By Alex Frazier
Highlighting…Rob Smothers
Rob Smothers turned some heads at last Saturday’s Section Two tournament.
Seeded second, the Souderton junior surprised even himself by defeating top-ranked Joe Winters of Pennridge 6-2 to claim the 215-pound title.
“I was really excited,” said Smothers. “It all started on the computer looking at the seedings. To me, second seed wasn’t good enough. I had to step my game up and prove to everybody I should have been No. 1.
“My first thought was to go in there and do the best that I could, what happens, happens, but I looked around and saw my dad sitting in the stands. I saw the coaches waiting for my match, and I just told myself to go all out, don’t give him an opportunity to take this chance away from me.”
Winters was no slouch either. He sported a 17-5 record when the two faced off in the finals.
“A lot of people congratulated me and told me that they’re happy I won the championship,” said Smothers. “They thought Joe Winters was going to be tough for me.”
“I wouldn’t have predicted him to be the winner,” said Souderton coach Stan Smith, “but he was wrestling well in the finals.”
It’s a testament to how far Smothers has come this year. A year ago he finished fourth to barely qualify for districts. This season he has already exceeded his output of last year. Heading into his second district tournament, he is 18-9. A year ago he finished at 13-17 and his first season he was 4-5.
“For me, it was a complete 180 to do as good as I did this year,” he said. “Everything I did I’m happy I did, pushing myself at practice, going that little extra inch.”
Smothers started his wrestling career at age seven in the Whitehall midget program. He later moved to the Souderton area and started wrestling in seventh grade at Indian Valley Middle School.
Smothers’ improvement has been the result of some hard work as well as his workout partner, Joe Stolfi, who won the 189-pound title just before Smothers faced Winters.
“It’s every day,” said Smothers. “We go at it, go at it, go at it. It would get pretty hot sometimes. We’d have to walk away from each other for a little bit. After we calmed down, we’d come back to each other and we’d wrestle live and drill. Wrestling with Stolfi all year hasn’t just helped me get as good as I’ve gotten, but, I dare say, I’ve helped him. We both improved a lot since last year.”
While the two of them may knock heads on the mat, they’re best of friends off it.
“When it comes to wrestling, yeah we go at it,” he said, “but off the mat and in school and out of school, we’re just really good friends. We get along really good.”
Over the summer, Smothers also got the opportunity to wrestle with former Lehigh grappler Jon Trenge.
“He taught a few moves,” said Smothers. “It was good for me to roll around in the summer and not come into the season and start all over.”
In the past, Smothers has been a counter wrestler on his feet.
“If I know the wrestler I’m wrestling and he’s more of an attacker, I might sit back a little bit and see what he does,” he said. “I’m working on trying to attack a little more, be on the offensive. I’ve definitely improved at that, especially with the sectional tournament. I don’t think a lot of people expected me to do that.”
“Usually he’s a defensive-type wrestler,” said Smith, “but he was very offensive oriented (in the sectional finals). He went after the guy, which was pleasant to see.”
Smothers also plays football for the Big Red. He is a defensive tackle and an offensive lineman. At first football was his main sport, but now he’s tending to favor wrestling.
In the beginning of football season, I realized that I’m not the biggest guy out there,” he said. “Going to college and trying to play football is a good idea, but I don’t see myself doing that. I kind of lean more towards wrestling. I like the competition more because it’s one on one, and you’re not depending on anyone else.”
This week the competition kicks up a notch. He will have to overcome Wissahickon’s Brian Corliss and Phoenixville’s Ken Cenci in his bracket and then face either Winters again or more likely Methacton Section Three champ Brandan Clark, who beat him in the first round of districts last year, 5-2.
“He’s definitely my goal for next week,” said Smothers. “My motivation is to keep working hard and try to be better than the people that are ranked better than me. This week of practice we have to step it up, go harder, go faster and hope that carries over to the matches and I come out on top. I’m looking forward to it.”
