Districts to narrow field

“At this point in the season, you’re getting down to some pretty good wrestlers all the way across. These are the top eight of 21 schools - it’s a pretty narrow filter that you have to get past.”

- Pennsbury Wrestling head coach Joe Kiefer
(on Saturday's District One
wrestling tourney at CR North)

PENNSBURY:Season of misfortune winding down

Pennsbury’s seven mat men push into districts

By Steve Sherman
Sports Editor

This grappling campaign has been a season of misfortune for Pennsbury.
If it wasn’t for bad luck, the Falcons wouldn’t have had any at all.
In addition to losing two wrestlers who captured regional championships last year when senior Eddie Shupe and junior Josh Dziewa transferred to Council Rock South, Pennsbury has lost to injury combatants in numerous weight classes.
At 103 pounds, with Joe Russo still out with injuries he sustained in an auto accident over a year ago, Kyle Martinowicz then suffered a concussion in a December bout that kept him out for the remainder of the season.
At 119, Jason Ongradi reinjured his back in the preseason and never even made it onto the mat. Same thing happened at 145 where Dave DeMaria suffered a shoulder injury in a scrimmage that kept him out the rest of the season. At 160, Mike Mills had to have shoulder surgery so that meant he was gone for the year. Finally at 171 pounds, Richie Applegate was lost when doctors decided he needed wrist surgery after the end of the football season.
With so many walking wounded, it’s no wonder the Falcons finished in eighth place--out of nine teams--Feb. 14 at sectionals.
“It’s very unusual for so many young wrestlers to sustain injuries that take them out of one season and carry over and take them out of the next,” stated PHS wrestling coach Joe Kiefer.
Adding insult to all those injuries was a late-season ailment that struck junior 140-pounder Mark Nicholson. After tallying 19 victories in 22 tries during the regular season, Nicholson came down with a cold that kept him out of school the week before sectionals.
The junior tried to recover in time for the postseason but was quickly eliminated at the section tourney.
Even so, Pennsbury had seven wrestlers who qualified for this weekend’s District One Class AAA tournament set to take place this Saturday at Council Rock North. That’s the same number as Council Rock South, which entered the season as defending district champion.
“For us to have as many wrestlers make it to districts as a program like Council Rock South I think it says a lot about the testament of our boys and those who have persevered throughout the season,” Kiefer stated.
Of all the grapplers wearing the orange and black this year, senior Matt Johnson has perhaps the best chance to make it to regionals and beyond.
After spending a year at Valley Forge Military Academy, Johnson posted a record of 28-1 this season, surpassing more than 100 wins wrestling as a 171-pounder for the Falcons.
Johnson bumped up to 189 late in the season and that is where he’ll remain throughout the rest of the postseason. At sectionals, Matt won two of his three matches, falling in the finale to CR North junior Jamie Callender, the only person to outpace the Pennsbury co-captain this year.
Johnson did not qualify for regionals two years ago as a sophomore and was not a member of a PIAA program last year. Still he is expected to make it to regionals and perhaps, beyond.
“Matt is our top wrestler--no doubt about it,” Kiefer commented.
Johnson decided to move up to 189 just before the end of the season.
“He thought that he could do a better job there--he would be less focused on maintaining his weight and more focused on his wrestling if he moved up,” Kiefer explained.
Regardless of weight class, Kiefer expects Johnson to fare well at districts.
“He’s a 189-pounder now and that’s where he’s focusing his energy,” the coach said. “We think he has a good chance to qualify for states.”
Senior Matt Funk is also looking to take his first trip to regionals. This is Funk’s third trip to the district tournament. Matt was looking for a third place showing at sectionals this year and would have had it were it not for a late maneuver by a Bensalem opponent in the consolation semifinals.
“Hopefully, he can turn things around at the districts,” said Kiefer. “We’d like to see him qualify for regionals and move on.”
Funk has his work cut out for him this weekend. His first bout in districts is against Upper Darby 125-pounder Joe Carney.
“He’ll really challenge Matt,” said Kiefer, of Carney. “[Matt] will have to have one of his best matches ever in order to beat [Carney].”
At 22-12, senior Brian Kahil is having a fine season working the mat at 130 pounds. Brian placed fifth at sectionals and will have to get past some tough competition including CR South sophomore Matt Martoccio (15-2), who captured a sectional crown at Abington.
“Toward the end of the season and continuing at sectionals he’s done some of his best wrestling of the season.
“It’ll be tough but he has an opportunity to finish top four and move on to regionals.
Of all the grapplers, sophomore Conlan Cornman (22-12) is having perhaps the most surprising season. Not only did the 10th-grader make the jump from JV to varsity this year, he also surrendered weight in just about every bout, wrestling up at 160 pounds.
Cornman went 2-2 at sectionals and made it as far as the Section One semis and consolation finals before falling to a 6th-place finish.
“Making it that far was a feather in his cap,” stated Kiefer. “He’ll have a tough go at districts but he’s capable of surprising us again.”
Sophomore Jeff Leib has also pleased the Pennsbury faithful.
“Jeff is right up there with Conlan when you start talking about who was a pleasant surprise for the coaches,” Kiefer commented.
“He did a good job as a JV wrestler last year--as Conlan did. This year, he stepped into the varsity lineup and has progressively improved.
“For them to make the jump to varsity and do as well as they have done is quite a feather in their cap.”
In addition to winning three of his four sectional matches, junior Josh Mitchell won the consolation final battling against Truman sophomore Tom Bremme. Mitchell pinned Bremme the first time out but the last two bouts have been close. Tied at 1-all at sectionals, Josh got a takedown at the edge of the mat just before the final buzzer to outpace the Tiger wrestler, 3-1, and capture a fifth-place trophy.
Junior Kevin Bree also won three out of four matches at sectionals, defeating Dan Clemenson of William Tennent 8-2 in the consolation finale.
“He got a lead and was able to finish the match strong,” Keifer explained.
“If he wrestles the way that he did in that final bout at sectionals, he’ll have a good chance to qualify for regionals.”
***
The District One-Class AAA tournament is slated to go tomorrow morning (Feb. 21) at Council Rock North. Regionals are scheduled for the weekend of Feb. 27-28 at Oxford High School.
As the next few weeks pass, mat fans will get a chance to see who is the best of the best in the Keystone State so stay tuned.
“At this point in the season, you’re getting down to some pretty good wrestlers all the way across,” stated Kiefer. “These are the top eight of 21 schools--it’s a pretty narrow filter that you have to get past.”
***
Pennsbury's D-I Qualifiers
WT/GR NAME REC. SECT. PLC

