HS Wrestling Notebook: Spartans cement status as Schuylkill League’s top team
Pine Grove's bench goes wild as Drew Hikes turns Tri-Valley's Ethan Miller for back points during a Jan. 22, 2025, Schuylkill League Division II dual meet. Hikes won by major decision, helping Pine Grove win 35-34 and clinch the Division II championship. At right is referee Sam Julian,. At left is official Ryan Green. (Photo by Bob Lipsky)
Cleaning out the notebook after a long, but entertaining, weekend at the Schuylkill League Wrestling Championships:
Milestones
Four Schuylkill League wrestlers reached historic milestones Saturday at Martz Hall.
First, Tri-Valley senior Owen Wolfgang notched the 100th win of his career during the quarterfinals by pinning Pine Grove’s Joshua Witherow in 1:25. Wolfgang added two more pins to capture the 107-pound championship, his third league crown overall.
Later in the quarterfinals, Blue Mountain senior Owen Woll pinned Panther Valley’s Cameron Rolon in 1:37 for his 100th career fall. Woll notched two more pins to capture the 160-pound championship, his third league title overall.
In the 189-pound final, Pottsville senior Terrell McFarland pinned Tri-Valley’s Max Masser in 59 seconds to clinch his fourth straight Schuylkill League championship. McFarland became just the 17th wrestler since 1985 (according to available records) to be a four-time league champion.
And in the final bout of the tournament, the 285-pound final, Williams Valley senior Camron Green scored a takedown in sudden-victory overtime to defeat Blue Mountain’s Vaughn Helverson 9-6. The win marked the 100th in Green’s career.
Coming in, 12 Schuylkill League wrestlers had a mathematical chance to reach 100 career victories this season.
So far, McFarland, Mahanoy Area’s Kyler Quick, Tri-Valley’s Jaxson Bruso, Wolfgang and Green have hit the century mark.
Panther Valley’s Brenda Banks and North Schuylkill’s Cadyn McGraw and Gaige Mentusky are on track to reach 100. It’s possible Williams Valley’s Xzavion Tennis and Mahanoy Area’s Rory Dixon could make it with good health and a deep postseason run.
Youth movement
While McFarland became a four-time league champion, four freshmen began the journey to, perhaps, one day join that exclusive club.
Tamaqua 114-pounder Rylan Reitz (25-4), Mahanoy Area 127-pounder Arturo Reyes (22-4), North Schuylkill 139-pounder Brock Holmes (24-7) and North Schuylkill 145-pounder Bode Gates (25-10) captured their first league gold.
Look out for them the rest of the season and for the rest of their careers.
Starters of tomorrow
The Schuylkill League holds a JV tournament every year concurrent with the varsity bracket. Congratulations to the JV champions (not every weight had a bracket): North Schuylkill’s Connor Hoover (121), Tri-Valley’s Dalton Leitzel (127), Tri-Valley’s Kian Gill (133), North Schuylkill’s Caleb Rusk (139), Tri-Valley’s Brayden Kimmel (145), North Schuylkill’s Kameron Roberts (152), Pine Grove’s Shawn Kurtz (160), North Schuylkill’s Jayden Billus (172), Pine Grove’s Trent Warner (189) and Williams Valley’s Shawn Romberger (285).
These developing wrestlers need all of the matches and mat time that they can get, and leagues give them an opportunity to get a few bouts under their belts. Some tournaments allow teams to enter more than one wrestler in a weight, and local teams have put some JV wrestlers in there, too. That’s great.
I’d love to see one or two informal, round-robin JV events added to the local schedule. Invite teams in maybe once in December and once in January and have them wrestle 4-6 times against the other schools to add to their experience. I’d also like to see more teams move their junior high duals up a half hour to 5:30 p.m. and insert JV matches more often during dual meets. That doesn’t happen as much as it used to. Especially in the league, coaches can contact each other prior to a dual meet and set some JV matchups. Junior high at 5:30, JV immediately after junior high, varsity at 7.
The only way to get better at wrestling is to wrestle. Every match they get helps them grow.
Making the call
Former Pottsville wrestler Ryan Green Bolich is climbing the ranks as an international referee. Green Bolich will head to Zagreb, Croatia, from Feb. 1-9 for the Zagreb Open Senior Ranking Series. The event will feature wrestlers usually past college age whose aspirations include the Olympic Games. Men’s Freestyle, Mcn’s Greco-Roman and Women’s Freestyle are on the card according to the United World Wrestling official website.
Green Bolich has officiated internationally in Sophia, Bulgaria; San Juan, Puerto Rico; and in Mexico. He said the Zagreb Open is the biggest event he’s ever been a referee.
Multiple-time Olympic Games referee Sam Julian is helping Green Bolich and others to referee internationally. Other local referees Rodger Gehring and Mark Cesari have officiated both high school and college wrestling events.