Section notes – Congratulations to the three sectional Outstanding Wrestlers—all from the Suburban One League. Section One was Abington heavyweight David Osei; Section Two was Central Bucks East 135-pounder Jon Brodzik; and Section Three was Hatboro-Horsham’s 112 pounder Matt Harkins….William Tennent’s Zac Bush, Abington’s David Osei and Plymouth Whitemarsh’s John Staudenmayer each maintained their undefeated records through the first round of the post-season. Bush and Osei are now 30-0, while Staudenmayer is 34-0….Regional qualifier Nick Lynch of Hatboro-Horsham failed to get out of sections this year. Lynch gashed his head in practice and was wrestling with five staples Saturday. He lost to Upper Merion’s Alex Vuotto in the semis and then to Perk Valley’s Bob Angst, 7-5. “He wasn’t himself,” said Hatboro-Horsham coach Glenn Kaiser….Wissahickon brothers Aubrey and Andre Watkins did not wrestle in the tournament because they missed too many practices. That was a big blow to the Trojans….A pair of other brothers provided Upper Merion’s only district qualifiers. Nick Vuotto finished third at 140 and brother Alex was second at 152….Perkiomen Valley was a surprise team. The Vikings were second heading into the finals and consolations, but the Hatters overcame them by a scant 4.5 points….After losing to Central Bucks West’s Ted Conrad twice this year, Souderton’s Joe Stolfi got some revenge in Section Two when he majored Conrad 17-7 to claim the 189-pound championship. In the first dual meet of the year, the two had a good tussle with Conrad edging Stolfi 10-9, but at the Boiling Springs Tournament, Conrad cruised to a 19-8 major. “If he continues to wrestle like that, not many people are going to beat him,” said Souderton coach Stan Smith. “He was a man on a mission.”...Boyertown’s Ryan Kemmerer’s season came to an abrupt end when he was declared academically ineligible to wrestle in the post-season.
Parker power – The Parker brothers are a lethal one-two punch for Norristown. The two won back-to-back titles at last Saturday’s Section Three tournament, and both pinned in the finals.
For senior Stephen, it was his third. He ranks his first title as one of the best
“I thought I was under-rated in my first one” said the 145-pounder. He beat Wissahickon’s Kris Sandgren in overtime. “I’ll always remember that one.”
Last year was “OK.” But he will also remember this one because it was the only one he pinned in the finals.
“I like them all, but definitely the first one is more memorable,” he said.
For Brandon, who is a sophomore, it was his first time standing atop the medals’ podium.
Last year he lost in overtime which kept him out of the finals. He had to settle for third.
“I’m happy to be a sophomore and follow my brother,” he said. “Hopefully I’ll get three.”
The two brothers compete against each other every day in practice.
“He’s a great contender,” said Brandon. “There’s so many different styles, and some people wrestle the same style he does, a totally different style, and it prepares me. He’s a tough wrestler in the room to practice with. It makes me a lot better.”
That was particularly true in the finals when Parker met Upper Dublin’s Pat Reilly, a leg wrestler, much like his brother.
I knew how to set myself up and escape,” said Brandon, “and it ended up I got a pin against him.”
In the off-season, the brothers don’t see each other as much. Brandon does freestyle and Greco Roman, while Stephen, because he’s a captain, spends more time with the team, acting as chauffeur.
“He provides transportation for about three-quarters of our team,” said Brandon.
League standings – Well, it’s time to pay the piper. In my first notebook, I brashly predicted the final standings in each of the conferences. I’m sure everyone had a good laugh. Now it’s time to see just how off-base I was.
