By Alex Frazier
Highlighting…James Bak
How do you spell work ethic?
J-A-M-E-S B-A-K.
It’s no secret how the Harry S Truman super 103-pounder has risen to the top of his class. He outworks the competition.
While many wrestlers would have sat back and rested on their laurels after winning the Southeast Regional Tournament, Bak was back in the wrestling room Sunday morning at 10 a.m. That, after getting back from Oxford at 11 p.m. the night before.
“I just want nothing more than to win states,” he said. “I’ll do anything I have to to get that gold medal.
“I knew it’s short week. I knew I had to keep my weight down and I knew the snow was coming, so running at night wasn’t a good possibility. I knew I had to wake up right away and get back at it. It’s so hard getting advantages over people because everybody during the season is working hard. Usually people take Sundays off. Sundays are the days I take to my advantage. I try to get as good a workout as I can.”
“He’s been a determined, hard-working kid,” said Truman coach Steve Given. “He’s sacrificed a lot of things.”
Bak’s diligence extends beyond the room. Weight is always a concern for wrestlers. Bak has cut down from 124, and has rarely been as heavy as 117 during the season, even when he was wrestling at 112.
Unlike many wrestlers who aren’t disciplined enough to maintain a sensible diet, Bak has been circumspect about what he eats.
“He probably eats about only six things right now,” said Given. “He eats chicken, yogurt, water, chicken, yogurt and a little tuna. Bak’s mom is real good about cooking him the right things to eat.”
Bak’s work ethic is not a selfish one. Yes, he works hard for himself, but he also works to help others get better too. He has devoted more than 100 hours to the youth program over the past two years.
“He’s given a lot back,” said Given.
His example may well inspire younger kids to dedicate themselves too. Givens blows up pictures of his best wrestlers to show the junior high wrestlers.
“Just to show the junior high kids there are big-time kids at Truman,” said Givens. “I’ve been there 15 years and I’ve seen two winning football seasons, and I’ve coached more years than the field hockey team has wins.
And in the room, Bak’s a big reason why Sean Edmondson and Matt Marks have done as well as they did this year. The two have over 60 wins combined, and both qualified for regionals.
“One thing I’ll miss about him the most is his work ethic to make other kids better in the room,” said Given. “That’s one of the things the program will miss the most.”
Bak, in fact, has five workout partners, which Given believes will be an advantage for him at states.
“I don’t think all the other kids in states have five kids in the room that can score points on him,” said Given.
That is one of several advantages Bak will have this weekend in Hershey.
For one, he is the only senior in the 103-pound weight class. There are only two juniors while seven sophomores and six freshmen predominate.
“I feel a lot of pressure to do well,” said Bak. “People say I should have more experience.”
He has already been to Hershey once, finishing seventh last year.
“It’s easier for the first couple of rounds,” said Bak. “Last year I got caught up in the hype. There’s people everywhere, there’s media, you’re walking around with a badge on. It’s a lot to get caught up in. It will be a more relaxed trip this time.”
And finally, he is healthy and has his weight under control.
“There’s not a lot against him right now,” said Given.
Although Bak wrestled some as a youngster, it wasn’t until he reached seventh grade that he began to take it seriously. In fifth and sixth grades, the middle school coach kept talking to him about coming out.
“It got me a little more interested, and I came out and have been wrestling ever since,” said Bak.
He even rolled around with the high school kids during the summer after seventh grade and was brought up to the varsity as a freshman.
“That made me so much better,” said Bak “I had a good record in middle school, but there’s a big difference between being good in middle school and being good in high school. It was a little bit of a wake-up call for me.”
As a sophomore, Bak made it to the district semifinals and then lost three matches in a row to miss out on states.
“That was the worst feeling I ever felt in my life,” he said. “After that point, I knew I never wanted to feel like that again. That helped me in so many ways for my 11th grade year and this year.”
All his hard work has paid off this year. He earned his 100th career victory when he pinned Bensalem’s Ross Pizzi in 2:40 on Jan. 14.
He also won his first sectional, district and regional titles, and he’d like to make it a flush with a gold at the state tourney this weekend.
His career total heading into states is 118. The school record is 123. If he should win states, he will fall one match shy, but if he ends up in the wrestlebacks, he could get it.
“I’d rather see him take first and be one shy,” said Given.
And he’s got a good shot.
By winning regionals, he was placed in the bottom bracket, away from Derry freshman Jimmy Gulibon, the Southwest champion with an impressive 35-1 mark. Some pick him as the champion.
While his first two matches are “winnable” according to Given, if things go as expected, he will get a good test in the semifinals against Blue Mountain’s Corey Keener, who won the Northeast region and is 46-3.
Bak has just two losses this year, both of them coming at 112.
“Bak is one of three kids everybody’s picking,” said Given. “I think his chances are excellent. He’s healthy. His weight’s fine. Everything’s a go.”
A 4.2 grade point honor student, academics certainly won’t hold him back from college. If he wins states, he may have his choice. Right now, he is uncertain where he will go or what he will major in. Bloomsburg is one college that has been interested.
“I want to wait until after states, get my options and sit down with my parents and make a decision,” he said.
The only thing that he may have to overcome is his size, since the first weight in college is 125.
“I’m planning on lifting and getting on a protein diet to gain as much weight as I can,” he said. “If I’m too small, I might have to redshirt as a freshman.”
SE Regional Notes
Down and out – Six wrestlers opted not to wrestle their fifth place matches after losing in the consolation semifinals and missing a chance to go to states. Not surprisingly, all six of them were seniors.
District 12 improving – In the past, a match against a District 12 wrestler was most likely a win
That trend is changing with the addition of the Catholic schools.
