Scott, King remain driven
HERSHEY – When it comes to pursuing a state wrestling championship, both Coleman Scott of Waynesburg and Jarrod King of Connellsville have been there, but both haven’t done that
Both, however, are on their way this season. Scott, last year’s PIAA Class AAA champ at 103 pounds started Thursday’s state preliminary round at Giant Center with a fall in 3:41 over Eric Albright of West York at 112.
King, last year’s runner-up at 135, easily disposed of Nate Cain of Downingtown 15-1 at 152.
Both are coming from different mental vantage points. Scott has the pressure on him to defend his crown while King had to block out the painful memory of losing in the finals just one year ago.
Both remain driven.
“Everything’s different this year,’ Scott said. “Everybody wants to beat me. Last year it was all equal and I just wrestled. This year I have more pressure and stuff.”
And he’ll deal with it his own way. “I just have to do what I have to do to win,’ he said. “I won’t be content to get anything else.’
Despite the 15-1 score, King had to work at it against Cain of Downingtown. A five-point second period put him well on his way to the major decision.
“It’s always good to get the first one out of the way,’ King said. “He (Cain) had a weird style. He was so tall, 6-4 or something. I was barely able to shake his hand, I had to reach up so high.’
It took King, who will face Northampton’s Billy Haydt in this afternoon’s quarterfinals, some time to shake off last year’s bitter finals defeat to Mike Rogers of Easton, also a junior and also back, but at a different weight.
“I was feeling that one for awhile,’ King said. “You have to move on. It makes you work harder to make sure you never feel that way again.’
King wasn’t the only Connellsville wrestler to move on. Freshman 119-pounder Ashtin Primus made an impressive Giant Center debut by pinning Reinaldo Merced of Freedom in 3:15. He hooked a cradle and trapped Merced’s far leg and pulled the near one back so far there was little doubt when the fall call came.
While Primus is new to the state’s legion of fans, he’s hardly new to wrestling circles. “He belongs in this atmosphere,’ Connellsville coach Tommy Dolde said. “He’s been in tournaments all over the country.
“He’s an excellent worker and his focus is tremendous. He wants to score points all the time.’
A few points will come in handy today as Primus is paired with Jared Royer of Cedar Cliff. Royer placed third last year at 112 pounds.
The Falcons’ Steve Bell lost a tough 5-2 decision in the first round to Cumberland Valley’s Ryan Williams, but came back to win his 112-pound consolation against Scott Billich of Huntingdon. Connellsville’s effort has Falcons in seventh place in the early team standings.
Waynesburg’s Scott has some company in today’s quarterfinals as well as Chris Neidermeier at 103 beat Ryan Bosso of Penn Manor 4-3 and Mark Throckmorton at 130 defeated Chris Ramos of Governor Mifflin 10-3.
Neidermeier will meet State College’s Kyle Fluke this afternoon while Throckmorton is set to meet Northwest Regional champion Mark Fisher of Bald Eagle Area.
Albert Gallatin also has its two wrestlers still going. John Ptak at 160 pounds cruised to a 13-3 win over Dan Goetter of Pennridge. Junior 103-pounder Jon Bittinger wrestled the very first AAA match but lost 8-4 to Seth Ciasulli of Easton. He came back in the consolations with an 11-4 win over Matt Kyler of Clearfield.
Unlike in Class AA, there were no monumental upsets in AAA. News that certainly affects WPIAL wrestlers, though, should open some eyes in the Pittsburgh suburbs.
As fans are well aware, the WPIAL sent just three wrestlers per weight to Hershey instead of the usual four. That fourth went to the Southeast Region. They might want to rethink that.
The Southeast Region fourth-place qualifiers went 1-13 in the first round. Their third-place qualifiers had the same record. Eighteen of their 56 qualifiers are in the quarterfinals; 22 are already eliminated.
WPIAL,by comparison, has 34 of 42 qualifiers in the quarterfinals and only two have been eliminated thus far.