COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH LOOKING FOR A BIG YEAR IN 2021
Interview with CR South Head Coach Brad Silimperi
by Glenn Kaiser
So you think Council Rock South is rebuilding, going to have a down season and/or not contend for the D1 Team title…think again. Every year the naysayers come out and proclaim the Golden Hawks are going to have a big drop-off from their never-ending success. Well, I have been hearing it again around District One, but believe me, it is only a slight buzz when you consider the rich history of a storied program that began their journey in 2002 when Council Rock School District split into two high schools, North and South.
Head Coach Brad Silimperi was there in the beginning and is now entering his 19th season at the helm of the Golden Hawks wrestling program. Silimperi has had tremendous success at CR South and made the Golden Hawks a perennial power here in Pennsylvania, which - in case you did not know - is the best wrestling state in the country. Coach Silimperi never dotes on his own accomplishments as a head coach, he only praises his student/athletes. He has produced numerous state champs, state place-winners and championship teams, and won numerous coach of the year awards at every level, but to him, it’s about the kids, the sport and the wrestling community.
Sil, as he’s known in the wrestling community, stresses the family aspect of the sport and the dedication of the wrestlers. He simply has built a program, and when you build a program, they will come. He has maintained a level of excellence that is unprecedented in the SOL when it comes to wrestling programs. The simple fact is that he builds winners and sustains a system that works for student/athletes and their families. He serves on the District One Wrestling Steering Committee as a voting member for the SOL. Additionally, his commitment to youth wrestling is at the same level as it is with high school wrestling.
This year will be no different, kids will wrestle and coaches will coach. The only difference is that it will be different with preparation and competitions. There won’t be many competitions for wrestlers to hone their skills and get battle tested in a rugged tournament schedule, which is usually the norm for the Golden Hawks. There will be no Manheim, Liberty, King of the Mountain or Escape the Rock tournaments, and no dual battles outside of the SOL for the Golden Hawks this season. However, the CRS grapplers will be ready for the most important part of any wrestling season, the postseason.
Pre-season practices and the start of the regular season looked fairly the same for the Golden Hawks, with the only difference being staggered practice times due to the number of wrestlers.
Remember, normal wrestling protocols in regards to safety and health have been in place for years when it comes to personal hygiene. Mat washing, skin protection and wipes have always been the norm in any wrestling room. The initial SOL shutdown forced wrestlers to practice and work out at wrestling clubs throughout the SOL, but the statewide shutdown of all youth sports threw a wrench into high school wrestler’s preparations for what now will be an abbreviated regular season before we head into the postseason.
To combat the lack of training and facilities, the CRS coaching staff has instituted a program to give their wrestlers individual workouts and videos of the day to stress techniques and matches so they can stay fresh and mentally focused when the time comes to return to the mats. And that time has come. Monday, 1/4/21, SOL wrestlers will return to their wrestling rooms with new safeguards in place to mitigate the spread of COVID-19 and keep all safe during practice. South wrestlers will participate in a single practice for the team now that numbers have been reduced (since some wrestlers/parents have opted out of the season) and the wrestling room will be set up in quadrants to keep wrestlers in their own weight class ‘bubbles” if you will. PIAA, CRSD and county guidelines will be followed, and wrestling will be conducted this winter throughout the state and right here in the SOL for most. Hatboro-Horsham and William Tennent will not be wrestling at this time due their administrations shutting down the sport in their school districts, unwarranted in my opinion.
Coach Sil has been stressing that the kids must “be ready to wrestle in an hour’s notice.” With an abbreviated schedule, a shortened regular season, potential cancellations and potential for added matches, he said there are “no excuses” heading into the start of the season. Thus, you can be assured the Golden Hawk grapplers will be ready for whatever lies ahead as administrators, officials, and coaches navigate the ever-changing world of high school sports during the pandemic.
There will be some “new faces” and some “big jumps for guys that got in the line-up last year” in this year’s edition of the Golden Hawks wrestling team. Coach Silimperi said “I am really excited about this year to see who makes the next jump with this group of kids.” Who wouldn’t be with this talented group of wrestlers? Cavan Kinne and Matt Colajezzi will lead the team, as they are both returning state qualifiers. They will be joined with experienced guys in Lucas Doyle, Mohammed Savriddinov and Tommy Woloshyn, who had success last season, and relative newcomer Charlie Socki. Socki has fully committed to the sport and Coach Sil expects good things from him.
Freshman phenom Behkhurz Savriddinov, brother of Mo Savriddinov, will be in the upper half of the line-up too. Behkurz brings a stellar PJW resume to the mat. Coach Silimperi stated that Behkhurz “is special…and looks forward to see how he makes the transition” to scholastic wresting at the high school level. As you can see CR South will put a strong squad out on the mats, regardless of a quick start for a short run to Hershey, they will be formidable and prepared.
Coach Sil elaborated on some to the concerns with this year’s season, stating he’s not really sure what the best plans or formats should be implemented for the post-season, but stressed that the need to get the best kids to the next level, meaning to states, should be the priority for the District One Steering Committee. The committee meets Tuesday evening to vote on post-season proposals. He sees it as “an awesome challenge” and feels that “the creativity with the proposals” is in the best interest of the sport and the wrestlers, as well as the safety for all. A “super” region appears inevitable with eight-wrestlers. However, the district format remains to be seen with several different proposals to be voted upon. The PIAA seems content on having the individual championships conducted with 8-man brackets for each weight class, with all 8 wrestlers medaling. As for the team championships, the PIAA is hedging their bets with not scheduling dates for the tournament and stating they will occur after the individual championships. Sil has some concerns with limiting the qualifying here in D1 to four teams due to a shortened regular season that has affected fall high school sports, college sports and professional sports with only a small body of work to judge. He also stated that “team’s rosters will look different, as you just don’t know who is coming out” to wrestle.
As always, time will tell what the landscape of wrestling will look like here in the SOL and thru- out D1, but you can be assured the Golden Hawks, led by veteran head coach Brad Silimperi will surely be atop the standings with individuals contending for medals, no matter the format.
Council Rock South plans to stream all their matches live on YouTube, and is scheduled to start their season on 1/13/21 at Neshaminy.
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