WESTTOWN >> The funky, slick style of Hill School sophomore Kelvin Griffin catches plenty of opponents off guard.
Heck, he nearly scored a quick takedown against Wyoming Seminary’s Nick Bouzakis in the first period of the 126-pound final.
But Bouzakis is ranked No. 1 in the country by numerous websites, and what he had to offer as a counter, Griffin just wasn’t ready for.
“I still have a lot of work to do,” Griffin said. “Throughout the season I’ve wrestled tough matches, but I haven’t been put on my back like that in quite a while. It was humbling. Part of me, it really eats me up, but it’s good I’m not done yet.”
The main objective for the Blues at the Pennsylvania Independent Schools wrestling tournament, at Westtown, Saturday, was to qualify for nationals next weekend.
Griffin, and seven others, did so by placing top-six. Hill School finished fourth in the standings, and Griffin was its lone finalist.
Hill School’s Sam Beckett ties up with Malvern Prep’s Isaiah Wright in a 5-0 victory in the 145-pound consolation final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
The sophomore, who transferred from Brooks School in Massachusetts, was cradled a couple of times by Bouzakis, before eventually getting pinned in the second period. After placing eighth at nationals at 113 pounds, Griffin has high hopes of carrying the Hill School banner higher on the podium.
“I’m hoping to make a statement that Hill School is serious about wrestling,” Griffin said. “Back in the day we had a great team, and I want to show we’re building it back up.”
The resurgence was evident over the two-day tournament. Kade Davidheiser (106 pounds) and Sam Beckett (145) finished third, while Joey Asterino (120) took fourth, Michael Stevens (160) and Derek Schmaeling (195) placed fifth and Jacob Craig (113) and Ethan Kreuzburg (132) got sixth.
“It was up and down, but we’re still young and making progress,” Hill School coach Dave Hoffman said. “We were 10th last year and we had more points after day one, this year. … Wyoming Seminary and Malvern Prep are two of the best teams in the country, and we’re just not there yet. That doesn’t mean we won’t be, we’re just not there yet.”
Davidheiser, who reached the Southeast Regional tournament last winter with Boyertown, dropped a major decision to Malvern’s Tommy Link in the semifinals, but came back with two straight wins.
“Tommy and I split matches earlier in the year, so I was hoping I could come out with the win,” Davidheiser said. “After the loss I had to come back and get my mental straight and it was good to comeback and get third.”
Hill School’s Kade Davidheiser rides out Western Reserve’s Eli Spencer in a 4-2 win in the 106-pound consolation final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
Beckett had to face another of Sem’s No. 1 ranked kids in the country, Lachlan McNeil, in the semis, and he lost, 22-9. But after starting as the No. 4 seed, Beckett won two in a row to end his first tournament back at 145, after competing at 138 earlier this season.
“I knew it was going to be tough coming in against the top-ranked kid in the country,” said Beckett, who took fourth as a freshman. “It was my first weekend up at 145, from 38, and I just tried to stay tough and push the pace.”
None of the Blues were totally content with their placement, which is likely a good thing. Hoffman knows there’s a good chance his guys may get rematches next week, and hopes their experiences will pay off.
“We’ll see (Bouzakis) again next week,” said Hoffman, referring to Griffin. “A guy that physical, it’s good to feel it one time. We got a little overwhelmed, physically, there. We wrestle a great schedule, and we’re not seeing anyone different, here. It’s important to feel that one time, and like I said to Kelvin, this is a qualifier and nothing more. We qualified for what matters, next weekend.”
The Hill School coaching staff watches on as Kelvin Griffin wrestles in the 126-pound final. (Nate Heckenberger – For MediaNews Group)
