Boyertown Coach: Pete Ventresca, 10th year. Last year's record: 9-0 PAC-10, 25-2 overall. Wrestlers to watch:Will Scholl, Sr., 182-195-220; Dylan Wertz, Sr., 160-170; Gregg Harvey, Jr., 182-195-220; Garrett Mauger, Jr., 120-126-132; Lucas Miller, Jr., 126-132; Brody O'Connell, Jr., 220-285; Jordan Wood, Jr., 220-285; Chris Berry, Soph., 138-145; David Campbell, Soph., 113-120; Jakob Campbell, Soph., 106-113; J.T. Cooley, Soph., 132-138; Hunter Vogels, Soph., 145-152. Outlook: Jordan Wood is on the threshold of a banner junior campaign. The two-time PIAA silver medalist, with 87 victories his first two years, is poised to join the area's 100-win fraternity while in pursuit of state gold. ... The Bears go into their 50th year of competition within reach of the 600-win mark, currently with 577. ... "This year is a big year for Boyertown wrestling,' Ventresca said. "This team returns a solid nucleus of talented underclassmen that is bolstered by some seasoned upperclassmen. We are excited to try and better our performance from last year. As a team, we have been working hard in the off-season, and we hope this will pay dividends.'
Daniel Boone Coach: Kevin Oswalt, second year. Last year's record: 1-6 Berks Conference (Division I), 8-24 overall. Wrestlers to watch: Shayne Bookwalter, Sr., 160; Christian Fernandez, Sr., 152; Mason Hoffman, Sr., 182-195; Owen Powell, Jr., 138; Brenden Valverde, Jr., 170; Joe Yohn, Jr., 132; C.J. Spalding, Soph., 113; Jack Zummo, Soph., 126. Outlook: Fernandez and Hoffman both qualified for the AAA Southcentral Regional Tournament as juniors. ... "We have a few quality wrestlers back that will carry the team,' Oswalt said. "These guys will look to improve on their accomplishments from the 2013-2014 season. We have some new faces in the room that are ready to step up and make some noise for us. We are working hard and have high expectations for the team.'
Hill School Coach: Mark Pearson, sixth year. Last year's record: 2-2 Nid-Atlantic Prep League, 8-8 overall. Wrestlers to watch: Cameron Dewey, Sr., 170-182; Kostya Golobokov, Sr., 285; Zach Sheehan, Sr., 126-132; Dymir Davis-Carruth, Soph., 220; Xavier Friel, Soph., 145; Will Hare, Soph., 220. Outlook: Hill returns two Escape the Rock place-winners: Senior Kostya Golobokov, sixth at 285, and sophomore Dymir Davis-Carruth, 220, who placed eighth at 182. Golobokov placed seventh at National Preps and second at state preps in 2014; he has placed sixth twice at Escape the Rock. Zack Sheehan SR, a two-time Maine state champion and Pennsylvania prep school runner up also returns for Hill at 126/132. Returning lettermen Cameron Dewey SR, 170/182, Will Hare, 220, and Xavier Friel SO, 145, give the Blues a solid lineup of veteran wrestlers. Golobokov, seventh at National Preps and second at Pa. Preps, comes into his senior season having recently signed a letter of commitment to the University of Michigan's Division 1 program. ... Sheehan was a two-time Maine state champion and Pa. Prep runner-up last year. ... Nolan Butcher (160), Hakim Coles (182), Kyle Gorant (132-138), Ted Kennedy (106) and recent Pope John Paul II grappler Kirk Cherneskie (195) are newcomers with solid mat resumes. ... "Hill graduated four national prep placers,' Pearson said, "but an influx of talented newcomers promise to make the Blues a very competitive team, especially in tournaments.'
Methacton Coach: A.J. Maida, seventh year. Last year's record: 7-2 PAC-10, 16-7 overall. Wrestlers to watch: Shuajb Nuredini, Sr., 195; Sayer Campbell, Jr., 138; Dylan Henry, Soph., 128; Bryce Reddington, Soph., 132. Outlook: Among the Warriors going the graduation route this past spring was Tracey Green, who went 40-3 in a season that saw him win the PAC-10, District 1-West and AAA Southeast Region's 285-pound titles prior to placing fourth at states. ... "We've got a really hard working group of young guys, and some older guys that will be new to the lineup, so our season should be fun,' Maida said. "In our league, the teams at the bottom are good and the teams at the top are great, so our guys will be battle tested early and often. We have a team goal of making sure that everyone improves every day and I feel like our guys show up to practice every day with a great attitude and great work ethic.'
