Jefferson-Morgan wrestlers have that ‘3-D feeling’
JEFFERSON – When Mike Lesko talks to his wrestlers about “3-D” he isn’t describing that long-ago type of movies where the audience put on a special pair of glasses and literally became part of the film action. Instead, the Jefferson-Morgan wrestling coach is reminding his charges about his formula which, if they follow it to the letter, they can continue to be a strong force in their section and WPIAL competition.
Lesko, starting his sixth year as head coach of the Rockets, reminded them that “there is a 3-D factor that goes into making a team a winner and those three ingredients are Desire, Dedication and Determination.”
Of his wrestlers, Lesko said, “This is a good bunch to work with, and they all have that 3-D feeling. Now it becomes a question of the mental factor – they have the ability and the experience, but now they have to decide if they want to work even harder to realize their goals.”
That is one question nobody ever needs to ask, for over the years, hard work has been a byword for Jeff-Morgan wrestlers.
If any one problem faces Lesko at the moment, it’s numbers. But there is a good group of returning lettermen.
Included are:
Seniors – Shane Baker (140) and Stush Demaske (160).
Juniors – Robbie Haines (130), Allen Hager (145), Donnie Hewitt (152), Mike Myers (171) and Shane Bebber (189).
Sophomores – John Hill (119), J.J. Ferenchak (125) and Tommy Phillips (135).
Rounding out the Rocket prospects are sophomore Justyn Orndoff (215) and freshmen Jordan Scritchfield (103) and Ed Maison (112).
A year ago, the Rockets finished 9-4 overall, including 6-2 in Section 3-AA, and only one wrestler was lost to graduation – Justin Mattei (171), now at Waynesburg College. Mattei finished third in the Southwest Regionals, and advanced to the state finals at Hershey.
Of those returning, Haines was also a state qualifier and Demaske is a three-time regional qualifier.
Lesko said, “This year they are going to take five from the regionals to the state event, and every one of our wrestlers feels, right now, that if they do what they have to do, they will qualify for Hershey.”
Under PIAA rules, if an adjoining school has no wrestling team and there are those in that school who want to wrestle, they can compete for the neighboring district. In this case, Hewitt, Baker and Phillips represent Carmichaels on the Rocket roster.
Of his lineup, Lesko said, “We have a lot of experience on the mats. There are only two seniors, giving us a good group of juniors and sophomores to work with, and those coming back brought with them some experience. Plus we have a real nice group to work with in our growing junior high program.
“This is a good group to work with, and team unity is a very big factor. They work well together; they are a likeable group, and mostly all good students.”
If there is any one minus factor to the program it is “our lack of depth,” Lesko said. “While we have good, experienced wrestlers returning in every class, we don’t have the backups, and if any of them get injured, we could be in trouble.”
In the section race a year ago, Chartiers-Houston swept through its schedule and Lesko sees them “strong again this year. They look really strong, and if they stay together, they can be a really tough force. Beth-Center could also be strong. Our own hopes in the section race hinge on our staying healthy first of all.”
Lesko also feels that Double-A competition overall is going to be stronger this year with “Mount Pleasant and Derry dropping down one class from 3-A. They are two fine programs and have been strong for years in 3-A, and now they have dropped down, which will make our class even stronger.”
The Rockets open their season on Wednesday, Dec. 4, in a section match at Beth-Center, then make their first home appearance two days later against South Allegheny. They will also compete in four tournaments, starting with the newly organized two-day event at Ambridge Dec. 13-14, then the Southmoreland Holiday event Dec. 27-28, which will have a 24-team field.
The schedule (all matches begin at 7:30):
Section 3-AA – Dec. 4, at Beth-Center; Dec. 11, Bentworth; Dec. 18, Charleroi; Dec. 20, at Washington; Jan. 6, Chartiers-Houston; Jan. 8, at South Park; Jan. 15, at Brownsville; and Jan. 22, West Greene.
Non-Section – Dec. 6, South Allegheny; Dec. 13-14, at Ambridge Tournament; Dec. 27-28, at Southmoreland Holiday Tournament; Jan. 11, at Quigley Tournament; Jan. 24-25, at Bedford Tournament; Jan, 31, at Laurel Highlands.