This column originally ran in the March 1, 2011 edition of The Mercury.

A lot was happening last week, actually just last weekend. And shortly after it was all over, there was way, way too much to talk about, or at least way, way too much to do a pick-this-one or pick-that-one as above all others.

Of course everyone has their favorite tale to tell (over and over again), and there were absolutely more than a handful or two of achievements worthy of highlighting. Take your pick from all of them that came out of national prep championships and four district tournaments, and good luck condensing them into a Top 10.

Come to think of it, we did that last week … so let’s do it again.

1. Hill School freshman Chad Saunders, a native of New Hope, finished second at the National Prep Championships up at Lehigh. It isn’t too often a freshman gets into a national final, unless you happen to be wearing a Blair Academy singlet, that is. The 103-pound Saunders did it with a 52-second pin, an 8-0 shutout of the No. 7 seed, and a pin of the No. 3 seed. His bid for the gold was denied by top-seeded Joseph McKenna

(from Blair, of course), who had five pins — four in 47 seconds or less — in his five matches. Saunders, the Hill program’s best finisher in 10 years, also matched his father Jay Saunders’ finish when he too was a runner-up for none other than Blair Academy.

2. Owen J. Roberts won its school’s first District 1-AAA South team title. That was something very few expected going in, and even fewer thought was possible at the halfway mark when all but Andrew Kinney (golden at 145) dropped into the consolations. But seven came all the way back to get a medal, including two – the under-appreciated John Bryant and the under-sized Mike Lenge – to join Kinney at this week’s Southeast Regional.

3. Pottstown rookie head coach Jamie Gill and Pope John Paul II rookie head coach Seldon Staples put a combined six wrestlers on the top step of the awards platform at the District 1-AA Tournament. Despite the experts’ annual analysis that AA titles carry little credibility, try selling that to Pottstown’s Zane Bechtel, Trent Clifford, Jasheel Brown, Darien Hain and Rashaad Lighty, or to Pope John Paul’s Conor Myers, or for that matter PJP’s other two medalists (Tyler Rogers and John Cherneskie). Anyone with any matter in their cerebellum realizes one’s dedication and work ethic doesn’t really vary from AA to AAA, nor does the gratification of winning a district title or medal.

4. Depending on what time your watch said, Boyertown’s Jeremy Minich became just the eighth four-time district champion in the documented 77-year history of District 1 wrestling. Minich, who pound-for-pound may be wrestling as well as anyone from the PAC-10 the past two weeks, was joined in that elite group later Saturday night by three others who competed in the District 1-AAA North Tournament. Minich is the first from the area to achieve the milestone in AAA and second overall (joining Pottstown’s Seth Ecker in AA). And when you throw out some of the Boyertown biggies who never did go four-for-four, well, it sure is quite an accomplishment.

5. The “I’ll Be Back” efforts of Spring-Ford’s Sean Hennessey, Upper Perkiomen’s Kyle Fellman, Owen J. Roberts’ Colby Frank, Spring-Ford’s Jesse Quave, Owen J. Roberts’ Gordon Bolig, and Boyertown’s Pardovani Dominque. All six dropped their first bouts at districts last week, but regrouped, medaled and earned a spot in the AAA Southeast Regional.

6. Fives are wild — or the number of regional qualifiers for coaches Pete Ventresca of Boyertown, Tim Seislove of Spring-Ford, and Tom Hontz of Upper Perkiomen. Ventresca had to battle through a crippling series of illnesses and injuries near the end of the regular season; Seislove had to deal with the unfortunate loss of two likely regional qualifiers because of a disciplinary issue and illness; and Hontz, well, the one fella who some continue to find it amusing to criticize him when he doesn’t win everything, still managed a Top Five finish in the brutal District 1-AAA North battle to get a handful of regional qualifiers. … And an honorable mention in this spot goes to Pottsgrove’s Jeff Madden, who has his own Tour of Four heading to Oxford.

