Wrestling: Boyertown stays unbeaten in PAC with 41-22 win at Owen J. Roberts

January 25, 2024

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BUCKTOWN >> It was Senior Night for Owen J. Roberts’ wrestling Wednesday night.

In a show of good sportsmanship, OJR also recognized the seniors from Boyertown during their pregame introductions.

Gavin Sheridan, the Bears’ 133-pound returning state medalist, appreciated the gesture.

“I thought that was pretty nice,” he said.

The hospitality didn’t soften up the Bears though.

“You know, it’s wrestling,” Sheridan added. “We had to do what we had to do, just treat it like every other match.”

Boyertown bombarded Owen J. Roberts from the opening of their Pioneer Athletic Conference dual, the Bears winning eight of the first nine bouts to burst to a 38-point lead that eventually resulted in a 41-22 over the Wildcats in front of a full house at OJR.

Boyertown, the No. 3 seed, for the District 1 Duals improved to 4-0 in the PAC and 17-1 overall. OJR, the No. 8 seed in district duals, dropped to 2-1 in the PAC and 9-3 overall.

Boyertown’s Gavin Sheridan works from the bottom against Owen J. Roberts’ Alex Brandt at 133 during a PAC dual on Jan. 25. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)
Boyertown’s Boden Waite, top, works against OJR’s Tyler Maack at 107 pounds during a PAC dual on Jan. 25. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

Starting at 107, the match played into the hands of the Bears, whose strength is in the lower and middle weights, meanwhile avoiding the power hitters at the top of the Wildcats’ lineup.

After splitting the first two matches, the Bears went on a seven-win run that was fueled by three-straight pins from junior Brody Coleman (121) and seniors Andrew Myslinski (127) and Sheridan (133).

Coleman and Sheridan were champions at last weekend’s PAC Championships at Pottsgrove as the Bears placed second to Spring-Ford with 10 finishers in the top 3.

“We knew Owen J. was a tough opponent, but every match we look at the same, we want to wrestle our match, score our points, and not only win, but dominate. This is where we use our practice time to dominate and improve every day.”

Sheridan (30-2), the U.S. Naval Academy recruit, is a known commodity with 124 career wins and three previous trips to the PIAA Championships. Meanwhile, Myslinski is lesser known, but has been having a standout senior season as well. He’s 21-4 after entering the year with a 5-3 varsity record through his first three years.

“It was like a lot of work in the offseason,” Myslinski said. “I knew I didn’t have last year and all the other years to show what I can do, so I put in a lot of work this summer and just grinded and got what I needed done, and it’s shown so far.”
The Bears’ run continued with a major from Beck Babb at 139, decision for Shane Stankina at 145 then back-to-back pins at 152 and 160 from Owen Dykie and J.D. Heiser built a 41-3 lead.

The Wildcats gained some consolation late by winning the final four bouts. PIAA medalist Sam Gautreau (29-3), a senior bound for Maryland, duplicated his technical fall of Joshua Larrimore in a rematch of last weekend’s PAC tournament, followed by Dysen Neill (20-11) earning his 20th win of the year with a major decision at 189.

Undefeated Dillon Bechtold, the reigning state runner-up, was back in the lineup after missing PACs last weekend and pinned in the first period to up his record to 24-0. The Bucknell-bound 215-pounder has titles at the King of the Mountain, Trojan Wars, and Escape the Rock so far this season.

Owen J. Roberts’ Doug Keck drives through on a takedown of Boyertown’s Casey Shaak at 285 pounds during a PAC dual on Jan. 25. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

But the biggest pop of the night came when junior heavyweight Doug Keck took the mat.

Seeing his first varsity action of his high school career, Keck was in the lineup with sophomore heavyweight standout Dean Bechtold out with illness.

Keck was a mainstay on the Wildcats’ lines in football this past fall, but he opted out of wrestling as a sophomore.

“I wrestled growing up and then I kind of took a break,” Keck said. “I kind of was burnt out my freshman and sophomore year, but I just saw the team running one morning. I was like, ‘Man, I miss it. I miss that team environment,’ so I wanted to join back with my buddies.”

It’s been quite a reintroduction to wrestling while being a practice partner with the younger Becthold (23-3), who has taken the 285-weight class by storm since elevating from 189 and looks primed for another PIAA medal this winter.

“Practicing every day with Dean Bechtold, man, that’s the best practice partner you can have. He pushes me so hard,” Keck said. “It really helped with my confidence on the mat.”

Keck showed no shortage as he ran up a 16-3 major of Casey Shaak to send the home fans home happy.

Up next: A competitive PAC dual was the perfect primer for the start of the District 1 duals on Thursday. No. 3 seed Boyertown hosts fellow PAC squad Upper Perkiomen, the No. 12 seed, while No. 8 Owen J. Roberts hosts No. 9 Pennsbury. Both matches are at 7 p.m.

The tournament shifts to Upper Dublin for the quarterfinals on Feb. 2-3.

The Bears look the best bet from the PAC to earn a spot in the PIAA team tournament. Four teams advance from district duals with the third and fourth team requiring preliminary round wins to Hershey.

“We set goals for ourselves, but we’re still trying to chase those, and we don’t want to get satisfied just yet until the end goal is complete,” Sheridan said. “I still think that we have a lot to show. We need to peak at team states where our end goals lie.”

Honored: Owen J. Roberts’ recognized seniors included Gautreau, Dillon Bechtold, Neill, Daniel Birkbeck, Logan Brower, Preston Nemeth, Brady Quinn, as well as Grace Capoocia, the lone senior on the first-year OJR girls’ wrestling team.

Boyertown’s Owen Dykie pins OJR’s Michael Godri at 152 during a PAC dual on Jan. 25. (Austin Hertzog – MediaNews Group)

Boyertown 41, Owen J. Roberts 22

at Owen J. Roberts

107 – Boden Waite (Bt) maj. dec. Tyler Maack, 10-0 (4-0)

114 – Quinn Carr (OJR) dec. Cole Fogle, 11-4 (4-3)

121 – Brody Coleman (Bt) pinned Joaquin Fernandes, 3:00 (10-3)

127 – Andrew Myslinski (Bt) pinned Daniel Randolph, 1:57 (16-3)

133 – Gavin Sheridan (Bt) pinned Alex Brandt, 5:31 (22-3)

139 – Beck Babb (Bt) maj. dec. Blaine Schmoyer, 13-4 (26-3)

145 – Shane Stankina (Bt) dec. Brady Quinn, 6-2 (29-3)

152 – Owen Dykie (Bt) pinned Michael Godri, 2:55 (35-3)

160 – J.D. Heiser (Bt) pinned Logan Brower, 3:43 (41-3)