Published Wednesday, Feb. 11, 1998
BACK TO HERALD...
TEAM OF THE MONTH: Reynolds wrestling
Ho, hum: just another typical Raiders' season
By Ed Farrell
Herald Sports Writer
From a humble origin, the Reynolds High School wrestling program hasevolved into the Beast of the East, and the '97-98 edition has done nothing to tarnish that reputation.
After annexing another county crown _ the 25th in the school's storied mat annals _ the Raiders ran roughshod over their first 13 dual-meet opponents by a composite 717-76 margin, a 55.1 to 5.8 nightly norm.
Not only did this year's Raiders eclipse the school standard (a '65-66 73-0 win over Sharpsville) for points in a single match with a 74-0 conquest at Titusville earlier this season, but the club approached the 14-2 '90-91 contingent's 819 team points by amassing 771 markers en route to a 14-1 ledger. And as a result, Reynolds has been chosen The Herald Sports Extra Male Team of the Month for January.
In approximately four decades, Reynolds wrestling teams have blossomed from Dick Sherwood's 4-4 '60-61 aggregation to a program that head coach Brian Hills proudly points out maintains the state's highest winning percentage, 89.1 (472-58-2).
Reynolds 152-pounder Chad Holszhu controls Greenville's Brian Kuhn during the Raiders' recent convincing 42-3 rout of the Trojans. (Jean Neice/Herald)
``We're pretty well balanced; maybe moreso than ever,'' Hills understated, while at the same time saying a mouthful, considering the program's plethora of talent over the years.
However Hills hedged when asked how this team compares with its predecessors, opting to reserve judgement until a mid-March date in Hershey. But he admitted these Raiders _ potentially _ some day may be mentioned in the same breath as some other teams, including '92 and '93.
``In '93, we had three state champions (Jon Hazi, Hills' step-son Casey Taylor and Mark Bodo) and possibly a fourth (Kevin Drew, who was unable to compete due to a knee injury) on a team that won the state tournament title. We had some pretty good numbers there,'' Hills recalled.
``One of the more memorable things in '93,'' Hills continued, ``was the fact we won 18 out of 21 individual bouts at Hershey. We had five kids go down there with us, and (in addition to Hazi, Taylor and Bodo), Barry Morris and Mark Russell. Russell lost his first match, then won five straight to come back and take a third, which was pretty impressive at that point, and Barry won a match, too (though losing twice)..''
``In '92, we lost the state team championship by half a point (to Wilson), and we came out of that with a state champ _ Matt Gentile _ while Drew was a runner-up, Bodo finished fourth and Hazi fifth. We also won the Tool City championship, and were ranked in USA Today's Top 25 ranking,'' Hills reflected.
Diplomatically, Hills said, ``We've had some very good teams that I've been priviledged to coach, and it's hard to compare this group to any other group.
``But this year's squad has more of a mix,'' Hills (160-20-1 in 12 seasons,'' continued. ``I think we have some potential to do well and place at Hershey. Maybe it's the overall balance of this team that's probably our greatest attribute. And it all stems from the individuals on this team who serve as leaders _ our senior group. They've been around a long time, they have a good work-ethic, which they convey to the rest of the team. And they're not only good individuals in the practice room, but also academically and socially, as well. They're good people, and it's rubbed off on the other kids on the team. They all respect each other and act the way they should.''
The numbers posted by this year's Raiders are staggering:
- 103 _ freshman Rocky Habel (21-4)
- 112 _ junior Steve Popovitch (24-2), a returning District 10 titlist, regional runner-up and state qualifier
- 119 _ junior Chris Reynolds (12-4)
- 125 _ junior Brian Westfall (22-4), a regional qualifier and D-10 runner-upas a freshman
- 130 _ junior Jason Nestor (23-2), a 3-time Tool City titlist who ended as adistrict and regional runner-up a year ago en route to a state berth
- 135 _ freshman Justin Nestor (23-4), a Pa. Junior Wrestling Federation statechampion last year
- 140 _ senior co-captain John Jordan (20-7), a returning D-10 qualifier
- 145 _ senior captain Bob Tumpak (23-1), a 2-time PIAA qualifier and returning D-10 and regional champion
- 152 _ junior Doug Woods (15-4), a Section 3-AA titlist last year
- 160 _ senior Chad Holzshu (20-7), a returning regional qualifier and D-10 fourth-place finisher
- 171 _ senior Josh Hauser (12-12)
- 189 _ junior Jon Hollobaugh (6-6), and 275 _ senior co-captain Dan Svirbly(20-5), another returning district qualifier.