7. Methacton’s Brandan Clark remains focused. The 215-pound Clark, 37-2 with 26 pins while locked in arguably one of the most talent-deep weight classes in the district (and the state), has 139 career wins going into this weekend’s regional. He needs six more to tie former state champion and three-time state medalist Dan Covatta’s school record (145) … and that six would mean another state medal for the relentless senior.

8. A big “Welcome Again” to the Top 10 for Mr. Dominque. The 215-pound senior, who never stepped foot on a wrestling mat until this season – or shortly after arriving here from his native Haiti – finished third at the District 1-AAA South Tournament. Sure doesn’t look as though the 17-year-old gem of a young man balked at learning the most basic fundamentals or gave anything less than 100 percent of himself to the sport. Hopefully, the politicians will put in half that effort and approve his application for a student visa extension so he fulfill his dream of attending college to become a doctor (and not order him back to his earthquake-ravaged home where illness and violence continue to shake the country more than the fatal tremors did a year ago).

9. The Pioneer Athletic Conference advancing 31 of its wrestlers to the AAA regional. It isn’t any record number, mind you, but it’s far and above the number most – including one particular member of the media – expected. And within those numbers are two sets of brothers – Owen J. Roberts’ Adam and Jordan Moser, and Upper Perkiomen’s Dante and Dylan Steffenino.

10. Former North Penn head coach and Pennsylvania Wrestling Coaches Association Hall of Fame inductee Ed Klavon celebrated his 80th birthday Monday. For a man who did as much as anyone to earn District 1 some respect from the Pennsylvania wrestling hierarchy, that deserves a spot in any Top 10.

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It’ll be a reunion of sorts Friday night for six area wrestlers, who’ll face off against one another in the first round of regionals. At 119, it’ll be Frank and Fellman; at 152, it’ll be Boyertown’s Jon Neiman and Pottsgrove’s T.J. Demetrio; and at 160, it’ll be Bolig and Pottsgrove’s Danny Michaels.

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Spring-Ford’s Matt Krueger (99) and Owen J. Roberts’ Jonathan Dempsey (98) are within reach of the 100 career wins milestone this weekend. … Clark is now 16th on the Mercury Area’s all-time win chart, and Minich (132) is tied for 24th. … Pottsgrove’s Zach Robinson extended his school-record total to 126 last weekend. … Other area regional qualifiers already over the 100-win mark are Phoenixville’s Ken Cenci (104), Methacton’s Rob D’Annunzio (103) and Demetrio (103).

This column originally ran in the Feb. 22, 2011, edition of The Mercury.

There’s absolutely no shortage of topics – actually highlights – to talk about. Not after so many area wrestlers stepped up, and stepped up in such a big way, throughout the opening weekend of the postseason.

The Pioneer Athletic Conference, subjected to considerable criticism for getting seven spots in the district duals earlier this month, closed some more, if not the remaining, experts’ traps. Those seven teams finished one-two-three in one section; first and third in another; and a strong second and fifth in the other. And, with a little help from Phoenixville, the teams combined for 19 individual gold medals – or just under 50 percent of the total up for grabs in those three sections – and advanced 58 to the District 1’s split scuffle this Friday and Saturday.

Up Route 724 (or just off Business 222) in Shillington, Daniel Boone had a pair of gold medalists and two runners-up in a very good District 3 section struggle. And down in Westtown at the state prep tournament, The Hill School had six medalists, and West-Mont Christian and Perkiomen School – two programs that get little if any recognition and even less respect – added four and one, respectively.

Yep, not a bad weekend at all.

So good, in fact, it warrants one of Dave’s Top Ten Lists (Dave would be Lettermen for those youngsters and older folks who hit the pillow before 11:30 at night):

No. 1: A no-brainer… Boyertown’s Pardovani Dominque’s gold medal at 215 pounds in the District 1-Section Four Tournament. Just over 13 months ago, Dominque was one of three million people affected by the earthquake that killed more than 316,000 people in his native Haiti. Three months later, because illnesses and violence that further ravaged his country, Dominque’s parents sent him and his two brothers to live with their aunt in the Boyertown area. He never stepped on a wrestling mat until this past November, but he sure completed the learning curve Saturday when he knocked off the No. 2 seed and, two bouts later, the No. 1 seed for the gold medal.

