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.

* * *

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.

* * *

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.

* * *

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.

* * *

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.

This column originally ran in the Feb. 2, 2010 edition of The Mercury.

BUCKTOWN – Steve DeRafelo has noticed a number of Owen J. Roberts students walking the hallways with wrestling sweatshirts on this winter… wrestling sweatshirts, mind you.

And they’re not wrestlers attempting to make a fashion statement for their program, either.

“I’ve been surprised to see so many of them,” DeRafelo said.

The entire season has been kind of a surprise for DeRafelo, in his eighth year as Owen J. Roberts’ head coach.

The Wildcats are very young. Their roster features just three seniors, one of whom hadn’t stepped onto the mat until this season, and six juniors, and only two of the seniors and four of the juniors are regulars. Three of the four sophomores have occupied slots in most of the matches, and a promising but unproven gang of eight freshmen round out the roster. And, with the exception of regional qualifier Jonathan Dempsey and state medalist Scott Syrek – both juniors – most of the Wildcats got bumped and thumped as well as twisted and turned every which way imaginable throughout a grueling December.

That first month included the Brian Bealer Memorial Bear Duals and match-ups with Big Spring, among the top seeds in this week’s District 3-AAA Team Duals; nationally ranked St. Mark’s of Del.; and Council Rock North and Upper Moreland, who are lined up for Friday night’s District 1-AAA Team Duals quarterfinals. Then there was the Buckskin Classic out at Conestoga Valley, and the Pioneer Athletic Conference showdown with three-time defending champion Boyertown. And soon after flipping the calendar there was the brutal Escape The Rock tournament over in Bucks County.

“We’ve had a tough, tough schedule this year,” DeRafelo explained. “Early on it was difficult at times to gauge where we were at, especially with such a young team. But these kids have really been stepping it up lately.”

Others have noticed, too.

For the first time since rejoining their former Ches-Mont League rivals in the Pioneer Athletic Conference back in 1988-89, Owen J. Roberts has beaten both Upper Perkiomen (39-25) and Spring-Ford (37-23) in the same season. If they avoided an upset by Methacton on Monday night, and can get the best of longtime rival Pottstown on Wednesday night and Phoenixville in their finale next week, the Wildcats will finish second – behind Boyertown – in the PAC-10 for the first time.

The talent cycle sure has helped, but not quite as much as DeRafelo and his assistants at last getting on equal ground with everyone else, from his own wrestlers on down through to the wrestlers and coaching staffs at the middle school and in the NorChester Red Knights’ youth program.

“Putting our kids on the medal stand out at (the PIAA Championships in) Hershey the last few years has helped immensely,” DeRafelo said. “It helps from the standpoint of kids buying into the system. That’s where they want to be, and when they see others like them up on that medal stand they know what they have to do to get there.

“They look at a kid like (2009 graduate) Nick Fuschino, a two-time state medalist who really came out of nowhere after his freshman year. They saw what Nick did. They start to believe they can do it, too.”

DeRafelo has been as impressed with his current class of freshmen as any before them.

“We have a group of very talented freshmen,” he said. “They all want to be good, and they’re willing to do what they have to do to be good. They’re willing to do what a lot of other kids won’t do. They’re willing to take the next step.”

Among the OJR freshmen making noticeable contributions thus far are Peter Fratantoni at 103, Kyle Shronk at 119, Adam Moser at 130 and Gordon Bolig at 145. Sophomores like Jacob Schell, Andrew Kinney, Michael Lenge and Paul Minninger have helped fortify the belly of the lineup. Among the juniors, Dempsey is headed for another 25-plus win season down low; Jordan Moser has overcome a series of injuries and may end up with 20-plus in the middle; and unsung Sam Funk and Syrek – ranked among the state’s top 215-pounders – have battled anywhere from 189 through 285 because the Wildcats don’t have a heavyweight.

“Looking at where we were at Christmas and where we’re at now ... I can’t believe it,” DeRafelo said after last week’s win over Spring-Ford. “All the kids have worked hard.”