Owen J. Roberts Coach: Steve DeRafelo, 12th year. Last year's record: 6-3 PAC-10, 9-7 overall. Wrestlers to watch: Dalton Birnbrauer, Sr., 220; Will Dawson, Sr., 195-220; Robert Dlugaszewski, Sr., 138; Demetri D'Orsaneo, Sr., 138; Jimmy Fratantoni, Sr., 160; Drew Gerber, Sr., 145; Derek Gulotta, Sr., 120; Dominick Petrucelli, Sr., 145; John Ruckle, Sr., 132. Outlook: The Wildcats' senior crew is headed by a trio of grapplers with state-tournament level experience. Gulotta placed fourth at 112, D'Orsaneo medalled at 145 and Petrucelli also qualified at 145. ... "We are looking for big things from our hard working senior class of Dalton Birnbraur (220), Will Dawson (195-220), Robert Dlugaszewski (138), Demetri D'Orsaneo (138)- returning state medalist, Jimmy Fratantoni (160), Drew Gerber (145), Derek Gulotta (120)- returning state medalist, Dominic Petrucelli (145)- returning state qualifier, and John Ruckle (132),' DeRafelo said. "We look forward to competing against the talented teams in the PAC-10. The other teams in our league are well-coached, and the kids are always prepared to compete at a high level. We need to do the right things in practice every day if we hope to be competitive.'
Perkiomen Valley Coach: Jared Dubbs, first year. Last year's record: 4-5 PAC-10, 14-6 overall. Wrestlers to watch: Alec DellaDonna, Sr., 182-195; Omar Elghawy, Sr., 182-195; Alex Michener, Sr., 285; Aaron Sturm, Sr., 170. Outlook: Dubbs, an assistant with the Viking mat program the past eight seasons, takes over from former boss Tim Walsh. ... "After graduating a successful senior class from last year,' Dubbs said, "we look to build the program with strong senior leadership and a good incoming freshman class. We look to continue to be competitive and to move up in the PAC-10.'
Phoenixville Coach: Alec Bown, first year. Last year's record: 1-8 PAC-10, 7-12 overall. Wrestlers to watch: Trey Romance, Sr., 152; David Rosati, Sr., 285; Garrett Serwatka, Sr., 138-145; Max Shepherd, Jr., 106; Tanner Romance, Soph., 171. Outlook: Bown becomes the third different Phantom head coach in as many years. He takes over from Mike Sidlo, who had succeeded Joe Youngblood following the 2012-13 season. ... Serwatka is expected to miss a significant portion of the 2014-15 season after injuring his elbow in a preseason tournament. He had compiled a 25-9 record with 17 falls last year. ... "The Phantoms return a mix of other competent wrestlers with varsity experience that should help fill out the lineup,' Bown said, adding he "is excited about a few ninth-graders who have joined the program' and "is optimistic about the future that lies ahead,' though he "realizes there is a lot work yet to be done.'
Pope John Paul II Coach: Jared Every, first year. Last year's record: 0-9 PAC-10, 6-12 overall. Wrestlers to watch: Michael Collins, Sr., 170-182; Luke Genetti, Sr., 220-285; Daniel Murphy, Sr., 285; Vinnie Togno, Sr., 160; William Heid, Jr., 138-145; Liam Lockrey, Soph., 195; Brendan Rau, Soph., 170-182; Nick Yerger, Soph., 113-120. Outlook: Every takes over the Golden Panther program from Selden Staples, who headed it the first four years of the school's existence. ... "We are still a growing program in our infant stages as a newer school,' Every said. "As it has been in recent years, our lack of numbers and depth have hurt us, giving up forfeit points in each dual meet by not filling all weight classes. With increased numbers, we should have a much fuller - if not full - lineup this season, thus making PJP more competitive.' ... Yerger had the best 2013-14 season of any of the PJP returnees. His 17-19 record notwithstanding, Yerger was a District 1-AA champion at 113 and qualifier for the Southeast AA Tournament.