No. 2: Owen J. Roberts, Spring-Ford and Boyertown go one, two, three in the District 1-Section Four Tournament, win 10 of the 14 gold medals, and account for 26 of the 56 available district-qualifying berths … And, Upper Perkiomen, the program so many fans still (and so sadly) love to hate, runs off with yet another District 1-Section Two Tournament team championship (and extends its streak of having at least one section gold medalist to an area-high 13 straight years).

No. 3: Pottsgrove’s Zach Robinson and Methacton’s Brandan Clark both capture their fourth straight sectional titles. For Robinson, his school’s career-win leader, the achievement doubled that of any Falcons’ previous-best – two each by Mike Meko (1973-74) and Chris Beasley (1991-92). For Clark, who is zeroing in on the coveted career win-mark of three-time state medalist Dan Covatta, broke his school’s standard of three shared by a very select gang of Warriors that includes his older brother Brad.

No. 4: Owen J. Roberts freshman Colby Frank not only won the 119-pound gold medal, but OW honors in Section Four. Frank is good, and proved that quite often during the regular season. But opening with an 11-0 shutout, pinning the top seed who also happened to be a defending district champion, and then pinning the second seed in the final? One may say that kind of exceeded the expectations for Frank’s first postseason tournament.

No. 5: Owen J. Roberts sophomore Adam Moser opened at 130 with a technical fall, avenged a loss two weeks ago to Spring-Ford’s Jason Dombrosky with a 6-4 semifinal win over the No. 2 seed, then defeated No. 1 seed Brandon Arnsberger – a defending Class AA district champion and returning state medalist – in a thrilling final, 4-3 .

No. 6: Methacton’s Rob D’Annunzio, Pottsgrove’s T.J. Demetrio and Phoenixville’s Ken Cenci reached the 100-win career mark. While 100 wins in still an achievement worthy of recognition, it isn’t one worthy of “putting one up on the pedestal” as they say, not with the number of matches being wrestled these days. But D’Annunzio spent most of his freshman season on the junior varsity (the mighty mite was 80 pounds soaking wet); Demetrio wasn’t getting on the mats anywhere near 40 times in a season like most do nowadays; and Cenci had a losing record as a freshman, an injury or two after that, and a less-than-bustling schedule similar to Demetrio’s. He also became Phoenixville’s first sectional champion in nine long years.

No. 7: Pin, pin, pin… that’s what Upper Perkiomen’s Cody Ambrose (171 pounds) and Methacton’s Clark (215) did. The name of the game is pin, and you can bet the house that’s what Upper Perkiomen’s Tom Hontz and Methacton’s A.J. Maida teach and preach every day in their practice rooms. Hey, three of them in a postseason tournament is usually good as gold.

No. 8: Boyertown senior Jeremy Minich is back looking like a contender again and not the pretender he admittedly was at the outset of the season. Three days into the New Year, Minich – well past the 100-win mark as a junior – owned a ho-hum 5-4 record. Since then, he’s won 20 in a row, putting up bonus points in all but one of those bouts, too. Saturday at Section Four, he posted a 21-second pin, a second-period technical fall, and second-period default for the gold he won two years ago but had eluded him last year.

No. 9: West-Mont munchkins Austin Mortimer and Zach Coffey finished fifth and fourth, respectively, at 103 and 112 pounds during the state prep tournament. The pair came out of nowhere under head coach Jason Meister, who knows a little bit about the sport after winning more than 100 bouts and two state medals at Phoenixville and going on to become a four-time NCWA All-American.

