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Mitch Rupert on wrestling: South Williamsport’s program on the rise

In the past, Eric Gerber would have been happy to win the majority of the contested bouts in a dual meet. Tuesday night, after being informed his South Williamsport team won five of the eight bouts, Gerber was pleased but not satisfied.

“I wanted to win every match wrestled,” the sixth-year coach said.

My how the tables have turned for a program which hasn’t finished better than nine wins under .500 in Gerber’s tenure. But winning each contested bout is exactly the kind of expectation Gerber has been working toward since he started the rebuild of the South Williamsport program from the elementary through the varsity teams.

And even though this is just the first in what Gerber hopes is a continuous series of years of improved success, he’s already looking to reap what a rebuilt program has sowed. And so far, he’s gotten just that.

The Mounties crowned their first season-opening tournament champion since Nate Jones won the Top Hat in 2013 and 2014 when freshman Bobby Gardner won the Darren Klingerman Invitational a week ago. They nearly defeated District 4 blue blood Warrior Run in the season-opener Tuesday night, falling 38-30 in a match it led by 10 points before having to forfeit the final three bouts.

It responded Thursday with a dominant victory against Loyalsock, 51-6, beating up a team it had considerably outmanned. In the past, those had been close victories for the Mounties. Thursday night it won each of the four contested bouts, three of which were by fall.

“These kids have been wrestling for a long time, but this is a different atmosphere when the lights turn down and you’re the only one out there wrestling,” Gerber said after the loss to Warrior Run. “It was exciting to see them break out, enjoy themselves, and have some fun. I’d like to see them turn some of those matches around, but they need to keep working and improving every single day.”

There are bigger challenges waiting South Williamsport this season. None bigger than a dual-meet with state No. 1-ranked Southern Columbia on Jan. 3. That’s a match where the Mounties likely won’t go in with hopes to win, but maybe more so hopes to compete.

But otherwise there isn’t a dual meet on the schedule South Williamsport should believe it’s out of before it starts. Gerber said before the season started this was going to be a far more entertaining dual-meet team to watch this year, and so far he’s been proven right.

Of the eight bouts wrestled against Warrior Run on Tuesday night, five were decided by five points or fewer. The three falls recorded in the dual were all scored by South Williamsport wrestlers — Lane Lusk, Spencer Marquardt and Michael Fioretti.

And this all came after a junior high match which South Williamsport won in criteria. In all, it was nearly three hours of highly entertaining, high level wrestling in front of a crowd which filled South Williamsport’s gym with a buzz it hasn’t had too much of for wrestling matches in recent years.

It was because this was a lineup full of high-energy, high-effort athletes who are only beginning to scratch at the surface of what they’re capable of.

“We’re all pretty excited to wrestle in front of these crowds,” Gardner said. “We’re trying to get bigger crowds and more people I here. It was really exciting for us.”

“We have little kids out here on the mat wrestling after the match and that’s exciting to see also,” Gerber said. “We have kids buying in. We have parents buying in and supporting the program, and that’s humongous. The parents have been fantastic as far as supporting their kids and getting them to camps.”

Gardner has been the most notable change in the South Williamsport lineup because of his start to the season. He came from the pigtail matches at the DKI at 106 pounds, defeating No. 2 seed Kaiden Majcher in his second bout, and following with wins over district qualifier Jake Leonard by fall and regional qualifier Travis Anderson, 7-3.

He doesn’t yet appear in PA Power Wrestling’s state rankings at 106 pounds, but if he continues this run which has him at 6-0 following the first week of competition, it may not take him long to get there.

“I’ve been happy with my performance. I’m just looking to get better and keep it going,” Gardner said. “Confidence is a big part of wrestling. If you don’t have confidence, you’re pretty much going out there to lose.”

That confidence in Gardner’s wrestling is palpable. He’s faced Majcher twice already this season. They were his toughest matchups. But never did it feel like he was anything but in control. He recorded two takedowns in the first 2 minutes, 18 seconds of Tuesday’s match and rode it to a 5-2 victory.

“We’re just at the very beginning of the season. He just has to keep wrestling, keep improving and keep getting better every day in the room,” Gerber said. “He’s a tough-working kid. He’s taking care of all the business that needs to be taken care of right now. I’m super proud of him.”

But that’s not a trait which belongs solely to Gardner. It’s a trait which permeates through a young, but talented team which is surely on the rise.

“I love seeing programs like that rebuild,” Warrior Run coach Jeremy Betz said. “It makes them better and it makes us better. We knew it was going to be a scrap. It’s a good scrap and that’s what wrestling is all about.”

LAYING THE FRAMEWORK

Matt Yonkin isn’t surprised by what freshman 106-pounder Kayden Frame has done in his first week as a varsity wrestler. Truth be told, it’s pretty much what the Montoursville coach expected.

Frame posted a 10-0 major decision in Thursday’s win over Central Columbia to move to 7-1 in the early portion of the season. His only loss was in the quarterfinals of the Top Hat to eighth-ranked Chris Arciuolo of Saucon Valley.

Other than that, though? Frame has been money.

“I had a feeling. He’s got such great fundamentals, but he also has the ability to improvise in situations, and as a result, he’s never out of a situation,” Yonkin said. “I’m expecting a lot out of him. He’s another one who stepped up at the Top Hat and put us in the Top 10 and then he gave us a solid win (Thursday).”

Frame has already made his mark on the state level, reaching No. 22 in the state rankings and fourth in the Northeast Regional rankings. Four of his seven wins have been bonus-point wins, and his presence could be a crucial part of how the Warriors fair as a dual-meet team. But if he continues on the trajectory he’s on, he could also be a problem come the postseason.

“He’s going to be a guy to watch at the end of the season at 106,” Frame said. “I truly believe that.”

WRESTLER OF THE WEEK

Braden Bower, Williamsport

(113 pounds)

It’s hard to imagine a much better varsity debut than what Bower put together at the Top Hat last weekend. The freshman defeated a pair of state qualifiers on the tournament’s final day to win the 113-pound title and give the Millionaires their first Top Hat title since Roshaun Cooley took first in 2012.

CAN’T-MISS MATCH OF THE WEEK

Canton at Troy, Wednesday, 7 p.m.

No matter the sport, when these two neighbors get together, the intensity is bound to be high. But in this dual, the communities of both school will be coming together to help Canton’s Timmy Ward. No admission will be charged at the door for the dual, but there will be a donation basket at each ticket table where people can help the Ward family as Timmy begins his fight against Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, as well as the Stroud family, which was recently displaced by a fire. The Troy wrestling boosters have also set up a large basket raffle to benefit the Ward family.

Mitch Rupert covers high school wrestling for the Sun-Gazette. He can be reached at 570-326-1551, ext. 3129, or by email at mrupert@sungazette.com.

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