Predicted finish Final finish
National Conference
1. Council Rock South 1. Council Rock North 7-0 (14-12
2. Council Rock North 2. Council Rock South 6-1 (11-7)
3. Abington 3. Neshaminy 5-2 (8-11)
4. William Tennent 4. Abington 4-3 (16-8)
5. Pennsbury 5. Harry S Truman 3-4 (16-14)
6. Neshaminy 6. Pennsbury 2-5 (17-13
7. Bensalem 7. William Tennent 1-6 (12-12)
8. Harry S Truman 8. Bensalem 0-7 (4-12)
Continental Conference
1. Quakertown 1. Quakertown 7-0 (20-4)
2. Pennridge 2. Hatboro-Horsham 5-2 (11-7
3. Hatboro-Horsham 3. Central Bucks East 5-2 (12-9)
4. Central Bucks East 4. Central Bucks West (4-2 (14-8
5. Central Bucks West 5. Pennridge 3-3 ((10-9)
6. Central Bucks South 6. Souderton 2-5 (3-8)
7. North Penn 7. Central Bucks South 1-6 (8-9)
8. Souderton 8. North Penn 0-7 (1-13)
American Conference
1. Ply. Whitemarsh 1. Norristown 7-0 (20-4)
2. Norristown 2. Upper Moreland 6-1 (13-6)
3. Wissahickon 3. Ply. Whitemarsh 4-3 (15-12)
4. Upper Dublin 4. Upper Dublin 4-3 (15-5)
5. Upper Moreland 5. Wissahickon 4-3 (11-10
6. Springfield 6. Springfield 1-6 (7-9)
7. Cheltenham 7. Cheltenham 0-7 (6-10)
As you can see, I didn’t do too well. I was 0-8 in the National, 1-8 in the Continental and a whopping 3-8 in the American. That’s a total of 4-24 or a miserable 17 percent if my math is correct—and that’s up for debate too. Now you know why I usually decline to go into football polls or any other games of chance.
I didn’t do too much better in my choices for the Top Five teams, as you can see below. The Top Guns have yet to be determined. Check back in three weeks.
Top Five Pre-season SOL Teams
1. Council Rock South
2. Quakertown
3. Council Rock North
4. Pennridge
5. Hatboro-Horsham
Present Top Five SOL teams
1. Quakertown
2. Council Rock North
3. Council Rock South
4. Norristown
5. Central Bucks West
District Tournaments
Class AAA will have three district tournaments.
•District North will be wrestled at Quakertown and includes:
Section Two
Central Bucks East, Central Bucks South, Central Bucks West, North Penn, Pennridge, Pottsgrove, Pottstown, Quakertown, Souderton, Upper Perkiomen
Section Three
Cheltenham, Hatboro Horsham, Methacton, Norristown, Perkiomen Valley, Phoenixville, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Upper Dublin, Upper Merion, Wissahickon
• District Central will be wrestled at Spring-Ford and includes:
Section Four
Boyertown, Coatesville, Downingtown East, Downingtown West, Great Valley, Kennett, Owen J. Roberts, Spring-Ford, Unionville, Bishop Shanahan
Section Six
Avon Grove, Conestoga, Garnet Valley, Lower Merion, Marple Newtown, Oxford, Penncrest, Strath Haven, W.C. East, W.C. Henderson, W.C. Rustin
• District South will be wrestled at Council Rock North and includes
Section One
Abington, Bensalem, Council Rock North, Council Rock South, Neshaminy, Pennsbury, Upper Moreland, Wm. Tennent, Harry S Truman
Section Six
Avon Grove, Conestoga, Garnet Valley, Lower Merion, Marple Newtown, Oxford, Penncrest, Strath Haven, W.C. East, W.C. Henderson, W.C. Rustin
District schedule-Class AAA
First session
Weigh-ins-8 a.m.
Wrestling begins at 9:30 a.m.
Second session
Parade of Champions-5:45 p.m.
Championship and consolation finals-6 p.m.
Class AA Districts will be wrestled at Springfield Montco and includes: Bristol, Girard College, Octorara, Church Farm, Harriton, Phil-Mont, Delco Christian, Lower Moreland, Saint Pius X, Friends Select, New Hope Solebury, Springfield Montco, Cardinal Dougherty, Kennedy Kendrick
District schedule-Class AA
First session
Weigh-ins-8 a.m.
Wrestling begins at 9:00 a.m.
Second session
Parade of Champions-5:45 p.m.
Championship and consolation finals-6 p.m.
Top Guns
103-Scott Wolfinger, Quakertown
112-Matt Harkins, Hatboro-Horsham
119-Zac Haynes, Council Rock North
125-Matt Rappo, Council Rock South
130-Matt Martoccio, Council Rock South
135- Zac Bush, William Tennent
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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