No. 10: The Methacton Connection, courtesy of Maida, Pottsgrove head coach Jeff Madden and Perkiomen Valley head coach Tim Walsh – all of whom wrestled at Methacton, all under Dennis Kellon (now the chairman of the District 1 Wrestling Committee). Maida has his alma mater on the upswing again, and finishing second to Norristown in Section Three was admirable. Madden built Wissahickon into one of the district’s most respected programs, then came out of a brief retirement to take over the Pottsgrove program. In three short seasons, the Falcons have done an about-face – sending more wrestlers off to districts than any team before them had in 20 years (and that was when they were in the Class AA bracket) and finishing higher in Saturday’s sectional (third) than any team before them ever had. Walsh has been as devoted to the Vikings’ program as anyone anywhere. During the regular season, one individual win in three matches against Methacton, Upper Perkiomen and Boyertown would’ve make them 7-2 in the PAC-10, but his team showed its resiliency and energy over the weekend by advancing six to districts (and to think they’ve done all that without having the injured Lou Fioravanti the entire season).

ON THE MOVE

The future continues to look bright for PAC-10 schools in light of last weekend’s annual Southeastern Pennsylvania Junior High/Middle School Tournament at Quakertown.

Spring-Ford, which had two champions and medaled in 15 of the 18 weight classes, ran away with the team title (283.5). Boyertown East (195), Owen J. Roberts (187.5) and Upper Perkiomen (160.5) were second, third and fourth, respectively. Boyertown West was 11th, Pottstown was 12th, Phoenixville and Pottsgrove tied for 13th, and Perkiomen Valley was 19th in the 27-team field.

The Rams’ gold medalists were Matt Krieble (97 pounds) and Tate Carter (157), while teammates Hunter Mitch (82), Jon Cooper (140) and Danny Krieble (167) were all second. The Rams had three finish third, another fourth, four in fifth place, and two more in sixth.

Boyertown East’s individual champions were Lucas Miller (87) and Dante Colonna (132); OJR had a tournament-high three champions in Derrick Gulotta (112), Domenic Petrucelli (117), and Demetri D’Orsaneo (140); Upper Perkiomen had two in Dustin Steffenino (82) and Jake Keiper (107; Pottstown had two in Logan Pennypacker (77) and Bryant Wise (102); and Pottsgrove had one in Patrick Flynn (187).

This article was originally published in the Feb. 15, 2011 edition of The Mercury.

Scott Syrek rarely ever failed to come up with the right move at the right time to win a wrestling match. Brute-like physical strength alone may have been good enough for him in a lot of instances, or so some had first thought. But extraordinary instincts — that sense of not only knowing what to do at any given moment but how to execute it – is what separated him from so many of the upperweights he confronted throughout his four seasons at Owen J. Roberts.

Unfortunately, the one thing the Syrek couldn’t quite ever escape from was the constant throbbing in his left shoulder.

So last week, not long after his 56-second fall helped the Wildcats pin down its first Pioneer Athletic Conference championship – the program’s first wrestling title of any kind in 36 long years – the soft-spoken Syrek called it quits. He had given as much as he could. He had gone as long as he possibly could.

And his emotions ran deep, stinging nearly as much as the pain in that left shoulder.

“Frustrated is probably the right word … I think that kind of hits the nail on the head,” Syrek said of his decision to sit out what would’ve been the fourth and final postseason of his outstanding career, a career that unfortunately will close prematurely with three appearances in the state tournament, one state medal, and 112 wins overall.

“It hurts knowing I put in all the hard work like everyone else did and won’t get a chance to finish it out. My goal was always to win a state title.”

Very few people outside the Syrek household were even aware of exactly when or how badly he injured his shoulder.

But most agree it happened during his very first match in the Owen J. Roberts gym –just over a week after the 189-pound freshman debuted with five impressive wins during the season-opening Bear Duals up in Boyertown.

“It was the sixth match of his freshman year,” OJR head coach Steve DeRafelo recalled. “Scott was wrestling (eventual state runner-up) Marc Petroski of Springfield-Delco, who ran a power-half and Scott wouldn’t go. I remember Scott coming off the mat and telling me, ‘I think I felt something tear.’