And so have all of their coaches, which doesn’t go unnoticed with DeRafelo.

“Everyone is working together now,” he explained. “We looked at what Upper Perkiomen and Boyertown has been doing, trying to learn how their programs have had so much success. We coordinated our whole program where everyone works together, where everyone is on the same page. When you do that, good things happen.”

* * *

The Wildcats opened the District 1-AAA duals grind last Thursday with a 47-23 romp over Haverford, which was 17-1 going into the match. The win sets up Friday night’s quarterfinal showdown with No. 1 seeded Council Rock South. … OJR’s last venture into the district duals was back in 2006. They lost in the opening round to Boyertown by, believe it or not, 47-23.

PRIVATE MATTERS

The Hill School (4-6) closes out its regular season this Saturday (2 p.m.) at home against Lawrenceville. Head coach Jesse Young and the Blues’ grind through February features the Mid-Atlantic Prep League Championships at Mercersburg the following weekend, then the state preps and national preps the following two weekends at Westtown School and Lehigh University, respectively. … The tireless Tim Klavon and his limited Perkiomen School lineup has managed to go 5-8 thus far, have a visit to Faith Christian this Thursday, then close at Lower Moreland next week before joining Hill at the state preps.

CO-CHAMPS

Daniel Boone’s bid to get into the District 3-AAA Team Duals eluded them following Saturday’s loss to Governor Mifflin in the opening round of the Berks County team championships. The Blazers, who’ll share the Berks’ Division II title with Muhlenberg, are 12-6 overall and close out their dual-meet season this week against Wyomissing.

* * *

Two-time defending champion Central Dauphin (12-0) drew the top seed for the District 3-AAA duals, while Spring Grove (12-0), Cumberland Valley (10-5), Cedar Cliff (19-2) and unbeaten Solanco (11-0) round out the Top Five seeds. … In AA, unbeaten Berks County champion Schuylkill Valley (22-0) will shoot for its second straight title. Unbeatens Juniata (24-0) and Boiling Springs (15-0), along with Bermudian Springs (15-2) and Wyomissing (11-4) round out the Top Five seeds. .. Both brackets open tonight and culminate with the finals Saturday evening at Milton-Hershey’s Spartan Center.

GOLD STANDARD

Oxford’s Scott Gold reached the 400-win career mark last week, becoming the second District 1 coach to reach the milestone this season and just the third overall. Ridley’s Carl Schnellenbach, in his 49th season, had a state-record 682 going into last weekend, and Haverford’s Jimmy Jones, in his 45th season, has 403 going into this week’s match with Penncrest. … The area leaders in career wins are Boyertown’s Bruce Hallman and Pottstown’s Jim Tsakonas, who retired with 303 and 302, respectively.

BLAIR STUNNED

It seems as though the last time Blair Academy lost a dual meet, let alone a tournament title, was before the American flag had 50 stars. But, believe it or not, the No. 1 ranked Bucs got beat, 36-21, by No. 3 Graham in St. Paris, Ohio last Saturday night.

“(Graham) got the momentum going right out of the chute,” Blair head coach Jeff Buxton told the Springfield News-Sun. “We had to move some guys around and it backfired.”

The Bucs’ misfires – or backfires – came when 112-pound Evan Silver, ranked No. 1 at 112, moved up to 119 and lost a 3-1 decision to No. 4 Nick Brascetta; and when Austin Ormsbee, ranked No. 4 at 135, moved up to 140 and fell 10-3 to Ohio state champion Felipe Martinez.

Graham swept nine of the 14 bouts before a standing-room-only crowd of 1,000-plus fans, many of whom called the win wrestling’s version of “The Hoosiers.”

* * *

Amateur Wrestling News, InterMat and USA Wrestling Magazine all listed Blair at No. 1, Apple Valley (Minn.) at No. 2, and Graham at No. 3 in their newest rankings released earlier last week. … Three Pennsylvania teams – Wyoming Seminary (No. 5), Central Dauphin (No. 6) and Central Mountain (No. 7) – were also among the Top 10.