Depth a question mark as Uniontown wresters begins drills
Jerry Simon isn’t a poker player, but at the moment he’s holding three eights that could make him a winner – eight juniors, eight freshmen, and eight returning lettermen. Right now, the long-time Uniontown coach has 19 wrestlers undergoing workouts, preparing for the schedule that opens on Dec. 9, and the first test is going to be a big one. In addition to opening the season, the “Rasslin Raiders” also open their Section 2-AAA schedule the same night – against defending champion Connellsville.
With the retirement of Connellsville coach Tom Dolde, Simon has now become the “Dean” of Fayette wrestling coaches, starting his 22nd season with the Raiders.
He will be assisted by Pat Tressler, with Jeff Spinetti as the ninth grade coach, Jesse Rice directing the A.J. McMullen team and Mark Jenkins, Rick Maruniak, and Sean Martin in charge of the elementary program.
Only three wrestlers graduated from last year’s team, but they took a lot of wins and a lot of experience with them – Steve Kilgore, a four-year letterman and Ryan Hollis (2-years) are now in the military, and two-year letterman Steve Lotman is at California University of Pa.
Returning lettermen include:
Seniors – Heavyweight Bryon Bianchini.
Juniors – Jonathon Guth (125); Tom Furbee (135); Matt Donesec (135); Nathan Klingensmith (140), who had a 20-9 record; Jeremiah Ditmore (171), who posted a 22-4 slate and Dan Newlon (189).
Sophomores – Jonathon Van Bremen (145).
Rounding out the roster are:
Juniors – Scott Bell (145) and Brandon Sisler (130).
Sophomores – Jim Jenkins (189).
Freshmen – Jeremy Rice and Seth Merschat (103 or 112), Doug Rush (119), Ed Olesh and Marvin Foster (152), Allen Spaw (160), Joey Belt (171) and Brandon Darnell (215).
Of his freshmen, Simon said, “This is the highest total of ninth graders we have had out in a long while, and most of them have experience from our elementary and junior high programs.”
On the plus side, Simon said of his Raiders, “They have a good work ethic; they are a very enthusiastic group, and what I like most about them is they all have the feeling they can be winners this year. Many of our juniors started wrestling in the ninth grade, and this will be their third year of competition, which is a big asset to the team and to themselves.
“Our juniors have also set a good example to the others with their work ethic and leadership. They have set a good example for the others on the team. And one big point for us, on paper at least, is that we have a wrestler for every weight class.”
But every good program also has a minus point or two, and in Uniontown’s case it’s depth.
Simon said, “Depth is always a question mark for wrestling coaches. We sometimes wish we could be like football coaches who might have two or three at some positions and they can switch tackles and guards, for example. But you can’t do that in wrestling and sometimes that makes for a long season.
“We do have a good group of freshmen, and they will have to learn varsity wrestling as they go along.”
The Raiders lost one section opponent when Mount Pleasant dropped down a Class AA, but the rest of the lineup is intact. Plus they will compete in four tournaments – at Beall, Md., Fort Hill, Md., Westmar, Md., where they have competed for many years, and the Yough Tournament.
Simon called the Fort Hill event “a very good test for us. This is an 11-team tournament and wrestlers will have 10 dual meets in two days. It’s a grind, but it is a very competitive tournament, a very good test for wrestlers. The Beall Tournament is also very strong with nine to 12 teams competing from Maryland, West Virginia and Washington, D.C., along with us. Eight teams will be competing at Westmar.”
Looking at the section race, Simon sees, “Connellsville and Albert Gallatin fighting for the top with Ringgold, Belle Vernon and Laurel Highlands all bunched in there. Our own hopes lie with the returnees picking up where they left off last year and the newcomers learning as the season progresses.
“Our key is to stay free from injuries and let the wrestlers have some fun. Make sure the season is a learning experience, but at the same time let them have some fun while they are learning.”
The schedule (all matches 7 p.m.):
Section 2-AAA — Dec. 9, Connellsville; Dec. 11, at Albert Gallatin; Dec. 18, at Laurel Highlands; Jan. 8, at Belle Vernon; Jan. 10, Ringgold; Jan. 15, Elizabeth-Forward (Senior Night) and Jan. 22, at McKeesport.
Non-Section – Dec. 14, at Beall Tournament; Jan. 17-18, at Fort Hill, Md. Tournament; Jan. 25, at Westmar, Md., Tournament; Feb 8, at Yough Tournament.
Dates are still pending for exhibition matches with Jefferson-Morgan and Brownsville and will be announced when finalized.