a double. Hundenski pancaked Miller into a fall at 5:23.

Grove City’s Caleb Kolb is a weapon of mass destruction.

He destroyed Michael Blaszczyk’s dreams of a PIAA State championship scoring 12 takedowns in 3:41 for a 25-10 technical fall.

Blaszczyk needs to defeat Commodore Perry’s Steve Ceremuga here in the wrestlebacks to gain entry to the medal round of the Class AA tournament.

Using a series of Russian tieups and old-fashioned head pounding, Kolb scored at will on snaps, spins and a couple of single legs.

All of Blaszczyk’s 10 points were scored on escapes. All but the first were given by Kolb, to facilitate scoring more takedowns.

Led by Hempfield’s Austin Miller (103) and Jordan Miller (152), five Lancaster County wrestlers advanced to the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class AAA wrestling tournament.

Joining the Millers are Penn Manor’s Andrew Eshleman (140), Elizabethtown’s Shane Rosenberry (189) and Warwick’s Antonio Giorgio (215).

They are joined by Black Knights’ heavyweight Matt Ruhl, a late addition to the field, who remains alive in the wrestlebacks.

Austin Miller beat Indian Valley’s Kaleb Loht 10-6. Jordan Miller outlasted Wade Rivera of Parkland, 3-2 in double overtime.

Scoring from neutral, where he normally does not, Eshleman downed Quakertown’s Eric Koch, 7-2.

Rosenberry decisively dominated Blue Mountain’s Brook Gosch, scoring three takedowns, two 3-point nearfalls on cradles and adding an escape for a 13-0 major decision victory.

For the first time this season, Giorgio found himself trailing in a match as Wyoming Valley West’s Dave Ryncavage took a 2-0 lead, one minute in. It was short-lived success as Giorgio reversed to tie the match with six seconds left, then reversed 30 seconds into the second to take the lead. He then turked Ryncavage to the mat, pinning at the 3:00 mark.

Less than a week removed from surgery to repair his broken nose, Ruhl joined the field at 285 in place of Susquehanna Township’s Averee Robinson, stricken from the tournament on academic deficiencies.

Ruhl’s reward was a first-round, technical fall loss to Abington Heights’ Evan Craig, but he rallied in his first consolation to blank Lewistown’s Stephen King, 7-0.

Solanco’ Dan Neff got caught and pinned in a headlock by Matt Rappo of Council Rock South in his first match. Wrestling back, Connellsville’s Jake Swink turned a single-leg shot into a takedown and cradle, the decisive move in Swink’s 9-6 victory.

He was one of three locals to go home after the first day.

Donegal’s Neal Sweigart, like Ruhl, a late invitee to the proceedings, lost 14-4 to Erie Prep’s Nick Milano at 171, then fell 7-1 to Penncrest’s Jim Resnick.

Cocalico’s Kyle Ueberroth never got started offensively at 215, falling 7-4 to Jeremiah Karpency of Albert Gallatin and 4-1 to Glenn Barnes of Central Mountain

Lancaster Catholic’s Micahel Blaszczyk advanced to the 171-pound Class AA quarterfinals of the PIAA Class AA State CHampionships, pinning David Kephart of Portage in 1:25.

The fall earns him a shot at Grove City’s unbeaten Northwest Regional champion Caleb Kolb. That match will be Friday morning, about two hours after the quarters begin at 8 a.m. Kolb used 3:05 Thursday to polish off Beth-Center’s Cody Catalina.

Meanwhile, Annville-Cleona’s Dylan Killian dropped a pair of matches at 130 pounds, exiting the tournament.

Killian’s preliminary round opponent, Frank Martellotti  of Shady Side Academy, a 2007 state champion at 103 as a freshman, had just one burst of action, escaping, hitting a single leg then turning Killian for three nearfall points - all in 30 seconds of the second period - to take an 8-1 lead.

Killian would score two escapes and pick up a stalling point, but could never break through as Martellotti went on cruise control the remainder of the match to win 804.

Wrestling back, Killian fell behind Shamokin’s Brandon Pesarchick, 9-0, and was pinned in 2:09.