Pottsgrove Coach: Jeff Madden, seventh year. Last year's record: 3-6 PAC-10, 13-10 overall. Wrestlers to watch: Joseph Clevenger, Sr., 138; Pat Finn, Sr., 285; Michael Roth, Sr., 160; Evan Weneck, Sr., 170; Chris DeFrancesco, Jr., 195; Ethan McCarrick, Jr., 126; Nathan Miller, Jr., 138; Christian Pace, Jr., 160; Christopher Quintrell, Jr., 182; Jonathan Quintrell, Jr., 170; Kylif Underwood, Jr., 120. Outlook: Pat Finn is coming off a stellar junior campaign that saw him claim PIAA silver after sitting out the first 1-1/2 months of the 2013-14 season recovering from a football-related injury. ... Ryan Finn (152) heads the list of sophomores on the Falcon roster. A District 1-West semifinalist his freshman season, Finn compiled 25 wins to rank among the program's top ninth-graders. ... Nick Borzick (220), Brady Carpenter (126), Ryan Lynch (138) and Tyler Smith (220) are other 10th-graders who impressed as freshmen. ... "We are ready to begin the push to the 2014-2015 wrestling season,' Madden said. "We are very optimistic, as we bring back our entire team with the exception of Nico Demetrio.'
Pottstown Coach: Brad Bechtel, third year. Last year's record: 2-7 PAC-10, 12-13 overall. Wrestlers to watch: Alex Humma, Sr., 195-220; Bubba Gephart, Jr., 126-132; Saddiq Ibn-Mustafah, Jr., 145-152; Logan Pennypacker, Jr., 126-132; Mason Pennypacker, Jr., 138-145; Bryant Wise, Jr., 132-138; Ray Bumbarger, Soph., 285; Isaiah Mayes, Soph., 160, Ernest McCalvin, Soph., 170-182; Nyles Rome, Soph., 182-195. Outlook: Wise is a returning state qualifier, Logan Pennypacker placed fourth in the 2014 District 1-West tournament and Mason Pennypacker was a district-level qualifier. ... Humma, Gephart and Bumbarger will be looked to for staying healthy all season, after sustaining injuries last year. ... "Pottstown will still be a young team this year, with only one senior projected to be in the starting lineup,' Bechtel said. "We are hopeful we will be competitive in the always tough PAC-10 and try to field a full lineup for every match. We have a few experienced freshmen joining the team this year, and we'll be looking to them to be productive all season as well.'
Spring-Ford Coach: Tim Seislove, 16th year. Last year's record: 8-1 PAC-10, 25-4 overall. Wrestlers to watch: Nick Beauchamp, Sr., 145; Jon Cooper, Sr., 152; Ryan Hayes, Sr., 126; Frankie Krauss, Sr., 160; Brendan Zimmie, Sr., 195; Matt Krieble, Jr., 138; Hunter Mitch, Jr., 126. Outlook: Hayes comes back off a stellar junior campaign that saw him finish seventh at 113 in the PIAA Class AAA individual championships. ... The Rams' other key returnees bring considerable post-season resumes with them, led by Beauchamp's fourth-place finish in the AAA Southeast Regionals. ... "We lost a strong group of seniors to graduation last year,' Seislove noted. "Right now, we are just trying to fill all 14 weight classes to be competitive in the toughest league in District 1.'
Upper Perkiomen Coach: Sam Walters, first year. Last year's record: 5-4 PAC-10, 8-12 overall. Wrestlers to watch:Eric Miller, Sr., 138-145; Dustin Steffenino, Sr., 120; Trevor Weeks, Sr., 160-170; Michael Felix, Jr., 170; Noah Folk, Jr., 126-132; Mike Lockhoff, Jr., 152-160; Mahlon Schaffer, Jr., 285; Jared Kuhns, Fresh., 106-113; Jarek Svanson, Fresh., 106-113. Outlook: Steffenino will come into his senior season off a junior campaign culminated by him finishing eighth at 113 in the PIAA Class AAA individual championship tournament. Miller also had a heady finish to the 2013-14 season, placing fourth at the AAA Southeast Regional. ... "I expect to build on the success we had last year,' Walters, both a wrestler and assistant coach for legendary former Tom Hontz, said. "Our goal is to compete for a PAC-10 team title every year. We recognize that we may be the underdogs, but it won't stop us from putting in the work and competing every time we step out on the mat.'
