2002-03 SCHEDULE

Dec. 3 -- McDowell Dec. 5 -- at Mercer* Dec. 6-7 -- at Blairsville tourney Dec. 10 -- Sharpsville* Dec. 12 -- Jamestown Dec. 13-14 -- at Warren tourney Dec. 17 -- at Sharon* Dec. 21 -- at New York tourney Jan. 7 -- Reynolds* Jan. 9 -- Hickory* Jan. 14 -- at Grove City* Jan. 16 -- at Cochranton Jan. 18 -- at Jersey Shore tourney Jan. 21 -- at Slippery Rock* Feb. 4 -- Greenville* Feb. 7 -- Lakeview    #=MCAC match

By The Herald Sports Staff

Commodore Perry head coach Kevin Drew said he is patterning some of his team philosophy after that of Reynolds' very successful program. Obviously, most people would feel that's not a bad idea.

"I'm not ashamed to say we're following in their footsteps a little bit," said Drew, an all-state performer for Reynolds before a solid career at Lock Haven University. "We have high expectations. We want to try and give Reynolds a run for their money.

"We wanted to toughen up our tournament schedule and take the kids out of the area, like Reynolds does, so they can see some different styles."

Besides this weekend's Blairsville tournament, Drew has tourney trips mapped out to a Jersey Shore (near Lock Haven) Dual-Meet Tournament and a big tournament with 10 or 12 teams in New York City.

"I'm real excited about the New York trip," said Drew. "And the Jersey Shore tournament is real good; it has some large schools."

But with the wealth of talent returning -- and the addition of transfer Clint Stout, a fromer District 9 champion for Brookville -- the Panthers have the kind of team that can excel in rugged tournament competition.

"We have 10 juniors or seniors in the lineup, so we have a lot of experience," said Drew. "We're pushing the guys real hard this year. I told them at the end of last year that we would expect a lot from them, and to expect a lot from themselves.

"I'm real excited about the year. The community is excited and we're really looking to build off last season. The kids are committed to the program and there's good team chemistry. The kids work well together. We have 22 kids, which is real good numbers for CP."

The Panthers will have a pair of talented freshmen, Jesse Powell and Corey Slater, at 103 and 112 respectively, with sophomore Brian Payne, a section champion last season, at 119.

Junior letterman Ben Loutzenhiser, a regional qualifier who lost one match short of a state berth, is at 125, followed by senior Treg Smith, another regional qualifier. Smith is backed by freshman Chip DeFrances.

Senior Hayden Hawthorne, a district qualifer, fills the 135 slot and is being pushed by foreign-exchange student Tatsuma Ito from Japan.

A pair of lettermen, junior Jeff Ramer and sophomore Jimmy Sowash, are battling for the 140 starting role, with junior letterman Chris Moerke at 145. Stout, a senior, will be at 152.

"He's a great addition to the team," said Drew. "He's bringing up the level of the other kids."

Senior letterman Gary Arbuckle will be at 160, while junior letterman Tyler Powell is at 171. Senior Jeff Rice, a section champ and regional qualifier, fills the 189 slot, with junior letterman Justin Dodson, at 215, being pushed by junior Ryan Bortner. Sophomore Brian Cline or senior Derek Marburger will be at heavyweight.

There could be some shifting of weights from 152 on up when letterman Justin King recovers from a football-related injury and elbow surgery. Steve Allen, who has a broken hand, could see some duty at 215 when he returns.

"We have a big match (today) with McDowell," said Drew. "That will show us where we stand. They beat us by two points last year."

Note: Assisting Drew with the varsity is Roger King, with help from volunteers Steve O'Neill, Brandon Hoover and others. Darren King and George Milford are the junior high coaches, while elementary coaches include Tyrone Cashdollar, Chris Straub, Randy Greathouse and Wade DeHaas.