ASTON >> Last year, Sun Valley enjoyed a historic season. The Vanguards sent four wrestlers to the PIAA AAA Southeastern Regional Meet and a school-record three to the State Tournament in Hershey.
This year has been more of a struggle. That continued Wednesday night when Sun Valley fell, 54-21, at home to Oxford.
The Vanguards’ record now sits at 2-14 overall and 1-2 in the Ches-Mont American. But coach Tom Ellis remained steadfast in defeat despite a bevy of excuses he and his team could easily grab.
“We were dealt this hand, this is the hand we’re going to play. But the kids on the team know the circumstances for where we are right now,” said Ellis. “They understand that we have a lot of youth but that still doesn’t give any excuse for our seniors to sandbag or take it easy. We’ll wrestle anyone, anytime, anywhere.”
They rely on one wrestler in particular to drive that attitude: junior 152-pounder Christian Bateman, who pushed his record to a stellar 16-2 with a pin of Jose Torres to start the match. Bateman is the lone returning regional qualifier on an inexperienced team.
“He’s got a lot of expectations on himself and from the team. We do lean on him to be that spark plug, that catalyst,” said Ellis. “I don’t envy his position by any means, but I wouldn’t pick anyone else. If there’s one person who’s built to handle that pressure it’s Christian Bateman, having dealt with it last year, being a part of that group that went to regions, that set school records.”
Bateman has embraced the role.
“I’m just trying to encourage my teammates, get them better every day, working with every guy in the room to make them the best that they can be,” he said. “Pushing them to be the next state medalists up on the board.”
The victory over Torres showed a talented wrestler with room to grow. Bateman took his Hornets opponent down no
Sun Valley’s Shane O’Niell, left, wrestles Oxford’s Sam Blevins in the 182-pound match held at Sun Valley Wednesday.
9ROBERT J. GURECKI – DIGITAL FIRST MEDIA.
fewer than five times during the bout, each with a smoothness that belied the difficulty of the sport. Torres also picked four points off Bateman with two reversals.
“I started off a little sloppy,” explained Bateman. “As the match started to go, I got in my groove and controlled him. I was like I gotta kick it into drive. I need to finish this kid.”
The minor setbacks are just part of the process. Bateman has already achieved great success in his young career. He finished third in districts last season and earned outstanding wrestler honors at the Kurt Meister Invitational Tournament in December. The challenge now is to build on that success.
“There’s times where he’s untouchable,” said Ellis. “And for him, because he is still young, a lot of people don’t realize he’s a junior, he still has to grow into a polished gem. He’s going to have to start putting that on himself, to sharpen his own skills, hone his craft and push himself in the room by himself.”
To help Bateman along the way, Ellis enlisted Penncrest grad Joe Gartland, the 2013 Daily Times Wrestler of the Year and a second-place finisher at states. Gartland, an assitant coach, has pushed Bateman to improve each day. And the protegee wants to exceed the accomplishments of his mentor.
“I’m trying to get past regionals. I’m trying to win every postseason tournament I can,” said Bateman. “I’m trying to get in the states this year and become the second Sun Valley wrestler to place. It’s a goal of mine.”
The more their star improves, the more the Vanguards will follow. There were glimpses of that improvement against Oxford (12-3, 2-1). Aside from Bateman, Shane O’Neill and James Schmucker won points for Sun Valley. O’Neill earned a 7-0 decision over Sam Blevins at 182 pounds, while Schmucker matched Bateman with a pin of Will Johnson to close the match at 145.
Through it all, Ellis saw positives his program can build on this year and for seasons to come.
“The experience level is finally starting to pick up,” he gushed. “Every one on the team has a better win percentage than they ever had. We preach improvement not just yearly, monthly, daily, but every single match. You gotta improve some way, some how.”
In the Del Val League:
Chichester 56, Penn Wood 18 >> Noah Harvey (152), Eddie Sykes (170) and heavyweight Vince Petrucelli recorded pins as the Eagles cruised.
Ryan Jackson (138), Abraham Charles (145) and David Rush (220) scored falls for the Patriots.
In the Central League:
Garnet Valley 67, Springfield 6 >> Matt Marino logged a major decision over Springfield’s Vince Di Michelle in the 126-pound match, and the Jaguars received pins by Dave Wood (138) and Robbie Peters (152). Springfield’s Dave Bagirov prevented the shutout with a fall at 120.