112/So. - Jeff Lieb, (15-10) 6th
125/Sr. - Matt Funk, (24-10) 6th
130/Sr. - Brian Kahil, (22-12) 5th
160/So. - Conlan Cornman, (22-12) 6th
189/Sr. - Matt Johnson, (30-2) 2nd
215/Jr. - Kevin Bree, (18-12) 5th
285/Jr. - Joshua Mitchell, (26-8) 5th

PENNSBURY WRESTLING:Grapplers looking to extend season

Led by top seed Matt Johnson, Falcons looking to go far

By Steve Sherman; Sports Editor

February 4 was a long night for the Pennsbury High School wrestling team as it saw its dual-match season come to a close with a 42-19 loss to Council Rock North.

What’s more, senior Matt Johnson suffered his first loss of the season when he moved up to 189 pounds and was pinned by Rock North’s Jamie Callender in the second period.

Now it’s a whole new ballgame with sectionals beginning 9:30 a.m. tomorrow morning at Abington High School.

Johnson (28-1) enters the tournament as the No. 1 seed at 189 pounds. If he finishes in the top four, he’ll advance to the District One South Class AAA tourney slated for Feb. 21 at Council Rock North.

Johnson is looking to make it to states set to take place early next month at Hershey’s Giant Center. Matt has a very good chance to see his wish through.

The senior grappler spent last season wrestling and attending classes at Valley Forge Military Academy and finished third working the mat at 215 pounds in the Independent School League Tournament. Johnson finished fifth at sectionals in his sophomore campaign at Pennsbury.
Though he spent last year competing for another school, his teammates thought enough of Johnson to elect him a co-captain.

“He’s well respected by the young men on the team,” stated Head Coach Joe Kiefer. “And he’s obviously had a very successful season with his 28 wins.”