“We really didn’t know what happened for a long time. We knew he was hurt, but we didn’t know how bad.”

Syrek suffered a partial labral tear —actually tears to the front and back labrum tissue.

Despite the injury, Syrek wrestled his way to states and a 39-10 record that freshman year. He came back as a sophomore and, despite defaulting three postseason bouts, managed to return to states again, picked up a sixth-place medal and added 31 more wins to his ledger. Last year, however, the injury — and the pain — worsened. He was forced to default or forfeit three more postseason bouts and was nowhere near 100 percent on his third trip to states, an appearance that ended after three matches.

So last May, Syrek underwent surgery to “get things sewed up” as he explained. He spent five months in rehab before even stepping on a mat. He wasn’t in the lineup when OJR opened this season back in December, but was ready to return for the Beast of the East Classic right before Christmas … or ready until he re-injured the shoulder right before the trip down to Delaware.

No Beast … but he finally got on the mats Jan. 13, helping the Wildcats defeat PAC-10 rival Perkiomen Valley. The following night, he posted back-to-back wins in the rugged Escape The Rock Tournament over at Council Rock South … then injury defaulted to Solanco’s Thomas Haines and, unfortunately, was done for the weekend.

“I was concealing it because I thought it was just a strain,” Syrek explained. “But after the (Escape The Rock), I decided there wasn’t much I could do. I didn’t want to quit right there and then, but there was so much going on in my mind, and all of it was creating a lot of stress.”

Incredibly, Syrek didn’t walk away from his teammates.

Despite the pain, he went back out for six more bouts – and didn’t lose one – all of which helped OJR beat back challenges from four-time defending league champion Boyertown as well as from Spring-Ford, and earned the Wildcats a third-place finish in the District 1-AAA Team Duals and unprecedented berth in the state duals.

“It was really important to me that we win the PAC-10 title,” said Syrek, who never lost a PAC-10 match in his three-plus seasons. “I just wanted to help the team in any way I could. (After getting hurt at the Escape The Rock) I knew I couldn’t win a state title. That’s when my goals changed.”

“All Scott’s ever wanted to do was win a state title,” DeRafelo added. “But when he hurt that shoulder again he knew he couldn’t do it. I think everyone pretty much knew he wouldn’t be able to make a legitimate run at that.

“But he put that all aside and was back at it to help our team win. And he was absolutely a big part of us winning the title. It was hard for everyone else not to go out there and battle after watching what Scott was going through for them and our team.”

DeRafelo honestly believes Syrek was 100 percent for those first five bouts of his high school career, somewhere around 80 percent after the Petroski match and all the way up to last year’s postseason … but nowhere near that figure at states last March or at any point this year.

“Not too many people have ever been aware of how hurt Scott’s been,” DeRafelo said. “A lot of people had a lot of unrealistic expectations. He was never healthy, so it’s hard to imagine how he did what he did, how he managed to have one of the best careers of any upperweight we’ve ever had around here. He overcame a lot. Right now, we all feel bad for him.”

Eventually, the Penn State-bound Syrek admitted, he’ll feel a lot better.

“I’m having (shoulder) surgery shoulder March 2,” he said. “I’ll rehab it … then give it another go.”

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BREAKTHROUGHS: Perkiomen Valley ended its 0-for-9 streak against Boyertown last week with a 40-30 decision of the ailing Bears. The Vikings, who had never beaten the four-time defending champion Bears, were outscored by an average 58-13 margin in those previous nine losses. … Pope John Paul II broke into the PAC-10 win column for the first time with its 45-36 victory over Phoenixville last week.

BREAKING THROUGH: Owen J. Roberts last week became the first team other than Boyertown, Spring-Ford or Upper Perkiomen to win or share a PAC-10 title since Great Valley and Spring-Ford finished atop the standings in 1997. And beyond than those four, Pottstown is the only other team to pin down a title (1987 and 1989).

