HERSHEY >> Spring-Ford’s Alex Johns has learned to be comfortable in the discomfort.
The senior has made a career of going where the team needs him, fighting off some of the toughest foes, for the good of the squad.
What was once, and still occasionally is, the art of minimizing the damage, Johns’ role has extended to being a wrestler the Rams need as they continue their ascension in the state landscape.
Thursday, in the first round of the Class 3A PIAA Duals, at the Giant Center in Hershey, Johns went from a minimizer to a decider, helping Spring-Ford to a 36-26 win over Delaware Valley.
“I like the pressure,” Johns said. “I know I can do it. I know I can win big matches because of what I do in the practice room. I’ve been working a lot harder.”
Pitted against Joe Casella (145 pounds), who bumped away from Zach Needles (138), Johns trailed, 2-1, heading into the third. Johns used a peterson for a reversal and two near-fall points to walk away a 5-2 winner.
Spring-Ford’s Zach Needles strains against Delaware Valley’s Dan Privatt in a technical fall win at 138 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For Media News Group)
As a sophomore, Johns wrestled at 145, before dropping to 132 last winter. This year, he’s been at 145 most of the year, with a few appearances at 138. His career record of 48-39 won’t wow you, but he’s 13-6 in bouts won by decision as a senior.
“Sometimes the coaches will say, ‘Johns, we need you to win this match,’ and I’ve wrestled a lot of swing matches this year,” Johns said. “Coach (Tim) Seislove sometimes calls me the X-factor in these matches. … I have the best practice partners around, with Quinn (Tobin) and Zach (Needles) and Jack (McGill), and it’s been great stepping up to this role.”
Fellow senior, Sean Brogan is in a similar boat. Brogan didn’t start until he was a junior, and though he reached regionals, he’s become more dependable this winter.
A year ago, Brogan was pinned 15 times, with only eight pins of his own, but this campaign, Brogan has only been decked three times. His 11th win by fall of the season clinched the dual against the Warriors in the penultimate bout.
“I think, at this point in the season, I’ve gotten over the pressure and am just wrestling hard and doing what the coaches tell me to do,” Brogan said. “It’s been a lot of hard work and it’s been a lot of fun.”
Jack McGill of Spring-Ford inches towards a pin against Delaware Valley’s Joe Shauger at 152 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For Media News Group)
The Rams wiped out an early deficit by the fifth match of the night, thanks to a decision by Tobin (132) and a technical fall by Needles. Following Johns’ comeback win, Jack McGill (152) earned his 70th career pin.
“We won the coin toss, so that helped us control the upper weights,” Seislove said. “Alex Johns had a huge win at 145. That really kind of turned the tides. They bumped their 138-pounder up, and Alex did a fantastic job getting the win.”
From there, Spring-Ford had to hold on for a couple matches, and Xavier Cushman (160) and Jason Lepore (170) held their foes to decisions. Lepore nearly pulled off a major comeback when he tied the bout at seven, after trailing, 6-1. But a 9-7 loss was better than giving up bonus points Del Val thought they’d get there.
Thanks to that coin toss, Del Val’s stud, Jason Henderson, bumped up to 220, allowing Joey Milano (182) and Louis Carbajal (195) to push Spring-Ford’s lead to 15 before he saw the mat. Brogan’s pin, as time expired in the second, sealed the Rams’ move into the quarterfinals.
“We’ve been taking it one day at a time,” Seislove said. “Our kids are never too high and never too low. They keep plugging along.”
After dispensing the District 2 champ, Spring-Ford gets District 3 runner-up, Dallastown, who blew out Father Judge, 49-23. They will wrestle at 2 p.m. The winner moves to the semifinals, which are scheduled for 8 p.m. (and likely against the No. 1 team in the state, Nazareth).
The loser wrestles at 6 p.m., in the second round consolations, to survive to Saturday, which Spring-Ford did last season.
Spring-Ford’s Xavier Cushman tries to score a reversal against Delaware Valley’s Cooper Kidd in a 6-1 loss at 160 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For Media News Group)
Spring-Ford’s Jason Lepore lifts Delaware Valley’s Machias Magill for a takedown in a 9-7 loss at 170 pounds. (Nate Heckenberger – For Media News Group)