Junior Mark Nicholson (19-3) is another Falcon with a good chance to go far in individual action set to take place over the next four weeks. Last year, Nicholson punched his ticket to regionals after defeating Paul Ebert, of Council Rock South in district consolations.

With a 33-12 record entering regionals at 135 pounds, Nicholson thought he’d go far--at least make it to states.

He did not.

“He’s hoping to make it to regionals and do well this year in that tournament,” stated Kiefer. “He wants to avenge last year in all three levels this year--by doing well in sectionals, districts and regionals.”

Nicholson is seeded second and will go at 140 pounds in individual tourneys.

Senior co-captain Matt Funk--a No. 4 seed at sectionals--is also having a nice campaign in his final season at Pennsbury. After going 28-17 last year, Funk came back with a 22-8 mark this year.

“Winning 22 matches out of 30 opportunities is a good year for any wrestler, “ said Kiefer.
A three-year varsity wrestler and district qualifier the past two seasons, Funk helped the Falcons nip William Tennent in a mid-January matchup in hostile territory. With his team trailing 33-29, Funk came through with a major decision to lock the sides at 33-all. Pennsbury won the match on the first criteria--they’d won more matches than did the Panthers.

“He’s won some matches over the years that were big matches,” stated Kiefer. “We needed a major decision there against Tennent and he came through--helped seal our win that evening.”
Brian Kahil is another senior having a good year, just one win shy of 20 at 19-11. A wrestler who finished second at sectionals last year, Kahil came into the PHS program with no elementary school experience.

Over the last three seasons, Kiefer says the 130-pounder has blossomed into a solid mat performer.

“He really came into his own when he entered grades 10 and above,” stated the coach. “We are real happy with the kind of progress that he’s made.

“He’s turned into a very strong wrestler.”

Of all the grapplers, sophomore Conlan Cornman (20-10) is having perhaps the most surprising season. Not only did the 10th-grader make the jump from JV to varsity this year, he also surrendered weight in just about every bout, wrestling up at 160 pounds.

“Josh has to be the most pleasant surprise on the team,” said Kiefer. “Winning 20 matches is an accomplishment that speaks well for his future.”

Sophomore Jeff Leib (13-8) has had a solid season, too, winning 13 matches his first year on the varsity mat. He is seeded fourth at sectionals.

Junior Josh Mitchell had a fine year, coming out ahead in 23 of the 30 bouts that he wrestled. Josh is seeded at No. 2 in tomorrow’s tournament.

Junior Kevin Bree (15-11) will work the mat at 215 pounds at sectionals.

Last year, Bree wrestled at 160 pounds but grew into a 189-pounder in the offseason. At sectionals, he’ll wrestle at 215 pounds seeded fifth in the tourney.

“He’s a strong young man and getting better,” said Kiefer. “We’re hoping he’ll be able to extend his season for a couple more weeks.”

Among the group still on the team, the district qualifiers at Pennsbury last year included Funk, Kahil (fifth at districts) and Nicholson (third at districts).
***
NOTES: Junior Josh Dziewa (119) and senior Ed Shupe (160) also went to regionals last year along with Joe Erb (215) and Joe Valenzano (189). Shupe and Dziewa have since transferred to Council Rock South; the other two graduated from Pennsbury.

***

WT./Gr. NAME RECORD
103/So. - Robert Daniels, (6-9)
112/So. - Jeff Lieb, (13-8)
119/Sr. - Pat Hyland, (16-12)
125/So. – Anthony Argenti, (12-17)
130/Sr. - Matt Funk, (22-8)
135/Sr. - Brian Kahil, (19-11)
140/Jr. - Mark Nicholson, (19-3)
145/So. - Stephan Healy, (7-19)
152/Jr. - George Peel, (11-19)
160/So. - Conlan Cornman, (20-10)
171/Sr. - Ray Robinson, (0-2)
189/Sr. - Matt Johnson, (28-1) no. 1 seed
215/Jr. - Kevin Bree, (15-11)
285/Jr. - Joshua Mitchell, (23-7)
***
Postseason Mat Schedule
Sat. Feb. 14 District 1 AAA Section 1
at Abington HS 9:30 am
Sat. Feb. 21 District 1 AAA South
at Council Rock North HS 9:30 am
Fri. Feb 27 South East AAA Regional
at Oxford HS 5:00 pm
Sat. Feb. 28 South East AAA Regional
at Oxford HS

PENNSBURY PROFILE:Military school was a picnic for wrestler

Pennsbury senior Matt Johnson is back on the mat for the Falcons.

