This week’s notebook focuses on the team aspect of wrestling.
It is easy to see the individualized aspects of wrestling. One at a time wrestlers march through the tunnel of teammates chanting sounds of encouragement before taking to the mat.
However, the team aspect is still very much present. Sometimes success of a group is more difficult to attain, therefore, making team titles an impressive feat.
The sum is only as a good as its parts, and teams around the Suburban One League are finding ways to reach new heights.
The reason for gathering around the next wrestler to send out to the mat is more than motivation for the moment. It signifies team unity. And most of the time, it is the team that supports one another - whether it be during game time or on the practice mats - that has the most team success.
“A lot people miss the team aspect, and it is very important,” Pennsbury coach Philip Kealy said. “Individuals grow tremendously with the support of their team. Having individual success is great and necessary, but having a team rise to the occasion together means even more. It is not easy to do.”
Along with the camaraderie within the inter-workings of the roster, there is an added importance to schedule development. For the Falcons to fight for a league title in the challenging National Conference, they bulked up their out-of-conference schedule with dual meets and tournaments to act as experience builders.
“The schedule is new for us,” Kealy said. “We had some tournaments we wanted to get into to challenge ourselves in preparation for the postseason. We took it light before the holiday break, and now we are going to hit it hard. It will be challenge to keep guys healthy, but if we can do that, it will benefit us. The league title is always within our sights and something we strive for. Everybody has to do their part to get us there.”
With banners galore over the last few decades the Norristown Eagles and coach Mark Harner seem to have found formula for team success. The Eagles are constantly challenging their proven veterans and working closely with the newcomers.
“We have something like 15 league titles in the last 23 years, and it is a goal,” Harner said. “But I would rather have a state championship. I am a little different that way. But I cannot think of dominant team in District One that does not wrestle a hard schedule.”
Their roster is not always loaded with postseason qualifiers, therefore the Eagles will concentrate on helping individuals obtain their personal goals and let the league title fall as it may. Their schedule includes tournaments to test the wrestlers at the highest possible levels in the hopes it will make them better and ultimately be in the mix again for the American Conference crown.
“As long as you’ve got a Mike (Springer), a Brett (Harner), and a Zach (Feuntes), you are going to be in the mix,” Harner said. “But we are going to take a dip. We are losing kids to private schools, and wrestling just is not that popular in Norristown.”
Coach Harner allows his veteran wrestlers to get their work in and concentrates on fine-tuning his inexperienced grapplers. He and his coaching staff are always trying to improve the group and keep kids interested in the sport.
“I want to find out what they kids’ goals are and base it from there,” Harner said. “I feel a kid should be able to come out for wrestling as an extra-curricular activity. I have kids doing other things, karate classes, band, and I never kicked a kid off for missing practice. But if a kid tells me he wants to be a state medalist – that’s a whole different ball game.”
Top Guns
106 – Collyn Dorney (Quakertown)
113- Zach Fuentes (Norristown)
120- Dan Martoccio (Council Rock South)
126 – Jason Bing (Pennsbury)
132 – Tommy Stokes (Bensalem)
138 – Francesco Fabozzi (Central Bucks East)
145 – John Dutrow (Council Rock North)
152 – Riley Barth (Central Bucks West)
160 – Pat Fennell (Wissahickon)
170 – Dominic Rigous (Central Bucks South)
182 – Brett Harner (Norristown)
195 – Kody Lupfer (Neshaminy)
220- P.J. Steinmetz (Council Rock South)
285 - Andrew Van Buskirk (William Tennent)
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