Spring-Ford shows resolve in 37-24 PAC win over Owen J. Roberts

BUCKTOWN >> New year’s resolutions don’t have to treated as cliché.

It’s a good thing to want to exercise more, eat healthier, or be better with money.

The Spring-Ford wrestling team’s brand of new year’s resolution is a pretty good one, too.

“Every single year I’ve been on the team and even before, we like to slowly work up,” said junior Brennan McGrann. “We kind of like being underneath at the start of the season. We kind of disregard December and use that position to work ourselves up, work together as a team and start winning these big matches.”

With a 1-2 dual record and middling tournament results in December, Spring-Ford metaphorically chose bottom to start the year.

The Rams have gone straight to the reversal once January hit, upping their dual meet winning streak to six Wednesday night with a quality victory on the road, 37-24 at Owen J. Roberts.

Brady Seislove pins at 107 to punctuate Spring-Ford victory over Owen J Roberts 37-24 in PAC Wrestling pic.twitter.com/nx9Eks3ZUI

— Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) January 12, 2023

“The team did awesome,” said senior Jacob Mest. “We’ve put together the lineup pretty well now, got some people down in their correct spots and it’s filled out pretty well now. I think we put out our best lineup we could.”

Spring-Ford improved to 7-2 and 2-0 in the PAC Liberty Division with wins over perennial top rivals Boyertown and OJR already in the pocket. The Wildcats are 9-3 overall and 1-1 in the division after downing Perkiomen Valley in its league opener.

McGrann and Mest were among the heroes for the Rams Wednesday in a match that projected as a close one. They were key to Spring-Ford building a 25-5 lead while winning six of the first seven bouts.

OJR turned it on in the upperweights with wins from junior Sam Gautreau (major at 160), freshman Dean Bechtold (pin at 189), junior Dillon Bechtold (pin at 215) and senior Christian Gregory (285). The Wildcats were as close as 31-21 after the pin from Dillon Bechtold (21-2), last year’s PIAA fifth-place finisher at 172. Spring-Ford clinched the win when Gregory could only decision Connor Hudak before Brady Seislove punctuated the S-F win with a pin at 107.

The Rams’ celebrated Smith stable – Gus (8-2 decision at 114), Cole (forfeit at 121) and Quinn (15-3 major at 127) – built a 13-0 lead from the opening bout.

McGrann (8-6) was supposed to make way for OJR to turn the match in its favor at 133.

“I talked to Coach Busa (longtime assistant Mike Busa) before and he said ‘33 is their attempt to shift the momentum’ … I took that and I felt very pressured in that situation, but you’ve gotta step up to the opportunity,” he said.

Brady Quinn scored back points in the second period to put McGrann in danger.

“I got thrown on my back out there. But you have to keep it calm and collected,” McGrann said. “It’s a wrestling thing, you have to keep your head in there and move on to the next things and ignore what just happened, work toward getting back in the match.”

But the Rams’ junior finished stronger, coming from 7-5 down with a minute left in the third period to force overtime where he got the takedown for a 9-7 sudden victory.

9-7 OT win for Spring-Fords Brennan McGrann over Brady Quinn in a close one at 133.

16-5 Rams lead presently pic.twitter.com/X7ujeFdvvu

— Austin Hertzog (@AustinHertzog) January 12, 2023

Mason Karkoska (17-6) got OJR on the board with a technical fall at 139 but Spring-Ford swung back with a pin from Matt Offner at 145 and Mest’s 5-2 win over Skylur Davidheiser at 152. Later, freshman Mason Richards upped his record to 10-2 with a pin at 172.

“I was ready,” Mest said. “I’ve been doing mediocre so far this season but I’m ready to change that. I feel like I did exactly what I need to do.”
Mest entered with a 4-7 record but closed strong with back points in the third to seal the decision.

“I think all those losses have helped me get better in the room,” he said. “It showed me all the things I need to work on and now that I have those losses I can look at my wins and still think about what I can do better. I think I’ll keep improving from here.”

The Rams whole roster might say the same.

Leading lights >> McGrann praised the leadership of the Rams’ most accomplished seniors, PIAA qualifiers Cole Smith and Quinn Smith.

“There are these great wrestlers like Quinn and Cole and they’re amazing wrestlers,” McGrann said. “A lot of the major wrestlers sometimes cast themselves away from the team, that ‘I’m better than the team.’ But they really come in every day and help to push all of us and bring us into a mentality that we are all a part of one team, that they aren’t just wrestling for themselves.”

Elite company >> The Wildcats saw only Dillon Bechtold have meaningful postseason success in 2021-22. OJR’s front-line group looks like it’s growing, namely with the improvement of junior Gautreau, who is 20-3 this winter.

He was 27-13 as a sophomore, reaching regionals.

“After last year I wasn’t really satisfied with the season I had,” he said. “After that, I was hungry in the offseason. It started with freestyle season, beating some solid guys. That helped me make a mental jump and over the summer I got more and more patient and trusted the process more.”

He added training with four-time PIAA champion Chance Marsteller’s Steller Trained based at Alvernia University, which has elevated his level.

“Surrounding yourself with top guys in the state and nation brings you up to that level,” Gautreau said. “It helps you make really big jump. Coach Marsteller brings that intensity to practice.

“Making those big jumps in the offseason has helped me a lot. I’ve been getting dialed in, preparing to beat those really good guys and performing every time I show up on the mat.

His wins this year include topping reigning PIAA 2A third-place finisher Michael Duggan of Boiling Springs and seven other regional qualifiers.

Spring-Ford 37, Owen J. Roberts 24

114 – Gus Smith (SF) dec. Quinn Carr, 8-2 (3-0)
121 – Cole Smith (SF) won by forfeit (9-0)
127 – Quinn Smith (SF) maj. dec. Alex Brandt, 15-3 (13-0)
133 – Brennan McGrann (SF) dec. Brady Quinn, 9-7 SV (16-0)
139 – Mason Karkoska (OJR) won by tech. fall over Jamie Silva, 15-0 3:07 (16-5)
145 – Matt Offner (SF) pinned Mason Mazzerle, 2:41 (22-5)
152 – Jacob Mest (SF) dec. Skylur Davidheiser, 5-2 (25-5)
160 – Sam Gautreau (OJR) maj. dec. Anthony Attilio, 18-7 (25-9)
172 – Mason Richards (SF) pinned Dysen Neil, 2:47 (31-9)
189 – Dean Bechtold (OJR) pinned John Kelly, 1:06 (31-15)
215 – Dillon Bechtold (OJR) pinned Daniel Borzillo, 1:07 (31-21)
285 – Christian Gregory (OJR) dec. Connor Hudak, 3-1 (31-24)
107 – Brady Seislove (SF) pinned Daniel Randolph, 1:10 (37-24)