Pennsbury grappler says Valley Forge MA made him a bigger man

By Steve Sherman; Sports Editor

You’d think attending a military school would convert an adolescent into a young man, strong in mind, body and spirit.

And while he didn’t comment on the first and last parts of that trio, Pennsbury senior Matt Johnson is more than eager to tell you that he didn’t find that military school fit the mold to which most of us believe--at least not when it came to dietary issues.

Boarding last year as a junior at Valley Forge Military Academy, Johnson says he was fed a lot of fatty foods that caused him to bulk up in weight.

“The quality of the food was unhealthy and fattening, which is the reason why I gained all the weight I gained,” said the Pennsbury senior.

While Johnson enjoyed the same type of success (38-5 last year) he enjoyed his sophomore season when he went 40-5 wrestling at 189 pounds for the Falcons, the 12th-grader says he just didn’t feel right.

“I was chubby,” Johnson said frankly. “I didn’t like it.”

“It wasn’t so much that my mat performance was bad, I was just so heavy that it would keep me out of shape.”

“I felt disgusting most of the time.”

So Matt and his parents made the decision to come back to Pennsbury. The hard part for Johnson was getting back to his fighting weight. Eating a high-protein, low carb diet that consisted of a lot of salads, Johnson has returned to his old form and is back wrestling at 171 pounds.

Earlier in the season against Abington, he gave the Falcons more than a fighter’s chance at beating the Ghosts with a second-period pin at 171 that put Pennsbury on top, 32-23, with two bouts to go.

While the Falcon faithful is glad to see Matt once again wearing the orange and black, Johnson is also among the group that’s glad he’s back.

“It feels great; I think I took a lot of things for granted,” said Matt only hours before taking the mat against Abington.

“Now that I’m back, I get to train a lot harder and eat a lot better foods; that makes me happy.”

Johnson says his strict diet and weight training began in April and lasted until August when he finally returned to his old form. Matt says it wasn’t easy.

“I had to stick to salads after awhile; most of their food was mostly fried and cooked in fatty oils and stuff."

Even so, during his stay at Valley Forge, Johnson medaled at the Pennsylvania Independent School Wrestling Tournament (PAISWT) earning a trip to the National Prep Tournament at Lehigh University. At prep nationals, Johnson came within a whisker of earning a trophy. Only a stalling call kept him from medaling in the tournament, he said.

Johnson arrived back on Hood Boulevard just in time to capture his 100th win in varsity wrestling. After his second period pin against Abington, Johnson has 22 wins and 120 over his four-year varsity career.

Still, the Pennsbury senior is not satisfied and says he won’t be until he at least doubles his win total this year.

“Nobody knew it was my 100th [win]; I just kept it to myself,” said Johnson. “My goal is to reach 135-140 wins.

“When I reach that goal, I’ll be really happy.”

More recently, Johnson went 5-0 at McDonough Duals held during the Christmas holidays in Maryland.

At McDonough, Johnson defeated a Kellum wrestler using a 5-0 decision and he also pinned a Loyola wrestler who was ranked fifth in the state.

“I was excited about wrestling him and I pinned him pretty quick.”

As of Jan. 27, Matt remained unbeaten on the season at 27-0.

In addition to Johnson, Pennsbury’s seniors include Pat Hyland (119), Matt Funk (125), Brian Kahil (130/135) and Mark Nicholson (145). The rest of the lineup is riddled with new grapplers.

Still, Johnson believes this team can go far.

“Our lineup is developing; we have a lot of new guys who are just learning how to score,” said Matt. “They’re not experienced but for not being experienced, we have a lot of talent and potential.”

“If our guys keep working hard, we’ll keep on winning."

Johnson is looking forward to leading the way. He is drawing Division I interest and hopes to end up at possibly Rider or the University of Pittsburgh. In the meantime, he’s priming for a big season after spending a year in the prep ranks.

“I trained really hard this year and I’m really focused so I think I’m going to get it done,” he said. “If we keep training hard, we’ll win our league and make it into districts and maybe states.”