``I can't say enough about the kids,'' Hills continued. ``Tumpak is like having another assistant coach; Jordan and Svirbly have become very consistent wrestlers this year and a stabilizing influence. Last year, they were average-to-good wrestlers; this year, they've become good wrestlers and very important to us. Holzshu has been a mainstay all four years and has been very consistent for us. Hauser might be the least talented as far as wrestling, but he's a great athlete and has been able to win some _ hopefully he'll win some more _ but he's very unselfish and given us the flexibility to move (the lineup) up or down which, in the long run, will help us out.''
Hills is a home-grown product of Reynolds' program. He was coached by legendary Neal Lineman (201-10 from '61-77), who had been coached by another hall of fame mat mentor, Mel Berry. Ironically, when Hills matriculated at Thiel College, he was coached, first by Berry, then was reunited with Lineman for another year.
``There's a trickle-down effect there,'' Hills acknowledged. ``I'm fortunate to have wrestled under Mel Berry and Neal Lineman. As far as the (Reynolds) program, I kind of feel a responsibility to carry on the tradition of winning wrestling, just because (Lineman) initiated it. Now it's my turn to carry the torch, to keep things going. But by no means is it my program. It's a whole lot of us. I'm fortunate to have an outstanding coaching staff.''
Hills has followed in the footsteps of Sherwood, Lineman (201-10), '61-77; Mark Reichard (35-6-1), '77-80; Doug Groover (15-0), '80-81; Ron Taylor (10-2), '81-82, and Ed McClimans (47-14), '82-86.
``Yes, I do believe it's Neal's program, and now it's mine to carry on. I have the best seat in the house,'' Hills quipped, then seriously adding, ``I've developed my own style, too. It's a combination of all those things, and it's made me able to be a better `caretaker.' ''
Another example of the baton being passed: One of Hills' most loyal assistants, John Tofani, was ``one of my elementary proteges, who won three state J-O titles and had a successful career in high school,'' Hills proudly pointed out, though quickly admitting with a wry laugh, ``It's sometimes hard for me to realize that, geez, I coached him when he was like, 11, 12 years old. That puts things in perspective.''
Hills' other assistants include Brian Nestor and Mark Bartolo, the latter being one of Hills' former Raider teammates.
Last year, Hills endured some personnel problems and the program experienced a chink in its armor, losing dual meets to arch-rival Greenville and Commodore Perry, ultimately costing it the county crown. This year, Hills said the season has been one of his most enjoyable by far. The club recently concluded the dual-meet portion of the campaign by splitting a pair of matches at the second annual Ultimate Duals _ ``the unofficial (Class AA dual-meet) state championship,'' as Hills refers to it _ and has been ranked first or second throughout the season by both Keystone Wrestling Rankings and Off the Mat publications.
In Reynolds wrestling annals, a dozen teams have ended with undefeated dual-meet marks, including Hills' '91-92 and '95-96 squads.
``This would rank as one of the top,'' Hills said. ``Excluding stats, tournament finishes, and so on, it's been the easiest season for me as a coach, just because things have run very smooth. There's been no headaches.
``The kids are very good, and by that I mean academically and socially as well. Hopefully, the staff we have gives them some kind of role models to maintain that status.
``We work 'em very hard in the practice room and they take a lot of pride in doing that, working hard. And they know there's a reason for that _ hopefully, the pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.''
``We want to win both matches,'' Hills emphasized. ``But I also realize we could lose both. But that will not hinder my opinion of this team. If we lose to two of the top teams in the state, at least we were in position to do battle.
``This team has had an outstanding season,'' Hills acknowledged, concluding, ``We could win two, we could lose two or we could split, but we're gonna be well prepared and the kids have really worked hard and are trying to bring that (unofficial title) back to Mercer County.
``We're putting all the marbles on the table and we feel that's the way it should be done. We wouldn't want to walk out of the gym not having wrestled undefeated Ridgway.
``But it sure would be nice to finish undefeated and lay claim to the unofficial state title.''
