FAIRVIEW VILLAGE >> There was no denying Upper Perkiomen had the edge — albeit a slight one — in quality Thursday.
Methacton’s Corey Blue throws Upper Perkiomen’s Jared Kuhns during their bout at 106 Thursday. Kuhns won 10-2.
Quantity, however, proved to be a different story. And in their Pioneer Athletic Conference match with Methacton, quantity — moreso, a shortage of it — played a big part in the Warriors’ 45-22 victory.
The Indians (0-2 league, 0-3 overall) had a 22-21 lead in 10 contested weights, the bulk of it collected in the second half of the lineup from 170 to 106. But that was offset by forfeits in four classes, a 24-point swing that helped the Warriors (2-1, 3-2) get a PAC victory in the wake of Wednesday’s loss to Spring-Ford.
“We expect to get Jarek Svanson (at 113) back Saturday, and Mike Lockhoff back at 160 soon,” head coach Sam Walters said, referencing two of the weights UP wasn’t able to fill. “Otherwise, we got low numbers. We have to wrestle with the guys we’ve got.”
A.J. Maida can identify with the situation his UP counterpart is facing. The Methacton mat boss remembers his program being in that position at the start of the 2014-15 season, and is understandably more comfortable having enough bodies to fill out a lineup.
“We still have young guys who aren’t ready,” Maida said of his underclassmen-heavy roster. “But with Upper Perk’s numbers issue, we were able to hide some of that.”
The Indians’ first two forfeits at 126 and 132, following William Rebert’s clock-beating first-period pin in the 120-pound opener, got Methacton rolling toward a 33-0 lead at the halfway point in the lineup. A third forfeit, to Sayer Campbell at 160, capped the run after Dylan Henry, Michael Blakemore and Bryce Reddington all scored close decisions between 138 and 152.
“This is the second year in a row we have one senior,” Maida said. “So the lessons we’re teaching the kids aren’t so much about wrestling as how to be a member of a team … the expectations put on a high-school athlete.”
Mike Felix got Upper Perk on the scoreboard at 170 with a 6-3 decision of Brendan Marion. The Indians then bookended pins by Mickey Hopkins (182) and Mike Modugno (220) around Bill Brower’s 5-2 decision of Leland Mersky at 195 to cut the Warriors’ lead to 33-18. With three weights still to be wrestled, the visitors stayed in mathematical reach of the lead.
Upper Perkiomen’s Billy Brower takes down Methacton’s Leland Mersky at 195 Thursday. Brower won 5-2. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)
That ended 52 seconds into the 285-pound bout, though, when Joe Donahue got the slap on Robert Rosado and Methacton got a clinching 39-18 point spread. From there, UP’s Jared Kuhns posted a 10-2 major decision on Corey Blue at 106 before William Donovan drew the match-closing forfeit at 113.
“We’ve asked Joe to keep things simple,” Maida said. “This is his second year wrestling varsity, but he knows what he has to do to win.”
Walters and his UP coaching staff, in the meantime, have one eye toward the future while focusing the other on the here and now.
“We have an eighth-grade class with 15 kids,” he said, “and the following year, we have the same numbers.
“This year we’re young and have low numbers. That’s a tough combination,” Walters added. “But the kids are doing well. I just ask them to compete. Tonight, they did better than last night (66-4 loss to Boyertown).”
Upper Perkiomen’s Mickey Hopkins, top, pins Methacton’s Salaam McNair at 182 Thursday. (Austin Hertzog – Digital First Media)
Maida is looking for a similar effort from his charges, whose next action will be next Wednesday (Jan. 13) at Owen J. Roberts.
“We have kids who know how to wrestle,” he said. “What we need is 14 kids who are rowing the boat in the same direction. We’re certainly in a better place on January 7, 2016 than we were on January 7, 2015. That shows the kids are improving.”
NOTES >> Andrew Balek and Jorge Carmona were the recipients of Methacton’s forfeits at 126 and 132, respectively. … Reddington and Marion remain Methacton’s winningest wrestlers with respective 13-2 and 11-6 records. On the Upper Perk side, Modugno upped his season mark to a team-best 11-4. … The Indians now head to Souderton for Saturday’s Big Red Duals.
