THE 2024-25 SOL WRESTLING SEASON IS UNDERWAY
WITH A SOFT WEEK ONE OPENING, THINGS GET HOT THIS WEEKEND
By Glenn Kaiser
It was a quiet start to the 2024-25 wrestling season as only a few SOL teams saw competition in the opening weekend of action here in the SOL. But this weekend will start to shape the landscape for another spectacular season for SOL teams and grapplers. Pennridge, Council Rock North, Hatboro-Horsham, Neshaminy, Pennsbury and Souderton will travel to Boyertown to compete in the Brian Bealer Memorial Bear Duals. These duals have been a perennial test of where teams stand at the beginning of the wrestling season, and will indicate where they need to be when the Team Championships roll around in February. It will surely dictate early team supremecy, rankings and create rivalries down the road.
The host Boyertown Bears will take on the new look Hatboro-Horsham Wrestling Warriors with new head coach Jason Gribschaw at the helm in round one action. H-H is a young, up and coming squad that will look to challenge the establishment against a top-ranked Boyertown team. H-H is led by returning state champion Dominick Morrison, but H-H is no longer a one-man show with a young, accomplished team of individuals that include newcomer Oliver Staub, along with his older brother Benny Staub, a Section champ last year, senior Ryan Allgeier, Colton Ellis, Robbie Rose and Andy Alameda-Guzman, all Regional qualifiers a year ago. Throw in freshman Rheece Ellis, Quinten Fullmer and rugged lightweight Tyler Pagano, and you should note they will be a tough out for many teams here in the Southeast Region. Boyertown will counter with their typical rough and tumble group that expects greatness, so it will be a great test for both teams here in early moments of what looks to be a monumental season for SOL wrestlers.
Pennridge and Council Rock North are traditional SOL powers, and they too will look to navigate through the early season blues here, as standout Ram Talan Hogan appears lost for the season with a football injury. Nonetheless the ‘Ridge is an explosive, now seasoned team that knows how to win and succeed despite adversity. The CR North Indians are on the rise as well, and have tremendous talent with Eren Sement, Marco Loss, Kane Pierce and Mack Marcy along with plenty of young talent to make some noise. Pennsbury and Neshaminy who also hail from the SOL Patriot Division are very dangerous all the time. Souderton will match up against H-H here as well, while the tournament later rounds should create matchups that may keep Patriot teams away from one another, but placement rounds may be superseded by great head-to-head matches regardless of where you are from, as Owen J Roberts and Perk Valley from the PAC and Wilson West Lawn round out a tremendous field. Stay tuned for these results…
Taking a quick look at the SOL outlook for teams and individuals, there are some definite shinning stars. Council Rock South, Pennridge, Quakertown, CR North and Hatboro-Horsham all seem primed to shine this season as both dual and tournament teams. CRS has the usual next man up squad with their youth movement and are grounded with top guns Anthony Mutarelli, Pat Woloshyn, Ben Brillhart and Gavin Cole. Pennridge is established as an elite District One team, but still seems to have something to prove with their stalwarts Kevin McFadden, Colby Martinelli and Quinn McBride. However, they will miss Hogan and an outstanding senior class from a year ago. However, this upcoming season may be the most wide-open for supremecy in the SOL and D1. Quakertown is always lurking, and they too put talented grapplers out on the mat. The Panthers are led by Colin Gaj who will look to capture gold again in Hershey - he won as sophomore and was second in 2024. Gavin Carroll joins him as he looks to rise on the podium as well.
There is no shortage of talented individuals this year in the SOL. It is the team composition that is most unknown here at the start. So buckle up and let’s get things started. Several SOL teams: Abington, Bensalem, CB South, and North Penn will travel to Pottstown Invitational to get things started. Other Individuals to watch this season include: Super frosh’s Daniel Dennis (CB West), Chase Williams (CB East) and A.J. Kane (CR North). Upper Dublin’s Dominick Powell, Kyle Von Schmidt (Pennsbury), Patrick Kelly (CB West), Johnny O’Brien (North Penn), Chris Dennis (CBW), Bek Baiyshbekov (Neshaminy), John Wright (Abington), and William Tennent’s Brock Rudy round out a great group of contenders here in 2024-25.
Pre-Season Team Rankings:
1. Council Rock South
2. Pennridge
3. Council Rock North
4. Quakertown
5. Hatboro-Horsham
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