FOR THE RECORD: Perkiomen Valley’s Gavin Milligan became his school’s winningest wrestler last week. The senior 145-pounder has 112 career wins, one more than the late Tim Smith. … Milligan is the second area wrestler to work his way to the top of his school’s career win chart. Earlier, Zach Robinson (now at 121) achieved the feat at Pottsgrove. … Daniel Boone’s Colin Martucci is within seven of the Blazers’ mark (116, held by Tyler Swartz).

MILESTONES AHEAD: Three more area wrestlers – Phoenixville’s Ken Cenci (99), Methacton’s Rob D’Annunzio (98), and Pottsgrove’s T.J. Demetrio (97) – should reach the 100-win mark during this weekend’s sectionals. … Spring-Ford’s Matt Krueger (94) and Owen J. Roberts’ Jonathan Dempsey (92) are also within reach heading into the postseason.

This column originally ran in the Feb. 2, 2011 edition of The Mercury.

After a week of reading or listening to the criticism of just about anyone who had anything to do with the District 1-AAA Team Duals Tournament (including some serious sobbing over the seedings and ridiculous ranting over rankings), and reading or listening to all the nameless whimps whining about anything else that came to mind, it was rather refreshing to be over in Bucktown last Saturday night.

Thanks to the Wildcat Wrestling Booster Club’s ingenuity and a couple of very good wrestling teams – namely Owen J. Roberts and Spring-Ford – it was as if someone scripted a wrestling sequel for Back to the Future … a standing-room-only audience, a lot of junior varsity bouts and, what most want but don’t necessarily get all that often, a very physical and very, very competitive varsity match.

And in between was a well-organized and well-deserved salute to Owen J. Roberts’ past.

First, wrestling fanatic and WWBC energizer Mark Petrocelli acknowledged 47 former Owen J. Roberts wrestlers – all a little older and most a wee bit heavier – as the featured guests of the first Alumni Night. And while most in attendance applauded their presence, you couldn’t help but notice how current head coach Steve DeRafelo, his staff and every one of his wrestlers turned around to face the alumni and added some noticeable volume to the resounding applause … a class gesture.

Then Petrocelli presented plaques to Fred Foller and Howie Sage, the first two inductees into the WWBC Hall of Fame. Foller may have been short in stature, but he was among Southeastern Pennsylvania’s coaching giants after starting up the OJR wrestling program in the early 60s and leading the Wildcats to five straight Ches-Mont League championships. Sage followed Foller, led the program for the next 35 years – guiding OJR’s only state champion (Don Kulp) and adding another Ches-Mont banner to the rafters – and never once let any sort of ego get in the way of helping DeRafelo for the past nine years. Again, one resounding applause was followed by another … a class gesture.

Then the Wildcats and Rams, the Pioneer Athletic Conference’s lone remaining unbeatens this winter, took center stage. And they didn’t disappoint a soul, with the possible exception of those who bleed Blue and Gold.

Fourteen bouts, most with a smack to the face here and a hard cross-face there, even an occasional elbow to the back of the neck or head, sure had a few fans tossing and turning in their seats (not to mention offering some

earsplitting opinions to the official). You bet it was physical, even more entertaining.

Of the 14 bouts, four ended in pins (two for each side, for the record), and another ended with a technical fall. Pins get everyone out of their seat, but it’s the close ones –where a simple move here and there can make the difference – like the nine others Saturday night, that keep everyone fidgeting in their seats.

Needless to say, there was a lot of restlessness until it all ended, nearly four hours after the entire affair began with the first of those nine junior varsity bouts.

There wasn’t a hint of disappointment, nor should there have been.

It isn’t often you get to see those who will be on the mats in the years to come; see so many who entertained us on those mats throughout years past; see two men who gave nearly 50 years to the sport; and see two teams go toe-to-toe with one another with a league championship on the line. It isn’t often you get all that in one night.

