Norristown is hosting the inaugural Chuck Springer Memorial Duals this Saturday at 9 a.m. at Norristown Area High School.
The event is named after Norristown wrestling’s longtime assistant coach Charles Springer Jr., who died in May 2020.
Springer coached local youth, middle school and high school wrestling teams. He founded the Norristown Police Athletic League youth wrestling club and served as the Area XI Chairman for Pennsylvania Junior Wrestling. He also coached the Norristown Area Bandits 65-pound football team.
“Coach Springer was a dedicated coach, but more than that one of the best human beings you could ever meet,” Norristown Athletic Director Anthony Palladino said. “His passion for wrestling was only exceeded for his passion for his student-athletes and family. I only had the opportunity to know him for a brief period, but in that time I saw first hand what many others knew, he was the real deal, no strings attached, total dedication. We created this tournament as a small way to honor his life’s work with the youth in the area and to say thank you, he is deeply missed.”
Eight teams will be participating in the event – Lower Merion, Lower Moreland, Martin Luther King, Norristown, Overbrook, Plymouth Whitemarsh, Pottsgrove and Reading.
The Eagles are in their second season under head coach Bill Evans. Senior Doug Cawley and junior Nikosh Marston are expected to have big seasons this winter. In the 21-team Pottstown Invitational last weekend, both reached the championship semifinals – Cawley in the 121-pound weight class and Marston in 133.
Lower Moreland started its season last Saturday in the 12-team Battle of Germantown at Germantown Academy. Shodibek Pulatov reached the championship semifinals in the 150-pound weight class while James King, Bailey Odhner, Shakhrizod Pulatov, Jisue Kim and Mohammed Ismael reached the championship quarterfinals in their respective weight classes.
The Chuck Springer Memorial Duals will be Plymouth Whitemarsh’s opener.
