Lack of numbers biggest obstacle for Brownsville wrestling team
BROWNSVILLE – The Brownsville wrestling team must overcome a few obstacles this season. First is a lack of numbers, which prevents the Falcons from filling all of their weight classes; another is the lack of a junior high program to feed athletes to the varsity and the lack of assistant coaches.
Working in the Falcons’ favor is coach John Armel who has been with the program 16 years. He has an eye towards the future with 25 kids working in the elementary program.
“We have a lot of talented kids working in the elementary program,” Armel said, “What is hurting us is the lack of a junior high program to keep the kids in the sport long enough to improve their technique.”
He has only 13 boys on the varsity roster, led by WPIAL qualifier Steve Campbell, a senior, at 171 pounds.
Several of the boys are bunched into several weight classes. “It’s really tough in the dual meets because we have so many forfeits,” Armel said. “If we get one or two injuries, were hurting even more because of a lack of depth.”
Armel said that there are plenty of good athletes at Brownsville, but he is continuing to find it difficult to attract them to the sport. He pointed out that wrestling takes a lot of sacrifice and discipline. He says it’s tough for kids, when they go with their friends to social events, and they have to watch what they eat in order to make weight.
Armel is looking for some success from his wrestlers on an individual level to attract others to the sport. In addition to Campbell, he has three other seniors on the squad – Brian Dunker (152), Jaric Kuhn (130) and Mark Thomas (145).
One wrestler who could be key to the success of the program and has caught of eye of Armel is junior Matt Mayers (125). “He’s a tough kid and works hard every day,” Armel said. “He has been with the program since elementary school. He has the potential to do some good things.”
Armel is putting his hopes for the future of the program into the elementary program, where there are plenty of kids that could help in another four to five years if they continue.
Despite the obvious numbers problem, Armel is pleased with the work ethic of his wrestlers. He says it’s tough working by himself to keep the program going. He says he does have some dedicated kids, who don’t miss practice, and hopes they will lay a good foundation for the future.
“It’s a tough sport, and I don’t think it’s completely understood here on what it takes to put an elite program out on the mats,” Armel said. “The wrestlers I have are the best recruiting tools you could ask for. They’ve been able to get a couple of kids to come out that have never wrestled.”
He says the main problem for the new guys is learning techniques – how to watch their weight, conditioning and staying healthy.
Armel would like to be able to pick up enough bodies by next season to have a junior high program. He also wants to keep the program going long enough for his elementary wrestlers to come through.
He thinks he has a couple of wrestlers that could have good seasons this year. If they can break through and go deep into the WPIAL tournament, and possibly qualify for states, it would be a big step forward for the overall program.