Petrocelli and his booster club did a great job promoting the event. DeRafelo and rival Tim Seislove did a great job coaching. And the Wildcats and Rams did a great job wrestling.

What a show.

So good it helped you forget all the bickering … at least for four hours or so.

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Speaking of bickering…

Last week’s seedings for the District 1 duals drew considerable criticism, actually a lot of questions about the PAC-10 getting six entries in the 24-team field. Not including Monday night’s (snowstorm-delayed) segment over at Hatboro-Horsham, it seems the PAC-10 represented itself rather well with five teams going a combined 5-3 – and two of those losses were to PAC-10 rivals.

No. 24 Pottsgrove got bumped out right away by No. 9 Boyertown, which proceeded to eliminate No. 8 Council Rock North; No. 12 Methacton ended mighty Ridley’s hopes first before falling to No. 5 Rustin; No. 4 Owen J. Roberts pummeled Pennsbury; and No. 15 Perkiomen Valley humbled Central Bucks East before falling to No. 2 Spring-Ford … all of which means the PAC-10 will have three – and depending how No. 6 Upper Perkiomen fared Monday night, possibly four – of the eight quarterfinalists when the duals resume Friday night over at Council Rock South.

Not bad at all.

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Up in the Berks Conference, Daniel Boone was eliminated in the first round of the BCIAA Team Duals by Governor Mifflin, 44-25. It was almost a carbon copy of the Blazers’ league-opening 45-31 setback to the Mustangs. … The Blazers also came up short in the power ratings for a spot in tonight’s opening round of the District 3-AAA Duals Tournament. Unbeaten Central Dauphin (16-0), Solanco (11-1), Spring Grove (18-1), and Garden Spot (16-1) drew the first through fourth seeds, respectively. Berks will be represented by No. 8 Mifflin (18-3) and No. 15 Wilson (14-4). … With just Twin Valley remaining on the regular-season schedule, the Blazers will have a number of contenders – namely Colin Martucci (25-6) at 152, Ken Bock (26-3) at 189 and Sam Batchelor (26-4) at 215 – when the postseason kicks off with sectionals. … The Hill School, which is quietly having a solid season, and Perkiomen School, which has been hurt by a lack of numbers but plugs along thanks to head coach Tim Klavon’s passion for the sport, are still nearly three weeks away from the state prep tournament, set for Feb. 18-19 at Westtown.

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OJR’s Mike Lenge and Pope John Paul’s Conor Myers earned a moment under the spotlight last week. Lenge, the plugger-mugger who has filled in and filled in quite well at 152 and 160 for DeRafelo this winter, is likely to get squeezed out of the postseason. Lenge, 14-8 (with five of those losses by two points or less) can’t get to 145, and isn’t likely to overtake Jordan Moser at 152 or Gordon Bolig at 160. The junior’s response: “Whatever is best for the team. I’m concerned about the team, not me.” Myers surprised returning state qualifier T.J. Demetrio of Pottsgrove in overtime during their dual Saturday, or less than 24 hours after Demetrio got the best of Boyertown’s very good Jon Neiman in district duals. In other words, Myers sure put an interesting twist into today’s new area rankings at 152.

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Perkiomen Valley’s Gavin Milligan can tie the school record for career wins on Wednesday when the Vikings host Boyertown. Milligan (110) is one away from the late Tim Smith’s mark. … Martucci is eight away from tying Daniel Boone’s mark of 116. … Three other wrestlers – Methacton’s Rob D’Annunzio (93), Pottsgrove’s Demetrio (92) and Phoenixville’s Ken Cenci (90) moved closer to the 100-win mark. Spring-Ford’s Matt Krueger (89) and OJR’s Jonathan Dempsey (86) could reach the milestone before season’s end, too. … Methacton’s Brandan Clark (130), Boyertown’s Jeremy Minich (121) and Pottsgrove’s Zach Robinson (117) are the area’s active leaders going into this week.