Although there were no D-12 wrestlers in the finals, eight of them did qualify for states by making the consolation finals—and all of them were from the Catholic League. Look out for LaSalle in the next couple of years. The Explorers are a young team and will be sending four wrestlers to states.
Northeast Catholic sends two and Monsignor Bonnor and Cardinal O’Hara have one each.
Sportsman – When Abington senior David Osei showed up a little late for the Parade of Champions last Saturday, he was told to go out on the mat.
“I thought I was in trouble or something,” he said.
No trouble.
On the contrary, Osei was awarded the Outstanding Sportsmanship Award by the Southeastern Wrestling Coaches Association.
“I had no idea,” said Osei.
Dyed in the wool – Did anyone notice that all the Truman wrestlers and coaching staff had matching black hair? The entire team dyed its hair before the sectional tournament, but coach Steve Given wasn’t up for it.
“I kept saying, ‘Guys, I’m 42 years old and I don’t do those things,’” he said.
They persisted, and he finally agreed he would do it if three kids got to regionals.
Well, James Bak, Sean Edmondson and Matt Marks all made it, so Given honored his pledge.
“Here I am doing things I did in college,” he said. “I let my guard down a little with those guys and let them know that I’m willing to do anything too. It was a spur of the moment type thing and we did it.”
Oxford! – After dissing Oxford last week, I have to admit I was pretty impressed. On the way down on Route 100 and Route 10, we passed some beautiful countryside as I was trying to pry my eyes open at 7 a.m. and jump start my brain with a cup of Wawa coffee.
And we didn’t get lost. MapQuest did its job.
The school is squeaky clean new, and the gymnasium is spacious, to say the least, with plenty of room for six mats and a host of spectators, and the cafeteria area was airy and light. The staff did an excellent job of running the tournament smoothly and on time.
We even found a pleasant tavern in town to eat during the break. A lot of other people found it too, but the barmaid handled the rush of people calmly, and we ate a good meal and got back in plenty of time.
My only complaint was that once they were down to two mats for the finals and consolations, you needed binoculars to see the action up close and personal.
If we could just transplant Oxford to Plymouth Meeting, it would be absolutely perfect.
First round state pairings for SOL wrestlers
(Name, regional place, school, record)
103
James Bak, Harry S Truman vs. Anthony Cabrera, NE-2, Liberty, 31-5
Mike Mathis, Central Bucks South vs. Mike Fake, NE-3, Parkland, 39-2
112
Bubba McGinley, Central Bucks West vs. Shelton Mack, NW-1, Meadville, 36-4
119
Zac Haynes, Council Rock North vs. Andrew Spicer, NW-3, Clearfield, 26-14
Dave Irwin, Norristown vs. Tyler Rauenzahn, NE-1, Blue Mountain, 47-3
125
Matt Rappo, Council Rock South vs. Dan Neff, SC-3, Solanco, 30-2
Colin Bynum, Quakertown vs. Nathan Pennesi, SW-2, Greater Latrobe, 30-2
130
Matt Martoccio, Council Rock South vs. Drew Rebling, SC-2, South Western, 33-6
Rich Jasinski, Pennridge vs. Shawn Greevy, SC-1, Cumberland Valley, 38-8
135
Jon Brodzik, Central Bucks East vs. Josh Kindig, NE-1, Blue Mountain, 49-1
140
Brandon Parker, Norristown vs. Jason Kane, SC-2, Lower Dauphin, 35-6
Eric Koch, Quakertown vs. Andrew Eshleman, SC-3, Penn manor, 36-7
145
Colin McConnell, Pennridge vs. Shane Alterio, NW-3, Bellefonte, 29-7
152
Jim Vollrath, Council Rock South vs. Jamal Lyons, NW-2, Cathedral Prep, 30-5
160
Ed Shupe, Council Rock South vs. Jeffrey Griffith, NE-3, Easton, 24-15
John Staudenmayer, Plymouth Whitemarsh vs. Billy Morrison, NW-3, DuBois, 28-7
Devon Passman, Central Bucks East vs. Jermaine Easter, NW-1, Cathedral Prep, 18-5
171
Bobby Lavelle, Council Rock South vs. Clay gable, SC-2, Dallastown, 35-4
189
Jamie Callender, Council Rock North vs. Todd Miller, SW-3, Ringgold, 35-4
Joe Stolfi, Souderton vs. Joe Piro, NE-1, Northampton, 37-4
285
Dave Osei, Abington vs. Eric Minerd, SW-3, Laurel Highlands, 29-7
Alex Myers, Hatboro-Horsham, vs. Sam Brownlee, SW-1, Canon McMillan, 32-2
PIAA State Wrestling Championships Schedule
Thursday, March 5
Class AAA Preliminaries-4 p.m.
First round consolations-7:15 p.m.
Friday, March 6
Quarterfinals-1 p.m.
Second round consolations-2:45-6 p.m.
Saturday, March 7
Semifinals-8 a.m.
Third round consolations-8 a.m.
Fourth round consolations-10:30 a.m.
Third, fifth and seventh place-6 p.m.
Championship finals-8 p.m.
Top Guns
103-James Bak, Harry S Truman
112-Chris McGinley, Central Bucks West
119-Zac Haynes, Council Rock North
125-Matt Rappo, Council Rock South
130-Matt Martoccio, Council Rock South
135-Jon Brodzik, Central Bucks East
140-Eric Koch, Quakertown
145-Colin McConnell, Pennridge
152-Jim Vollrath, Council Rock South
160-Ed Shupe, Council Rock South
171-Bobby Lavelle, Council Rock South
189-Jamie Callender, Council Rock North
215-John Kaschak, Council Rock North
285-David Osei, Abington
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